ChordWeave vs Anacru
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ChordWeave
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ChordWeave is a chord progression and songwriting app for iPhone and iPad. Pick one of 24 keys and a mood to hear a chord progression instantly, play a keyboard and have ChordWeave name your chords, and write lyrics with Apple Intelligence. It runs on your device, with no account. HEAR A PROGRESSION INSTANTLY ChordWeave opens on the Composer with a playable progression ready. Pick any of 24 keys and a mood, tap Generate, and hear it right away. Where Apple Intelligence is available, it refines the result on your device. Reorder chords, hear each one, and see its notes. ADD TO A SONG (PRO) Turn a progression into a Song Project: arrange intro, verse, chorus, bridge and more, reorder the sections, and play the whole song. Try a playable sample project first. WHY IT WORKS (PRO) Get a short theory explanation for each progression, tied to its chords, so you learn why it sounds the way it does. PLAY & NAME CHORDS Play on the on-screen keyboard or a connected MIDI keyboard and ChordWeave names the chord. Build a progression by playing, then get suggestions for what comes next in pop, jazz, blues and more. Includes a metronome. Listen for Key (iOS 27) detects the key and tempo from a few seconds of playing or singing. LYRIC WRITING With Apple Intelligence, write verses, a chorus and a bridge for your mood, theme and style. Edit and save them in your library. EXPORT Share a progression as a picture card (chords, key and tempo), export it as a MIDI file for your DAW, or share it as text. MADE FOR iPAD A native iPad app in every orientation, with two-column layouts that use the whole screen. MUSIC THEORY REFERENCE Scales and modes in every key, the chords of each scale with Roman numerals, and common progressions. SIRI & SHORTCUTS Ask Siri for a chord progression, or see your recent compositions, without opening the app. Saved compositions also appear in Spotlight search. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Apple Intelligence features run entirely on your device, and your songs are never uploaded to a server. Without Apple Intelligence, ChordWeave uses built-in music theory instead. No account. No tracking. No ads. FREE AND PRO Free: play and chord naming, the Composer, single-progression MIDI and text export, lyrics, music theory, Siri, and up to 3 saved compositions and 3 saved lyric sets. ChordWeave Pro: unlimited saves, Song Projects and Why it works. Choose Annual, Lifetime, Monthly or Weekly. COMMON QUESTIONS Does ChordWeave identify chords from a song or recording? No. It names the chords you play on the on-screen keyboard or a connected MIDI keyboard. Listen for Key (iOS 27) detects the key and tempo from a few seconds of playing or singing, not the chords. Is it free? You can start free: chord naming, the Composer, lyrics, music theory, MIDI and text export, and up to 3 saved compositions and 3 saved lyric sets. ChordWeave Pro adds unlimited saves, Song Projects and Why it works. Do I need Apple Intelligence? No. Progressions and chord naming use built-in music theory. AI-written lyrics need Apple Intelligence; without it, Lyrics gives simple starter lines. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Settings > Apple Account. Terms of Use: https://dotdotdotapps.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://dotdotdotapps.com/privacy Without Apple Intelligence, Lyrics gives you simple starter lines based on your theme instead of AI-written lyrics.
Anacru
Build complex rhythms with interlocking meters, tempo changes, and nested tuplets. Visualize and hear intricate polyrhythms and metric modulations. Export your creations as MIDI files for use in digital audio workstations.
- Construct advanced rhythms
- Interlocking meters and phase shifts
- Metric modulation with tempo changes
- Nested tuplets
- Interactive visual wheel
- Export MIDI files to DAWs
- Private by design, no account needed
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Anacru is a scratchpad for constructing advanced rhythm. Most rhythm apps measure time — Anacru builds it. Instead of tapping along to a click, you assemble the rhythm you're hearing in your head from its parts: interlocking meters, tempo modulations, phase shifts, and tuplets nested inside tuplets. Then you play it back, watch it move, and export it to your DAW. Built for composers, drummers, producers, and teachers who work past 4/4 — and for students trying to finally *feel* how these ideas fit together. WHAT YOU CAN BUILD • Polymeter — stack independent layers, each with its own meter, subdivision, accent pattern, and phase offset. Watch 5/4 drift against 4/4 and snap back into alignment, locked to one shared pulse. • Metric modulation — pick the note value before and after a tempo change and get the exact new BPM instantly, with the direction never ambiguous. Chain modulations into a timeline the playback steps through as it loops. • Nested tuplets — put a quintuplet inside a triplet inside a bar. The engine handles the math; you just stack them. • Phase & accents — tap a pulse to accent it, or drag a layer's ring to rotate its phase. The wheel is the instrument. THE INTERACTIVE WHEEL Every layer is a ring of pulses on a single wheel, color-coded and voiced so you can follow each stream by eye and by ear. A playhead sweeps the cycle so you can see the relationships, not just hear them. HEAR IT PROPERLY Each layer gets its own pitch, stereo position, and selectable voice — woodblock, marimba, pluck, sine, or a kick/hi-hat drum kit — so interlocking parts read as separate instruments instead of one wash. SEE IT NOTATED Each layer is rendered on its own staff with correct meter, beaming, accents, and tuplet brackets. TAKE IT WITH YOU • Save and recall your patterns on-device. • Export a MIDI file — a clean tempo map carrying your modulation timeline, plus one track per layer — and drop it straight into any DAW. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No sign-up. No tracking. No internet required. Everything lives on your device. One purchase, yours to keep.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ChordWeave at Free against Anacru's $4.99. ChordWeave also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). Anacru's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and chart position (#111 vs unranked). On 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
ChordWeave is free to download; Anacru costs $4.99 up front. ChordWeave sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Anacru asks for nothing beyond the download.
ChordWeave ships an update fortnightly, Anacru monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ChordWeave | Anacru |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #111 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dotdotdotapps LLC | EVAN TRACEN POWERS |
In-app purchases
ChordWeave
- ChordWeave Weekly$1.997 Days
- ChordWeave Monthly$3.991 Month
- ChordWeave Annual$27.991 Year
- ChordWeave Premium$49.99
Anacru
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ChordWeave free?
Is Anacru free?
Do ChordWeave or Anacru have ads?
Which is updated more often, ChordWeave or Anacru?
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