Comparison

Basichords vs Chordology

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

Chordology

Access hundreds of thousands of chord variations for multiple instruments like guitar, piano, and ukulele. Features a minimalist, fast interface and supports iPhone, iPad, and OSX. Enjoy a completely ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Multi-instrument chord dictionary
  • Hundreds of thousands of chords
  • Thousands of chord variations
  • Guitar, piano, ukulele support
  • Minimalist interface
  • Ad-free
Features
Read full description

Chordology - Chords and Scales, Beautifully Visualized See music. Hear music. Understand music. Chordology is the cleanest, most colorful way to explore chords and scales across all your favorite instruments. Whether you're a beginner learning your first shapes or a seasoned player digging into theory, Chordology turns abstract music concepts into something you can see, hear, and feel. EVERY INSTRUMENT, ONE APP Browse chords and scales for: - Piano - Guitar - Bass Guitar - Banjo - Ukulele BUILT FOR THE WAY YOU ACTUALLY PLAY - Custom tunings (Chordology Pro): set up any tuning on your stringed instruments and see every shape update instantly. - Capo support (Chordology Pro): dial in your capo position and view chords exactly as they'll sound. - Multiple finger positions: for guitar, bass, ukulele, and banjo, swipe through every voicing up and down the neck to find the one that fits. - Hear it instantly: tap play to hear any chord or scale rendered authentically on your chosen instrument. GO DEEPER THAN SHAPES Every chord comes with rich musical insight. Explore qualities like brightness, darkness, and consonance to understand not just how a chord is played, but why it sounds the way it does, and how to use it in your own music. AN INTERFACE AS BEAUTIFUL AS IT IS USEFUL Chordology's signature color system gives every note its own identity, so patterns leap off the fretboard and keyboard. The clean, bright design keeps the music front and center: no clutter, no noise, just clarity. CHORDOLOGY PRO Chordology is free: every instrument, every chord and scale, every voicing, and playback, at standard tuning. Chordology Pro is a one-time purchase - no subscription - that adds alternate tunings, a capo on any fret, and sharing. Pick an instrument. Choose a chord or scale. Press play. Start exploring. Download Chordology and see your music in a whole new light.

Screenshots

Basichords3 screens
Chordology4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Basichords at none against Chordology's 1. Basichords also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 66%) and iOS requirement (8.4 vs 26.0). Chordology's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 4 months) and rating (4.4 vs 4.0). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Chordology sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Basichords asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chordology holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chordology has 231 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Basichords's written reviews are positive against 66% of Chordology'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, Chordology every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Basichords versus Chordology: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBasichordsChordology
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (10 ratings)4.4 (231 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.4% of reviews — better65.8% of reviews
Number of ratings10231 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supportedFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS8.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB142 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTekartikGreg Raine

Customer experience

Basichords

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

Chordology

All ratings231 ratings
Positive83.1%
Neutral7.8%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive65.8%
Neutral10.5%
Negative23.7%

User reviews

Basichords

From 10 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and clean interface
  • 🎸 Versatile for multiple instruments
  • 💡 Shows alternate chord voicings
  • 🆓 Great free app
  • ⏱️ Fast chord lookup

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes when switching instruments
  • 📉 Ads can be intrusive
  • 🔗 Broken links to paid version
  • ⚠️ Some chord types missing (e.g., diminished triads)
  • 🤔 Confusing interface for some users

Chordology

From 231 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • ✨ Clean and minimalist design
  • 💡 Great for learning chords
  • 🚀 Fast chord lookup
  • 🎹 Useful for composition

Room to improve

  • 👎 Outdated UI on iPad
  • 🐛 Voicing mismatch (display vs. sound)
  • 🐛 Octave difference (display vs. sound)
  • 🐛 Inaccurate chord identification (minor/major)
  • 🐛 Non-functional options screen

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

Chordology

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Voicing displayed doesn't match played voicing
  • Played chord is an octave higher than displayed
  • Shows minor chords as major and vice-versa
  • iPad version is a stretched iPhone UI
  • Options screen is non-functional
Show 7 more
  • App crashes immediately
  • Swiping on iPad to see different chord variations doesn't work
  • Tapping on left/right of dots to see variations is bizarre UI
  • iPad version only shows first chord variation
  • Fret changer swiping doesn't slide display
  • Constant rating requests
  • Common ways to play chords are deeper in options

Requested features

16 requests
  • Ability to hear chords as displayed
  • Toggle between numbers and note names
  • Color scheme customization
  • Add five-string banjo
  • Add baritone ukulele
Show 11 more
  • Display chord notes
  • Display note scale degrees
  • MIDI chord detection
  • Ability to store a series of chords
  • Change tuning options
  • Add capo position
  • Audio previews for chords
  • Scales for stringed instruments
  • Support split screen mode
  • Center interface and allow 180-degree rotation
  • More tunings for banjo

In-app purchases

None

Basichords

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chordology

One-time1
  • Chordology Pro$5.99

Questions

Is Basichords free?
Basichords is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chordology free?
Chordology is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Basichords or Chordology?
Chordology is rated higher. Basichords averages 4.0 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Chordology averages 4.4 from 231 ratings.
Do Basichords or Chordology have ads?
Neither Basichords nor Chordology shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Basichords or Chordology?
Basichords ships an update every 4 months, and Chordology every 3 days. Most recently, Basichords was updated on October 18, 2026 and Chordology on October 15, 2026.

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