Comparison

Basichords vs Start Jamming with Grass

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Basichords

Access chord diagrams for a variety of stringed instruments, including guitar, ukulele, and banjo. Features include auto-play, interactive diagrams, finger placement guides, and detailed chord/note information. Supports multiple tunings and left-handed players.

Highlights
  • Chord diagrams for multiple instruments
  • Auto-play chords
  • Interactive chord diagrams
  • Finger placement guidance
  • Chord and note information
  • Left-handed display option
Features
Read full description

Chord positions for Guitar, Ukulele, Bouzouki, Cavaquinho, Mandolin, Mandola & Banjo: - auto play of the chords when selected - ability to play the chord by tapping on its diagram - finger position, to tell which finger goes where in the easiest manner - chord information (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th...) or note information (C, G, E...) for each string - option for left-handed display and disabling the autoplay feature - ad supported Supported tunings: - Guitar E-A-D-G-B-E (more than 2100 positions) - Ukulele G-C-E-A/A-D-F#-B (900+) - Cavaquinho D-G-B-D (1100+) - Mandolin/Bouzouki G-D-A-E (900+) - Mandola C-G-D-A (900+) - Banjo C-G-B-D (700+) / D-G-B-D (1100+)

About

Start Jamming with Grass

This app helps you learn bluegrass music with a comprehensive song library, including chords, lyrics, and demo videos. Discover local jam sessions and connect with other musicians to practice and perform together.

Highlights
  • Extensive song library with chords and lyrics
  • Demo videos for jam standards
  • Jam Finder for local bluegrass events
  • Personalized lists for tracking songs
  • Automatic backing tracks for practice
  • Filterable content by category and artist
Features
Read full description

Grass is your companion for learning bluegrass music. Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand your skills, this app provides everything you need to join the bluegrass community. Key Features: - Song Library: Chords, lyrics, and demo videos for over 400 jam standards, filterable by category and artist. - Jam Finder: Meet new friends to play with at 700+ bluegrass jams across the country. - Lists: Track what you've played, or "go live" and help your friends follow along - Practice Tools: Built-in automatic backing tracks at adjustable tempos. Perfect for: - Beginning musicians interested in bluegrass - Intermediate players looking to expand their repertoire - Anyone wanting to join the bluegrass community - Musicians searching for local jams

Screenshots

Basichords3 screens
Start Jamming with Grass4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Start Jamming with Grass at 4.8 against Basichords's 4.1. Start Jamming with Grass also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). Basichords's advantage is review sentiment (75% vs 33%) and iOS requirement (8.4 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Start Jamming with Grass holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 12 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Basichords's written reviews are positive against 33% of Start Jamming with Grass's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Basichords ships an update every 4 months, Start Jamming with Grass weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Basichords versus Start Jamming with Grass: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasichordsStart Jamming with Grass
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (11 ratings)4.8 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.4% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings1112 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.4 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB75 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTekartikElijah Jacob Mayfield

Customer experience

Basichords

All ratings10 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative30.0%
Written reviews138 reviews
Positive75.4%
Neutral5.1%
Negative19.6%

Start Jamming with Grass

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral66.7%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Basichords

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Crashes when changing instruments
  • Crashes when going to settings
  • App crashes on startup
  • App disappears on iPad 1
  • Crashes after iOS updates
Show 2 more
  • Link to paid version not working
  • Ads taking over the app

Requested features

12 requests
  • Baritone Ukulele chords
  • FSus2 open voicing
  • Alternate odd open chords
  • Option to remove ads (paid version)
  • Improve link to paid version
Show 7 more
  • Add diminished triads
  • Add / chords (e.g., d/f# and g/d)
  • Add C#m chord
  • Add drop D ukulele tuning (DGBE)
  • Add bass guitar chords
  • Add C2 chord
  • Left-handed view option

Start Jamming with Grass

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Basichords

No in-app purchases

None

Start Jamming with Grass

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Basichords free?
Basichords is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Start Jamming with Grass free?
Start Jamming with Grass is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Basichords or Start Jamming with Grass?
Start Jamming with Grass is rated higher. Basichords averages 4.1 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Start Jamming with Grass averages 4.8 from 12 ratings.
Do Basichords or Start Jamming with Grass have ads?
Neither Basichords nor Start Jamming with Grass shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Basichords or Start Jamming with Grass?
Basichords ships an update every 4 months, and Start Jamming with Grass weekly. Most recently, Basichords was updated on November 1, 2026 and Start Jamming with Grass on November 4, 2026.

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