ChordBloom vs NotePulse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
ChordBloom
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ChordBloom turns music theory into a garden. Chords bloom as petals around the key you're in ā tap to hear them, wander to neighboring keys, and watch harmony make sense visually. EXPLORE HARMONY BY TOUCH Diatonic chords, the circle of fifths, relative and parallel keys, tritone substitutions, modal interchange ā each view lays the theory out as petals you can play. Long-press to cycle extensions (7ths, 9ths, 13ths), choose close, open, or spread voicings, and phrase chords as blocks, strums, or arpeggios. REAL SYNTHESIS, ON DEVICE A full SuperCollider synth engine runs right on your phone alongside classic synth voices ā warm pads, plucks, bells, keys, and ambient textures. Every note is synthesized live, and it all works completely offline. AI IMPROVISATION Let the built-in improviser play melodies over your chord changes while you drive the harmony. SAVE YOUR PROGRESSIONS Collect chords into palettes and build progressions you can come back to. MIDI OUTPUT ā OPTIONAL UNLOCK Turn ChordBloom into a chord controller for your whole studio: a one-time in-app purchase unlocks BLE MIDI to hardware synths and CoreMIDI to DAWs and other iOS music apps. No account. No ads. No data collected.
NotePulse
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NotePulse transforms MIDI files into an interactive visual learning experience, helping you connect the music you hear with piano keys and traditional musical notation. Watch notes approach a full 88-key piano keyboard in the synchronized Notes view, or switch to the Live Grand Staff to follow the performance as written music. Keyboard and Score modes help you understand where each note belongs on both the staff and the instrument. Features include: ⢠Synchronized MIDI playback, animated notes, piano keyboard, and grand staff ⢠Live Grand Staff with Keyboard and Score viewing modes ⢠Multi-track playback using SoundFont instruments ⢠General MIDI instrument playback and per-track instrument selection ⢠Adjustable playback speed for focused practice ⢠AāB looping for repeating difficult sections ⢠Track controls for mute, solo, volume, pan, transpose, color, and instrument selection ⢠Left- and right-hand guidance ⢠Score quantization and adjustable staff presentation ⢠Support for user-selected MIDI and compatible SoundFont files ⢠Online MIDI catalog with downloadable songs for offline use ⢠Downloadable NotePulse Sound Library ⢠Session import and export ⢠Adaptive layouts for iPhone and iPad ⢠Built-in starter music for getting started immediately NotePulse is designed for musicians, students, educators, and anyone interested in exploring how MIDI performances translate into piano movement and traditional musical notation. Import your own MIDI files through the Files app, explore downloadable music from the NotePulse catalog, or use the included starter collection. NotePulse remembers your practice settings, track configuration, visualization preferences, instrument selections, loops, and playback position for individual MIDI files. Your imported MIDI, SoundFont, and session files are processed locally on your device. Online catalog content and the NotePulse Sound Library are downloaded only when needed. No account is required. See the Music. Feel the Pulse.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ChordBloom at Free against NotePulse's $0.99. ChordBloom also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). NotePulse's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
ChordBloom is free to download; NotePulse costs $0.99 up front. ChordBloom sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NotePulse asks for nothing beyond the download.
ChordBloom ships an update every 4 days, NotePulse every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ChordBloom | NotePulse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free ā better | $0.99 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days ā better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No ā better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 ā better | 17.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | James Hurlbut | Noorcon Inc. |
In-app purchases
ChordBloom
- MIDI Output$4.99
NotePulse
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ChordBloom free?
Is NotePulse free?
Do ChordBloom or NotePulse have ads?
Which is updated more often, ChordBloom or NotePulse?
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