Comparison

Just The Chords vs Aether Synth

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

Head to head
About

Just The Chords

This app provides a streamlined songbook for guitarists, focusing on chord progressions and song structure. It features smart chord detection, one-tap transposition, and custom diagram creation for efficient practice and performance.

Highlights
  • Smart chord detection and suggestions
  • One-tap song transposition
  • Personalized songbook organization
  • Song structure builder
  • Custom chord diagram creation
  • Data export and import
Features
Read full description

Just The Chords is a focused songbook for guitarists who care about structure and simplicity. Instead of crowded tabs and distracting lyrics, Just The Chords lets you capture only what matters: chord progressions, song sections, capo positions, and custom voicings—presented in a clean, elegant interface built for real practice and performance. When creating chord diagrams, you can start typing a chord name to see suggested chords and voicings from the built-in chord library, or begin with a blank fretboard and let the app intelligently detect the chord name as you place your fingers. This makes it easy to document standard shapes, explore alternate voicings, and capture your own discoveries without guessing or switching apps. Need to change the key? Instantly transpose an entire song to a new key—perfect for accommodating a singer’s range or adapting a song on the fly during rehearsal. Whether you’re learning songs, arranging covers, or building original progressions, Just The Chords keeps everything clear, organized, and easy to reference when it counts. Key Features: • Smart Chord Detection & Suggestions Type a chord name to browse suggested shapes and voicings, or build one from scratch and have the app automatically identify the chord as you create the fingering. • One-Tap Transposition Transpose a song to any key instantly—ideal for adjusting to a singer’s range without rewriting charts. • Personal Songbook Store your songs with title, artist, and capo position—organized and always accessible. • Song Structure Builder Lay out Intros, Verses, Choruses, Bridges, and more so you can see the full shape of a song at a glance. • Custom Chord Diagrams Save detected chords and unique voicings for reuse across songs. • Designed for Guitarists A premium dark walnut woodgrain theme with pearl-style accents that feels at home on a music stand or stage. • Free to Start, Upgrade Anytime Use the app free with up to 5 songs, or unlock unlimited songs. • Your Data, Your Control Export and import your songbook anytime for safe backups or device transfers. Stop juggling notebooks, screenshots, and scattered notes. Focus on the music. Just the chords. Pricing & Terms: Just The Chords is free to use for up to 5 songs. To unlock unlimited songs, you can choose from the following options: • Monthly or Yearly Subscription: Automatically renews until canceled. • One-Time Purchase: Pay once for lifetime access. Subscription Legal Details: • Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. • You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings on the App Store after purchase. --- Legal Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://kashmo.github.io/justthechords-support/#privacy

About

Aether Synth

This music creation app offers a professional synthesizer engine with dual-layer sound design and rhythmic motion. It can be used as a standalone workstation or as an AUv3 instrument within compatible iOS hosts for recording and production.

Highlights
  • AUv3 instrument support
  • Standalone synth workstation
  • Dual preset layering
  • Melodic and drum sequencers
  • Sampler tools
  • Multitrack audio workspace
  • Arpeggiator and motion controls
Read full description

Aether Synth is an AUv3 synthesizer, sequencer and sampler for iPhone and iPad, built for creating expressive sounds that move. Start with a sound, combine two sounds into something new, introduce motion, build a pattern, capture a sample, or simply play. Aether brings synthesis, sequencing, sampling and performance together in one instrument designed to keep ideas moving. CREATE YOUR OWN SOUND Build rich synth patches for pads, basses, leads, textures, atmospheres and evolving sounds. Aether is designed to make sound creation immediate. Shape a patch directly, explore presets for inspiration, or use Random Sound to discover combinations you might not have reached manually. The result can become a finished sound or the starting point for something completely different. DUAL — TWO SOUNDS BECOME ONE Dual lets you combine two independent sounds into a new composite instrument. Choose a sound for A. Choose another for B. Blend between them and shape the result. The two sides can complement each other, contrast with each other, or create something that neither patch produces alone. Save your favorite Blends and return to them later. MAKE SOUNDS MOVE Aether is built around motion as part of the instrument. Use Motion and Random Motion to animate sound over time and create patches that evolve rather than remain static. Movement can be subtle and organic or become a major rhythmic part of the sound. This makes Aether especially suited to evolving pads, shifting textures, rhythmic sounds and patches that respond like performances rather than snapshots. SEQUENCE IDEAS Turn sounds into patterns with Aether's built-in sequencer. Create melodic and rhythmic phrases, experiment with different rates and musical feels, and develop ideas without leaving the instrument. The arpeggiator provides another immediate way to transform held notes and chords into movement, while tempo synchronization keeps rhythmic material locked to the music. SAMPLING Capture and work with audio directly inside Aether. Use sampling alongside synthesis to bring recorded material into the same creative environment as your patches, patterns and performances. A sample can become part of a larger musical idea instead of living in a separate workflow. PERFORM Aether is designed to be played. Use the keyboard and performance controls to shape sounds in real time, then connect a MIDI controller when you want a more traditional playing experience. Velocity, sustain and expressive controls allow patches to respond dynamically instead of behaving like static presets. DISCOVER INSTEAD OF SEARCHING Sometimes you know exactly what sound you want. Sometimes you don't. Random Sound and Random Motion make exploration part of the workflow. Generate a new direction, keep what works, reshape it, combine it with another sound in Dual, and continue from there. The goal is not randomness for its own sake. It is getting from a blank idea to something musically useful quickly. STANDALONE OR AUV3 Use Aether as a standalone instrument on iPhone and iPad, or load it as an AUv3 instrument inside compatible hosts and DAWs. That means the same sound-design environment can work as an instrument on its own or become part of a larger mobile production setup. BUILT FOR MUSICIANS Aether brings together: • Synthesizer sound design • Dual layered instruments and saved Blends • Motion and evolving sound • Random Sound and Random Motion • Preset exploration • Sequencing • Arpeggiation • Sampling • Performance controls • MIDI • Standalone operation • AUv3 plugin support Whether you're designing an evolving ambient texture, building a bass or lead, creating a rhythmic patch, experimenting with layered sounds, or starting a new musical idea from scratch, Aether is designed to keep the distance between inspiration and sound as short as possible. Create a sound. Make it move. Turn it into music.

Screenshots

Just The Chords4 screens
Aether Synth4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Just The Chords at Free against Aether Synth's $2.99. Just The Chords also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Aether Synth's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Just The Chords is free to download; Aether Synth costs $2.99 up front. Just The Chords sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Aether Synth asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Just The Chords holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 9 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Just The Chords's written reviews are positive against 67% of Aether Synth's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Just The Chords ships an update weekly, Aether Synth every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Just The Chords versus Aether Synth: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJust The ChordsAether Synth
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better4.7 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings49 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKashan AkinsJacob Kirk

Customer experience

Just The Chords

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Aether Synth

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Just The Chords

Subscriptions2
  • Premium (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Premium (Yearly)$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium (Lifetime)$49.99
None

Aether Synth

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Just The Chords free?
Just The Chords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aether Synth free?
Aether Synth costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Just The Chords or Aether Synth?
Just The Chords is rated higher. Just The Chords averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Aether Synth averages 4.7 from 9 ratings.
Do Just The Chords or Aether Synth have ads?
Neither Just The Chords nor Aether Synth shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Just The Chords or Aether Synth?
Just The Chords ships an update weekly, and Aether Synth every 6 days. Most recently, Just The Chords was updated on September 29, 2026 and Aether Synth on October 2, 2026.

Other comparisons