Comparison

Chord Memo vs ChordScanner

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

Head to head
About

Chord Memo

Compose and arrange music by writing and playing back chords. Practice singing or instruments like guitar and piano with this tool. It offers features for fine-tuning timing, exporting to MIDI, and changing instruments.

Highlights
  • Enter chords with dedicated keyboard
  • Control tempo, beat, and modulation
  • Playback entered chords
  • Display chords as degree names
  • Save notes with name and description
  • Export MIDI file
  • Change instrument
Features
Read full description

It's an app that lets you write chords and play them right back! Use it for composing and arranging music, as well as for practicing singing, guitar, piano, etc. Functions: - Enter chords with the dedicated keyboard (including slash and tension chords) - Control tempo, beat, and modulation - Playback the entered chords - Display chords as degree name (I, VI, ...) - Save notes with name and description - Playback with swing - Export MIDI file - Change instrument - Playback with metronome - Place chords fine timings - Copy/paste chords - Zoom score

About

ChordScanner

Instantly identify chords from sheet music using your device's camera. Generate creative chord progressions in various styles and hear them played back with accompanying notation. Learn and save chords and progressions privately on your device.

Highlights
  • AI-powered chord scanning from sheet music
  • Generate chord progressions in 6 styles
  • Real-time audio playback with notation
  • Extensive chord library
  • Save favorite progressions
  • On-device processing for privacy
Features
Read full description

ChordScanner turns your iPhone into the ultimate chord companion. Point your camera at any sheet music, lead sheet, or handwritten chart — and our on-device AI instantly identifies every chord. No subscription. No Wi-Fi. Just music. Instant Chord Recognition Snap a photo of any sheet music and watch complex chords come to life in seconds. Powered by advanced OCR AI — 100% on-device, 100% private. Supports 300+ chord types, from simple triads to advanced jazz voicings. Build Creative Progressions Go beyond scanning. Generate rich chord progressions across 6 styles — Jazz, Rock, Blues, Pop, Classical, and Funk — with flexible time signatures (2/4 to 7/4) and a built-in metronome. Your next song idea is one tap away. Hear It Come Alive Real-time audio playback powered by AudioKit, with musical notation that follows along as you listen. Practice, experiment, and create — all in one place. Learn at Your Own Pace Explore an extensive chord library ranging from beginner basics to expert-level harmony. Save your favorite progressions and build your personal musical toolkit. Your Privacy, Protected Everything runs on your device. No cloud uploads, no data sharing, no tracking. Your music stays yours. Perfect for guitarists, pianists, students, composers, and anyone who loves music.Instantly scan chords from any sheet music with AI — then build stunning progressions in Jazz, Rock, Blues & more. All on your iPhone. No internet needed.

Screenshots

Chord Memo4 screens
ChordScanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ChordScanner at every 6 weeks against Chord Memo's every 7 months. Chord Memo's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Chord Memo against 5.0 for ChordScanner. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chord Memo ships an update every 7 months, ChordScanner every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Chord Memo versus ChordScanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChord MemoChordScanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB470 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKiichi ItoCarlos Azuaje

Customer experience

Chord Memo

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%

ChordScanner

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Chord Memo

No in-app purchases

None

ChordScanner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chord Memo free?
Chord Memo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChordScanner free?
ChordScanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chord Memo or ChordScanner?
Chord Memo and ChordScanner are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Chord Memo or ChordScanner have ads?
Neither Chord Memo nor ChordScanner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chord Memo or ChordScanner?
Chord Memo ships an update every 7 months, and ChordScanner every 6 weeks. Most recently, Chord Memo was updated on October 30, 2026 and ChordScanner on October 24, 2026.

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