AxeChords vs midigarden
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AxeChords
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Learn all the basic Major and Minor Chords on Guitar using the CAGED System. (A system based on the open C, A, G, E, and D chords). Learn the foundation of all Jazz Chords with Shell Chords. (Root, 3rd, 7th). Master advanced Chords and their Inversions with Drop 2 and Drop 3 Chords. (2nd or 3rd highest note of a closed position Chord dropped an octave to spread out the voicing). Select any of 12 different Root Notes for each chord form, providing thousands of different combinations! Shows the scale degree of each chord note, as well as the suggested fingerings for each chord. Play each chord to hear how it sounds, choose from several different guitar types with strummed or picked chords. Context sensitive help available on each screen. Plus, you can also add your own custom User Chords!
midigarden
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midigarden is a touch-based synthesizer that turns your iPhone or iPad into a musical instrument. Play melodies on an 5x8 grid mapped to musical scales. Each pad triggers notes with 8-voice polyphony, letting you play chords and melodies with your fingers. FEATURES • Touch Grid - Play notes on a responsive grid. Choose from multiple scales including major, minor, pentatonic, and chromatic. • Retrospective Looper - Captures what you just played, even if you weren't recording. Never lose a good take. • Custom Patches - Load your own Pure Data patches via the Files app. The app automatically wraps them with voice allocation and mixing. • Live Parameters - Every knob and slider in your patch becomes a touchable control. Drag to adjust in real-time. • Built-in Synthesizers - Ships with patches ready to play, physical models, fm and drum synths. • Camera Background - Optional live camera feed behind the grid for screen-recorded performances. PURE DATA POWERED Under the hood, midigarden runs Pure Data patches - the same open-source audio engine used by professional musicians and sound designers worldwide. Create patches on your computer and load them into the app. PERFECT FOR • Live performance and jamming • Sketching musical ideas • Learning synthesis • Use iOS screen capture with background camera to make performance videos that capture the mood and environment • Sound design experiments No music theory required. Just touch and play.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: midigarden at Free against AxeChords's $1.99. On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
midigarden is free to download; AxeChords costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | AxeChords | midigarden |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Joseph Svantner | William Sharkey |
In-app purchases
AxeChords
No in-app purchases
midigarden
No in-app purchases









