Sinogram Star vs FretBuzz Chords
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sinogram Star
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Sinogram Star – Create New Chinese Characters Discover the Unknown World! There are about 200 meta characters scattered in 12 sematic planets, if you find these meta characters, you can open the Chinese language world. (Most Chinese characters are composed of about 200 meta characters. If you master these meta characters and combination methods, you can control thousands of Chinese characters, even you can create new Chinese characters.)
FretBuzz Chords
Learn jazz guitar chords and their inversions with detailed diagrams and interactive practice tools. Explore various chord types, string combinations, and understand chord structures for effective practice.
- Jazz guitar chord learning
- Chord inversions
- Diatonic and spread triads
- Quartals and shells
- Drop 2 & 3 chords
- Rootless voicings
- Interactive chord diagrams
- Play-along metronome
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FretBuzz is an application for learning jazz guitar chords and their inversions. It covers: - Triads - Diatonic Triads - Spread Triads - Quartals: Three note chords by fourths, p4 p4, p4 #4, #4 p4. - Four Note Diatonic Quartals - Shells (Freddie Green Chords) - Drop 2 Chords - Diatonic Drop 2 Chords - Drop 3 Chords - Diatonic Drop 3 Chords - Drop 2 & 4 Chords - Rootless Voicings (Bill Evan's A and B Form piano voicings adapted for guitar.) All possible inversions of a chord is covered. Triads have three inversions, seventh chords have four inversions, etc. All possible string combinations of a chord is covered. Triads can be played on string sets 6-5-4, 5-4-3, 4-3-2 and 3-2-1. Drop 3 chords can be played on string sets 6-4-3-2 and 5-3-2-1, etc. This is not a "One Million Three Hundred And Sixty Six Chords For Guitar" application. And also this application does not have any open string chords. Rather this application covers the basic building blocks of jazz guitar chord vocabulary. Two chord diagrams are shown for each chord. The above chord diagram shows the chord notes while the below diagram shows the degrees within the chord. This way you can form an understanding of the structure of each chord you practice and you can use this understanding to create other chords. The play button plays the inversions in succession - in a loop with a metronome beat - and switches the tabs/inversions accordingly so that you can practice along the app. In this mode you do not have to change the tabs/inversions manually. You can also set the tempo of the play along. The tempo can be adjusted as low as 40 bpm, especially useful when learning new chords/shapes. Tapping on a chord diagram plays the entire chord. Tapping on a degree/chord note plays the individual degree/note. I made this so that I can practice when I am away from my guitar, and also for making sure I am not playing wrong notes when practicing. There is also a mini tutorial on how to create altered chords from basic chord shapes. You can resize the chord diagrams for your device. There is also a left handed option in the settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: FretBuzz Chords at $4.99 against Sinogram Star's $19.99. Sinogram Star's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 31 months) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 16). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
Sinogram Star costs $19.99 and FretBuzz Chords $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Sinogram Star ships an update every 3 weeks, FretBuzz Chords every 31 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sinogram Star | FretBuzz Chords |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19.99 | $4.99 — better |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 31 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.1 — better | 16 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Clavis Sinica Limited | Altug Basaran |
In-app purchases
Sinogram Star
No in-app purchases
FretBuzz Chords
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sinogram Star free?
Is FretBuzz Chords free?
Do Sinogram Star or FretBuzz Chords have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sinogram Star or FretBuzz Chords?
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