Comparison

Chord Memo vs RetroTune

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

RetroTune

Features
Read full description

RetroTune is a music player for iOS and macOS, built for retro game music. With support for NSF, SPC, VGM, and many other chiptune formats, you can enjoy those classic sounds anytime, anywhere. ■ Wide Format Support - NSF / NSFe (NES) - SPC (SNES) - GBS (Game Boy) - VGM / VGZ / S98 (FM sound) - HES / AY / KSS / SAP, and more - MP3 ■ Manage Your Whole Collection Import ZIP, 7z, and RAR / RSN archives directly while preserving their folder structure. Reference files straight from the Files app or iCloud to save space on your device. ■ Build Playlists as You Listen Even with collections of dozens of tracks per file, you can star the tracks you like while listening, then save them together as a playlist later. ■ Comfortable Playback - A full-screen player that shows track info while you listen - Background playback support - A mini player you can control from any screen

Screenshots

Chord Memo4 screens
RetroTune4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Chord Memo at Free against RetroTune's $1.99. Chord Memo also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.2). RetroTune's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 7 months). On ads, in-app purchases 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

Chord Memo is free to download; RetroTune costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chord Memo ships an update every 7 months, RetroTune every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chord Memo versus RetroTune: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChord MemoRetroTune
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKiichi ItoTsuyoshi Terasaki

In-app purchases

None

Chord Memo

No in-app purchases

None

RetroTune

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chord Memo free?
Chord Memo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RetroTune free?
RetroTune costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Chord Memo or RetroTune have ads?
Neither Chord Memo nor RetroTune shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chord Memo or RetroTune?
Chord Memo ships an update every 7 months, and RetroTune every 4 days. Most recently, Chord Memo was updated on November 7, 2026 and RetroTune on October 3, 2026.

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