Tiny Instrument vs Chords Explorer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tiny Instrument
This app simplifies playing, recording, and exploring MIDI keyboards with real-time visual feedback. It allows users to record performances, import MIDI files, and customize instruments and playback settings.
- Plug & Play MIDI keyboard connection
- Real-time note visualization on staff
- Record and save MIDI performances
- Import and play MIDI files
- Customizable instruments with SF2 support
- Flexible playback and display settings
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Learn music by playing it. Tiny Instrument is a keyboard-first way to learn music theory, train your ear, and practice scales, chords, and songs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Instead of treating theory like a textbook, it turns learning into something hands-on: play notes on the keyboard, hear how they sound, build chords and scales, train your ear, and explore ideas as you go. Start with the basics of notes, rhythm, intervals, scales, and chords. Then grow into keys, harmony, progressions, modes, and composition. Tiny Instrument keeps the experience light and musical with guided lessons, playful warm-ups, open-ended exploration, ear training, and beginner-friendly practice tools. Why Tiny Instrument feels different: - Learn theory through the keyboard, not away from it - Reinforce concepts with ear training and practice in the same app - Explore musical ideas through playful exercises and warm-ups - Sketch chord progressions and first song ideas in Compose - Use Aria, an optional learning companion, on supported Apple Intelligence devices - Keep learning across iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Connect a MIDI keyboard for a more instrument-like experience Tiny Instrument includes: - Guided music theory lessons - Ear training levels - Play & Explore exercises - Practice for scales, chords, songs, and MIDI - Beginner-friendly composition tools - Focus sessions for intentional practice - Music Library concept browsing - Spotlight search and other Apple-platform integrations The app is free to download and includes a genuine free tier you can keep using: Intro lessons, Keyboard basics, the Scales chapter, starter ear training in every stage, the first Play & Explore group, core practice tools, and Aria on supported Apple Intelligence devices. When you want more, additional chapters and tools are unlocked with one-time purchases. That includes deeper theory chapters, expanded practice and ear training, extra Play & Explore groups, and the Composition path. No subscription required. Whether you are starting from your very first keypress or filling in theory gaps as a self-taught player, Tiny Instrument is designed to make learning music feel more playful, connected, and alive. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Chords Explorer
This app helps musicians, producers, and songwriters generate and refine chord progressions. It offers various tools like a piano keyboard, guitar fretboard, and random chord generator to spark creativity. Progressions can be exported in multiple formats.
- Piano keyboard and guitar fretboard views
- Random chord generator
- Real-time audio playback
- Smart chord suggestions
- Drag and reorder chords
- Custom Chord Builder
- Export to MIDI, WAV, or TXT
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Spark your next chord progression. Select a chord or roll the dice → build and refine → export to MIDI, WAV or TXT. Chords Explorer is a chord progression builder designed for musicians, producers and songwriters who want to quickly find and explore new ideas. Features Piano keyboard and guitar fretboard views Random chord generator to break creative blocks Real-time audio playback with adjustable tempo and sustain Smart chord suggestions based on music theory Drag and reorder chords in the timeline Inversions and voicing options Custom Chord Builder — define your own chord types with any interval combination Export to MIDI, WAV or TXT Community progressions — vote and discover Sharp / flat / auto notation that follows the detected key Available in English, Français, Español, Русский, 日本語 ABC and solfège notation Export, custom chords and real-time MIDI output are a one-time unlock — no subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
Tiny Instrument and Chords Explorer both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Chords Explorer's written reviews are positive against 0% of Tiny Instrument's. Chords Explorer also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs paid) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Tiny Instrument sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Chords Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tiny Instrument against 5.0 for Chords Explorer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 7 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of Tiny Instrument's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chords Explorer's.
Tiny Instrument ships an update every 3 days, Chords Explorer every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tiny Instrument | Chords Explorer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 7 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 307 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Codeloop | Loup Vuarnesson |
Customer experience
Tiny Instrument
Chords Explorer
In-app purchases
Tiny Instrument
- Small Donation$0.99
- Keyboard Themes$1.99
- Core Theory$2.99
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- Chord Lab$2.99
- Medium Donation$2.99
- Composition Studio$4.99
- Advanced Theory$4.99
- Practice Studio$4.99
- Large Donation$4.99
- Full Library$14.99
Chords Explorer
- Unlock Exports2 variants$2.99
Questions
Is Tiny Instrument free?
Is Chords Explorer free?
Which has better reviews, Tiny Instrument or Chords Explorer?
Do Tiny Instrument or Chords Explorer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tiny Instrument or Chords Explorer?
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