# Basichords vs Chordology

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.

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

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Basichords | Chordology |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basichords/id384890606/reviews) | **[4.4 (231 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordology/id691133982/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **231** |
| Positive reviews | **75.4% of reviews** | 65.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 6 MB | 142 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.4** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Tekartik](https://appshunter.io/developer/361656490) | [Greg Raine](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896538832) |

## What reviewers say

### Basichords

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basichords/id384890606)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when changing instruments
- Crashes when going to settings
- App crashes on startup
- App disappears on iPad 1
- Crashes after iOS updates

**Requested features**

- Baritone Ukulele chords
- FSus2 open voicing
- Alternate odd open chords
- Option to remove ads (paid version)
- Improve link to paid version


### Chordology

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordology/id691133982)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chordology Pro | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Outdated UI on iPad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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Ability to hear chords as displayed
- Toggle between numbers and note names
- Color scheme customization
- Add five-string banjo
- Add baritone ukulele


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*