Comparison

Phase Chimes vs Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel

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

Head to head
About

Phase Chimes

Create intricate musical compositions by linking gears to generate complex rhythms and melodies. Explore generative music ideas standalone or as a MIDI plugin within other music production apps.

Highlights
  • Generative rhythm and melody composition
  • AUv3 MIDI plugin support
  • Standalone app functionality
  • Adjustable gear parameters (size, angle, velocity)
  • Composition snapshots and transitions
  • On-the-fly performance capabilities
  • Internal sound library
Read full description

MAKE MUSICAL MACHINES! Link gears together to compose surprisingly complex rhythms and melodies. Runs as an AUv3 MIDI plugin in host apps like AUM and Logic Pro (for iPad), or as a standalone app so you can explore musical ideas on your iPhone or iPad whenever inspiration strikes! THE CONCEPT - Differently-sized gears define gear ratios, which produce polyrhythms. - The connection angle between gears determines note pitch. Use these simple principles to create generative compositions with a visually elegant user interface. Compose patterns that evolve over time, or perform live by changing and arranging gears on-the-fly. FEATURES - Set each gear's size, offset, velocity, duration, and MIDI channel. - Store multiple snapshots of your composition and smoothly transition between them. - Reposition groups of gears to transpose and re-harmonize multiple notes at the same time. - Almost any aspect of a composition can be randomized. - Control external software or hardware instruments when in standalone MIDI mode or as an AUv3 plugin. - Synchronizes with your DAW's timeline to play in time with other tracks. - Get started quickly with an onscreen tutorial and a bunch of factory presets. SOUNDS Select from internal sounds such as a sampled grand piano, a Wurlitzer, and a vintage synthesizer. Whether you want to create a live audio-visual performance, add a polyrhythmic layer to your project, or compose an ambient, meditative atmosphere, Phase Chimes will surprise you with something new every time you engage with it.

About

Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel

This app analyzes music in real-time, identifying chords, their functions within a key, and recording progressions. It also includes a tuner, metronome, and key detection for producers and musicians.

Highlights
  • Real-time chord and key identification
  • Chord function labeling (I, IV, V, etc.)
  • Recording of musical progressions
  • MIDI input with built-in synth
  • Real-time tuner and metronome
  • Key detection for DJs
Features
Read full description

The Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel is a musician and producer toolkit — a tuner for chords and a measurement device for the vitals of the music in front of you. Point it at your mic or play it over MIDI, and it reads the harmony as it happens — the chord, the key, and the job that chord is doing. Works on piano, guitar, or recorded music with clear harmonic movement. It identifies each chord's role, not just its name, using the Beat Kitchen Ten Chord Toolkit (explained in the guidebook built into the app): the tonic (I) you keep coming back to, the IV that opens things up, the V that wants to resolve, a V/vi setting up a detour, a bVII pulled from the parallel minor. The matching wedge lights up as you play. What it does Hears chords from your mic in real time, right on your device — nothing leaves your phone Labels the wheel by function, not just by chord name: I, ii, IV, V, V/vi, bVII, and the rest Records what you played so you can study the path a progression took Tap any wedge to hear the chord Takes MIDI in, wired or over Bluetooth, with a built-in synth Locks to your key so the wheel orients to the music you're in A Learn tab that walks through what you're looking at If you've reached for a circle of fifths or a key finder before, you're in the same neighborhood — except this one works in real time, while the music is still playing. Producer Tools A tuner and a metronome, built for the studio. Check your tuning. Tap a tempo or let the mic detect it for you, then read it in BPM and in milliseconds for every subdivision — with your own click sound on each one. Watch the beat pulse from across the room and feel it in your pocket with haptics (iPhone). And because the wheel already reads your key in real time, it doubles as a key detector for DJs lining up harmonic transitions. Who it's for Producers, DJs, songwriters, students, and anyone who can tell a progression is doing something to them but can't always say what. You don't need to read music. You need to be curious about why a few chords in a row can move you. It's theory you can hear before you can spell it. Beat Kitchen is a school that teaches harmony by ear and by function first. Harmony Wheel puts that same way of listening on your phone.

Screenshots

Phase Chimes4 screens
Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel at every 4 days against Phase Chimes's every 2 weeks. Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel also leads on price ($6.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.6). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Phase Chimes costs $9.99 and Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Phase Chimes against 5.0 for Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 9 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Phase Chimes ships an update every 2 weeks, Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Phase Chimes versus Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPhase ChimesBeat Kitchen Harmony Wheel
Price$9.99$6.99 — better
Rating5.0 (9 ratings)5.0 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings99
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB51 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenneth MurphyBeat Kitchen LLC

Customer experience

Phase Chimes

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Phase Chimes

No in-app purchases

None

Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Phase Chimes free?
Phase Chimes costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel free?
Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Phase Chimes or Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel?
Phase Chimes and Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 9 and 9 ratings respectively.
Do Phase Chimes or Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel have ads?
Neither Phase Chimes nor Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Phase Chimes or Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel?
Phase Chimes ships an update every 2 weeks, and Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel every 4 days. Most recently, Phase Chimes was updated on October 24, 2026 and Beat Kitchen Harmony Wheel on October 24, 2026.

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