Comparison

VoicingWorkout vs WhatChord MIDI

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

Head to head
About

VoicingWorkout

Features
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VoicingWorkout​ is an iOS app for music learning and training. With your iPad and a MIDI keyboard, it teaches the bedrock of pop & jazz piano: chord voicings. Fast-track your ear and muscle memory so you can hear and play any chord instantly. Inside the app you’ll find: ​1.Ear Training for Notes:​​ Graduated from easy to advanced. ​2.Chord-voicing drills:​​ Learn the sound and the inner voices of every chord. ​3.Chord progression workouts:​​ Master smooth transitions between chords in R&B, Funk, Jazz & Neo-Soul styles. Perfect for every keyboard student or producer. Best of all: no sheet music required. Everything is played entirely by ear. Use it as a daily trainer—or simply browse the chord library, audition progressions and spark your next idea.

About

WhatChord MIDI

Identify chords from live MIDI input or manual note entry. Explore harmony, build chords, and browse scales with musically informed analysis. Learn and understand music theory with real-time feedback.

Highlights
  • Real-time chord recognition
  • Manual chord lookup
  • Explore chords and scales
  • Musically informed analysis
  • Alternative chord interpretations
  • MIDI compatibility
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Identify chords from live MIDI or manual note entry, follow the key as you play, then explore the harmony behind them. Stop guessing what chord you're playing. WhatChord gives musicians fast, musically informed chord names and live key context. Connect a Bluetooth or USB MIDI keyboard for instant feedback, or use the lookup pad to enter notes from any instrument, sheet music, or recording. Auto key detection listens to your recent live chords, shows confidence, and waits when the evidence is ambiguous. Explore Chords and Explore Scales let you build and hear chords, browse a wide range of scales, inspect keyboard patterns, and understand diatonic harmony. Play it. Explore it. Learn it. WhatChord goes beyond simple note matching. Its musically informed analysis considers inversions, extensions, slash chords, altered tones, key context, and conventional naming practices so chord names appear the way musicians expect to see them. When you're comping with a bassist, Ensemble mode names rootless voicings as the chords they imply and marks the implied root on the keyboard. FEATURES - Real-time chord recognition Chord names update immediately as you play. - Automatic key detection Auto mode estimates the current key from recent live chords, shows confidence across major and minor keys, and can keep the app's key context following your playing. - Manual chord lookup Enter notes directly to identify a chord, choose its bass note, and inspect alternative interpretations without connecting a MIDI device. - Explore chords Tap the chord card to open explore mode and build or hear chords without a keyboard by adjusting the root, quality, extensions, and bass note. - Explore scales Tap the scale-degree strip to browse a wide range of scales with tones, keyboard patterns, and diatonic chords. - Musically informed analysis Recognizes inversions, extensions, slash chords, upper structures, altered tones, and complex harmony. - Ensemble mode When comping with a bassist, switch to Ensemble so rootless voicings are named as the chords they imply. - Alternative interpretations See other valid chord names when more than one reading makes musical sense. - Context-aware spelling Uses enharmonic notation based on key signature and chord function. - Customizable notation Choose the chord symbol style you prefer. - MIDI compatibility Works with standard Bluetooth MIDI and USB MIDI keyboards and controllers. RECOGNITION WhatChord identifies everything from simple triads to rich extended harmony and follows key context from real playing. Whether you're practicing theory, learning progressions, exploring altered dominants, or working through dense extended chords, the app names what you play with accuracy and musical intent. PRIVACY WhatChord is free, contains no ads, and collects no personal data. All analysis happens locally on your device. GET STARTED Play through MIDI, enter notes manually, or start exploring chords, keys, and scales right away.

Screenshots

VoicingWorkout4 screens
WhatChord MIDI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WhatChord MIDI at none against VoicingWorkout's 1. WhatChord MIDI also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. VoicingWorkout sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. WhatChord MIDI asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VoicingWorkout ships an update every 3 weeks, WhatChord MIDI weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
VoicingWorkout versus WhatChord MIDI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVoicingWorkoutWhatChord MIDI
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer涛 李Aaron Bull Schaefer

In-app purchases

1 purchases

VoicingWorkout

One-time1
  • VoicingWorkout Pro Version$8.99
None

WhatChord MIDI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VoicingWorkout free?
VoicingWorkout is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WhatChord MIDI free?
WhatChord MIDI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do VoicingWorkout or WhatChord MIDI have ads?
Neither VoicingWorkout nor WhatChord MIDI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VoicingWorkout or WhatChord MIDI?
VoicingWorkout ships an update every 3 weeks, and WhatChord MIDI weekly. Most recently, VoicingWorkout was updated on October 28, 2026 and WhatChord MIDI on October 25, 2026.

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