JustChords vs Chord Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
JustChords
Organize your song library with chord charts and lyrics. Create or import songs, sync across devices, and build setlists for live performances. Supports various music notations and audio playback.
- Chord chart and lyric editor
- Import songs from online sources
- iCloud device syncing
- Setlist creation and sharing
- AirPlay lyric projection
- Audio player and recorder
- Support for multiple music notations
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JustChords is your complete tool for cataloging chord charts and lyrics. Create charts from scratch, import them from files, or pull them from online sources — building a library that's always with you, synced across iPhone, iPad and Mac via iCloud. Use JustChords standalone or as an AUv3 plugin in your favorite DAW. FEATURES • Setlists, with sharing and collaboration • Song editor is based on ChordPro and supports chords & lyrics, note sheets (PDF), chord beats, guitar tabs and ABC notation • Change Key, Capo, Piano Transpose, Rewrite into key • Metronome & Tuner • Autoscroll • Guitar, ukulele and piano chord diagrams, including alternate tunings • Audio player & recorder. Attach your tracks from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, URL or local file • Project lyrics or a dedicated stage display via AirPlay, with rich configuration options • Bluetooth / MIDI pedal support • Chord Beats — visualize chord duration right in your chords & lyrics, send chord notes over MIDI as they play, and trigger predefined MIDI messages on section changes • Tonic Pad — an ambient backing pad matched to your song's key • PlayTogether — keep your whole band in sync live, hands-free
Chord Studio
This app helps musicians play, recognize, and create chord progressions. It offers real-time chord recognition, MIDI keyboard support, and tools to craft and export custom musical arrangements. Enjoy a distraction-free experience with a clean interface and regular updates.
- Real-time chord recognition
- Custom chord progression creation
- MIDI keyboard support
- Chord lookup and voicings
- Built-in metronome
- Export progressions to MIDI
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Your all-in-one chord companion. Play and recognize chords live, craft custom progressions, and connect your MIDI keyboard. Play Mode - Recognize chords in real time while you play - Look up any chord and explore multiple voicings - MIDI keyboard support for seamless input - Built-in metronome to keep your practice tight - Challenge your chord skills and compete on global leaderboards - Or simply enjoy it as a elegantly designed piano in your pocket Songwriting Mode - Craft custom chord progressions with just a few taps - Instantly hear how your chords sound together - Choose from a wide range of instruments and playing styles - Customize playback with humanize, transposition, voicing adjustments, and more - Auto-detect chords from MIDI input for faster editing - Share with friends or export your progressions to MIDI files Designed for Musicians - Minimal, elegant design for the best user experience - Light / Dark Mode and customizable theme colors - 100% ad-free, so you can focus on your music - Regular updates with new features and content For questions or feedback, contact us anytime at chordstudio3572@outlook.com Terms of Use https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: JustChords at 348 against Chord Studio's 1. JustChords also leads on iOS requirement (17.5 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. JustChords sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Chord Studio sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for JustChords against 5.0 for Chord Studio. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JustChords has 348 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of JustChords's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chord Studio's.
JustChords ships an update every 2 weeks, Chord Studio weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and July 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | JustChords | Chord Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (348 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.2% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 348 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 198 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marek Palka | Jin Zhang |
Customer experience
JustChords
Chord Studio
Bugs and requests
JustChords
Reported bugs
11 issues- App crashes when importing songs from online sources
- Pinch zoom feature stopped working
- Songs disappearing from library
- App unable to load songs from library in certain conditions
- Multi-column view not functioning on iPad
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- PDF export inconsistently includes/excludes metadata
- Control+S keyboard shortcut non-functional on iPad and desktop
- Choppy scrolling between songs
- Tagging system filters incorrectly (excludes songs with multiple tags)
- Songs won't open when tapped (reported on iPhone 8 with iOS 16.7.4)
- Sticky notes placement requires manual adjustment
Requested features
8 requests- Apple Pencil direct annotation with eraser capability
- Standard tag filtering logic (show songs with selected tags)
- Bluetooth pedal support for song navigation without touching device
- Web-based editor for songs
- Direct in-app sharing to other users
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- Improved documentation and user manual
- Smoother song-to-song scrolling transitions
- Dark mode option
Chord Studio
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
JustChords
- Buy me a coffee$0.99
- Nice Chords!$2.99
- Buy me a pineapple$4.99
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- Rock On!$6.99
- Buy me a book$7.99
- Big Thanks!$17.99
- Legendary Support!$44.99
Chord Studio
- Chord Studio Pro$1.991 Month
- Chord Studio Pro Lifetime$29.99









