Simple Songwriter LE vs Quinterval
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simple Songwriter LE
This app helps musicians of all levels generate song ideas quickly and easily. It provides chord suggestions that sound good together and allows you to record your ideas for later practice. Transpose your songs to any key instantly and explore common chord progressions.
- Generate song ideas quickly
- Record song ideas for playback
- Find chords that sound great together
- Identify song key
- Instantly change song key
- Examine chord progressions
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We're proud to announce Simple Songwriter LE the free version of our popular song writing tool. Beginners to advanced musicians can use this app to leave thinking behind and bring the fun back into creating music. All the chords given sound great together and most pop/rock songs will use a combination of these chords. The touchscreen gives you the perfect environment to quickly and easily generate song ideas. When you have a great song idea, record it for later practice on your chosen instrument. List view allows you to browse your songs chords, while the song key section can transpose your idea to any key instantly. -Easily and quickly generate song ideas -Record song ideas for later playback -Find Chords that sound great together -Help identify the key of a song -Instantly change the key of a song -Easily examine the chord progressions used by your favourite songs If after trying you want more features including: -Loading/Saving songs -Selecting any key -High Quality sound upgrade -Voice/Audio Track Recording Please check out the full version of Simple Songwriter. Have fun and be creative!
Quinterval
Explore the circle of fifths with interactive scale displays. Select keys via touch or slider to view major and parallel minor scales. Customize note notation and clef for a personalized musical experience.
- Interactive circle of fifths
- Major and parallel minor scale display
- Adjustable display range
- Customizable note notation (German, English, Italian)
- Clef selection (G, C, F)
- Key signature display
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Quinterval is an interactive circle of fifths including the display of the corresponding scales. A key in the circle can be selected either by touching the tonic or by turning the slider in the middle. The circle displays both the respective major and parallel minor scales. The display ranges from F-flat major (D-flat minor) to G-sharp major (E-sharp minor). A second slider can be used to move the visible circle section accordingly. The note names can be set between german, english or italian notation. The lower area shows the related major scale with its key signature. The first step and the sixth step with the corresponding minor scale are highlighted. The notes can be displayed with G-Clef, C-Clef or F-Clef. The accidentals can also be displayed before the individual notes. Additional functionality is available as an InApp purchase: - Display the notes of the parallel minor scale - Display triads with their chord names - Playback notes by tapping on them
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Quinterval at 4.4 against Simple Songwriter LE's 3.7. Quinterval also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 63%). Simple Songwriter LE's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.1 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Quinterval sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Simple Songwriter LE asks for nothing beyond the download.
Quinterval holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 33 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Simple Songwriter LE's written reviews are positive against 78% of Quinterval's.
Simple Songwriter LE ships an update every 11 months, Quinterval every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simple Songwriter LE | Quinterval |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (33 ratings) | 4.4 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | 78.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 33 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | Every 8 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.1 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Christian Inkster | Oliver Hahn |
Customer experience
Simple Songwriter LE
Quinterval
User reviews
Simple Songwriter LE
From 33 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface for beginners
- 🎵 Effective chord progression tool for songwriting
- 🎹 Good quality sampled piano sounds
- 📱 Convenient portable songwriting tool
- ⚡ Quick and easy to use for brainstorming
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive premium version at $4.99
- 🚫 Limited chord options in free version
- 🔐 No save functionality (major issue)
- ⚠️ Confusing interface for some users
- 🎸 No guitar version available
Quinterval
From 21 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 💡 Great for learning music theory
- ✨ Clean UI design
- 💰 Good pricing for Pro version
- 🆓 Free and ad-free
Room to improve
- 🤔 Lacks in-app instructions
- 🎛️ Limited functionality (e.g., one octave)
- 🎶 No audio output for scales
- 🎚️ Incomplete key signatures (e.g., missing 7 sharps/flats)
- 🎛️ Enharmonic display issues (Gb/F#)
Bugs and requests
Simple Songwriter LE
Reported bugs
6 issues- Save function does not persist songs
- App crashes immediately after clicking new song
- App crashes after recent updates
- Chords near bottom tabs are difficult to hit
- Bluetooth audio plays unexpectedly in car
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- Chord response lag during fast playback
Requested features
20 requests- Save and load songs functionality
- Export recordings as audio/MIDI files
- More chord options and custom chords
- Minor keys and extended chord variations
- Guitar version of the app
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Lyrics/vocal recording feature
- Staff notation and sheet music display
- Loop functionality for songwriting
- Ability to append chords to existing recordings
- Metronome and count-in feature
- Drum loops and backing tracks
- Different time signatures (not just 4/4)
- Arpeggio options
- Volume mixing controls
- Undo/shake-to-undo feature
- Piano key visualization
- More instrument options beyond piano
- Sustaining pad instruments
- Customizable chord palette
- Display chord numbers during recording
Quinterval
Reported bugs
6 issues- Stummmodus prevents sound playback
- Errors in scales with sharps
- App crashes on startup (iOS 5.5.1)
- App closes immediately after opening since last update
- Gb/F# enharmonic bug
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- App not working after update (gray box, installing loop)
Requested features
23 requests- Include traditional Roman Numerals to degree scale
- Add C flat Maj with 7 flats
- Add C sharp Maj with 7 sharps
- Option for both accidentals
- Multiple octave scales
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- Arpeggios feature
- Change fingering numbers for other instruments
- Audio output from the wheel/scales
- Compositional aid features
- Nashville number system option
- Sound generator/polyphonic keyboard
- Support for tenor clef
- In-app instructions & explanations
- Display natural minor scale when Moll-Parallele is clicked
- American notation option (Bb)
- Church modes with audio support
- Support for iOS 7
- Alto clef support
- Add missing flats
- Parallel minor key in circle
- Simple transposition table app
- Add C# and Cb
- iPad version
In-app purchases
Simple Songwriter LE
No in-app purchases
Quinterval
- Enhanced Version$0.99
Questions
Is Simple Songwriter LE free?
Is Quinterval free?
Which has better reviews, Simple Songwriter LE or Quinterval?
Do Simple Songwriter LE or Quinterval have ads?
Which is updated more often, Simple Songwriter LE or Quinterval?
Other comparisons
