Chord Memo vs RetroTune
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
RetroTune
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | Chord Memo | RetroTune |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kiichi Ito | Tsuyoshi Terasaki |
In-app purchases
Chord Memo
No in-app purchases
RetroTune
No in-app purchases









