Comparison

Ringer vs Chordology

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

Head to head
About

Ringer

Create custom ringtones, text tones, and alert tones from your music library or recordings. Easily select precise audio segments with waveform visualization and advanced editing tools for a personalized sound experience.

Highlights
  • Create ringtones, text tones, and alert tones
  • Use unprotected songs from iTunes
  • Edit videos from photo library
  • Direct audio recording
  • Waveform visualization
  • Zoom for precise editing
  • Fade-in/out and gap support
Features
Read full description

Ringer is the premiere ringtone creation app on the app store. Make a personal ringtone from any unprotected song in your iTunes Library, video in your photo library, or direct recording. Ringer lets you easily make a ringtone from 2 to 40 seconds long. Features: - Fully iOS 12 compatible. - Makes ringtones, text tones, and alert tones. - See the actual waveform to help you find the right part of your song. - Zoom in and out to help you choose the start and end of your ringtone with sub-second accuracy. - Support for fade-in, fade-out and ringtone gap. - Song navigator lets you jump to any part of the song instantly. - Auto volume support makes sure that quiet parts of a song can still be used as a ringtone. - Landscape mode to provide a larger view on your music. Note: - Songs that are protected by DRM cannot be used. - No app can install ringtones on the phone. Ringtones must be imported into iTunes and synced to the phone before they can be used.

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

Ringer4 screens
Chordology4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chordology at Free against Ringer's $1.99. Chordology also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 months) and rating (4.4 vs 4.0). Ringer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (89% vs 66%). On ads, monetization model 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

Chordology is free to download; Ringer costs $1.99 up front. Chordology sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ringer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chordology holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 67 and 231 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 89% of Ringer'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

Ringer ships an update every 6 months, Chordology every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Ringer versus Chordology: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRingerChordology
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (67 ratings)4.4 (231 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.5% of reviews — better65.8% of reviews
Number of ratings67231 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB142 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPixel Research Labs, Inc.Greg Raine

Customer experience

Ringer

All ratings67 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative22.4%
Written reviews610 reviews
Positive88.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative8.2%

Chordology

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

User reviews

Ringer

From 67 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎨 Customizable ringtones
  • 🎶 Wide selection of songs
  • 💡 Innovative features
  • ⚡️ Fast and efficient

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • 🔌 Requires computer connection to install ringtones
  • ⚠️ Occasional crashes or bugs
  • 💰 Expensive compared to free alternatives

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

Ringer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Songs not recognized in library
  • Ringtones not appearing on device
  • Exporting issues with certain file formats

Requested features

4 requests
  • Direct ringtone installation without computer
  • Support for text message tones
  • Improved waveform editing tools
  • Ability to create ringtones from any audio source

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

Ringer

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chordology

One-time1
  • Chordology Pro$5.99

Questions

Is Ringer free?
Ringer costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chordology free?
Chordology is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ringer or Chordology?
Chordology is rated higher. Ringer averages 4.0 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Chordology averages 4.4 from 231 ratings.
Do Ringer or Chordology have ads?
Neither Ringer nor Chordology shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ringer or Chordology?
Ringer ships an update every 6 months, and Chordology every 3 days. Most recently, Ringer was updated on October 20, 2026 and Chordology on October 15, 2026.

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