Comparison

Modes vs Party DJ

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

Head to head
About

Modes

Features
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Modes is a hands-on music theory lab for iPhone and iPad. Whether you're writing a song, preparing for a lesson, or exploring new harmonic territory, Modes gives you instant access to scales, chords, voicings, and modulation paths, all in one beautiful, distraction-free interface. Now with Siri, Shortcuts, Spotlight search, and Home Screen widgets. SCALE & CHORD FINDER Play notes on the interactive multi-octave keyboard or connect a MIDI controller. Modes identifies the chord you're playing in real time: major, minor, diminished, augmented, extended, suspended, and more. It ranks every matching scale by note coverage. Filter results by scale category (diatonic, melodic minor, harmonic minor, pentatonic, bebop, symmetric, world, and more) to zero in on the sound you're after. 65 SCALES & MODES From the seven diatonic modes through melodic minor, harmonic minor, double harmonic, Neapolitan, bebop, the full set of pentatonic modes, blues, whole tone, diminished, augmented, and world scales like Hirajōshi, Kumoi, In Sen, Persian, and Enigmatic. Every scale is spelled out with interval tokens and highlighted on the keyboard. NOTES IN KEY Pick any root and scale to see every in-key note highlighted across two octaves. Instantly visualise which notes belong and where the root sits. SCALE CHORDS Generate diatonic triads or sevenths for every degree of your chosen scale. View roman numerals, chord names, harmonic function badges (tonic, subdominant, dominant, and 30+ detailed labels), and voiced keyboard renderings, all aligned for easy comparison. 8 VOICING TYPES Build chords in tertian, sus2, sus4, sixth, add, quartal, quintal, and power voicings. Choose from triads up to thirteenths, with every extension automatically labelled. SHARED NOTES & SHARED CHORDS Compare any two keys side by side. See which notes overlap, which are unique, and which chords both keys share. Essential for smooth modulation and reharmonisation. BORROWED CHORDS Analyse your key for native diatonic chords alongside every borrowed option from parallel modes, grouped by source mode. Discover fresh harmonic colour without leaving your tonal centre. CIRCLE OF FIFTHS Interactive dual-ring circle (major outside, natural minor inside). Tap a sector to retune the key. See dominant, subdominant, relative, parallel, and nearby key relationships at a glance, with modulation difficulty badges and key-signature details. CIRCLE OF THIRDS Explore chromatic mediant relationships on a diminished-cycle diagram. Major and minor buttons for every pitch class reveal mediant, relative, and parallel connections. Perfect for cinematic and neo-Riemannian modulation planning. MIDI SUPPORT Connect any class-compliant MIDI keyboard or controller. Played notes merge with on-screen taps for seamless detection. SIRI, SHORTCUTS & SPOTLIGHT Ask Siri or run a Shortcut to show a scale's notes, list the chords in a key, identify a scale or chord, spell a chord, find the interval between two notes, transpose a note, or open the circle of fifths and borrowed chords. Scales and chords are indexed in Spotlight, so you can search for them straight from your Home Screen. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Add the Scale of the Day and Chord of the Day widgets to your Home or Lock Screen for a daily dose of theory, tappable straight into the app. DESIGNED FOR MUSICIANS β€’ Runs entirely offline. No account, no ads, no tracking β€’ Dark-mode aware interface β€’ Adaptive layouts for iPhone and iPad β€’ Enharmonic spelling: automatic, sharps, or flats β€’ Pinch-to-zoom keyboard from 1 to 9 octaves Whether you're a producer sketching chord progressions, a guitarist learning modes, a pianist studying jazz harmony, or a student preparing for theory exams, Modes puts deep music theory at your fingertips. Fast, visual, and always within reach. Try free for 7 days! After the trial, unlock full access with a one-time purchase β€” no subscriptions.

About

Party DJ

Features
Read full description

Party DJ makes a brand-new song for any moment β€” a birthday, a wedding, a graduation, a Tuesday night. Pick the occasion, add a name or two, and in about 20 seconds you have a custom track with lyrics that call out the guest of honor by name. Then it keeps going. Paid sessions chain song after song, so your party never hits an awkward silence between tracks. Every song is freshly generated β€” no playlists, no repeats, no licensing headaches. WHAT YOU CAN DO β€’ Generate custom songs for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, engagements, housewarmings, retirements, New Year's, or any occasion you describe yourself. β€’ Drop in up to a handful of names and they'll be sung in the lyrics. β€’ Add extra instructions β€” "include a trumpet solo", "mention our dog Rex", "make it a slow ballad" β€” to steer the style. β€’ Pick the song language: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, or Russian. β€’ Keep the party rolling with continuous playback β€” the next track is ready before the current one ends. β€’ Save every song to your library. Replay any time, for free. β€’ Share a song with a one-tap link β€” recipients can listen right in their browser. TRY BEFORE YOU COMMIT Buy a single 30-second trial song for $1 to hear the quality yourself. If you love it, a 30-minute party block gets you continuous, back-to-back custom music. NO SUBSCRIPTIONS Pay once, use now. No auto-renewals, no monthly charges, no lock-in. Buy time only when you need it. PRIVACY We don't sell your data. Names and instructions are sent to the song model to personalize the track and are not used for anything else. Read our privacy policy and terms of service at dj.ai-lab.com.au/privacy.html and dj.ai-lab.com.au/terms.html. Questions or feedback? Email support@ai-lab.com.au.

Screenshots

Modes4 screens
Party DJ4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Party DJ at every 3 days against Modes's every 3 weeks. Modes's advantage is iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Modes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Party DJ sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Modes ships an update every 3 weeks, Party DJ every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
Modes versus Party DJ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterModesParty DJ
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS17.6 β€” better26.4
Further details β€” not scored
Size14 MB33 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGITCzhang xi

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Modes

One-time1
  • Full Access$9.99
2 purchases

Party DJ

One-time2
  • Buy a 30-second song$0.99
  • 30 Minute Session$19.99

Questions

Is Modes free?
Modes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Party DJ free?
Party DJ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Modes or Party DJ have ads?
Neither Modes nor Party DJ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Modes or Party DJ?
Modes ships an update every 3 weeks, and Party DJ every 3 days. Most recently, Modes was updated on October 11, 2026 and Party DJ on September 28, 2026.

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