Comparison

StrumForge vs Chord Progression Manager

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

Head to head
About

StrumForge

This app helps guitarists improve their timing, technique, and improvisation skills. It offers tools for practicing chord changes, scales, and riffs with synchronized TAB and animated diagrams. Users can generate millions of chord progressions and customize their practice sessions.

Highlights
  • Generate millions of theory-based chord progressions
  • Practice with synchronized TAB and animated fretboard
  • Explore over 750 riffs and technique drills
  • Play along with 23 sampled drum grooves
  • Practice triad inversions and arpeggios
  • Improvise with mode and pentatonic scale diagrams
  • Customize practice loops and guitar sounds
Features
Read full description

Work on chord changes, build your timing and technique, and practice improvisation with StrumForge. See how chords and scales connect across the fretboard, and follow each phrase with synchronized TAB and animated diagrams. Instantly generate over 1 million unique, theory-based chord progressions across every key. Customize your practice loop, choose your guitar sound and rhythm, and play along at your own pace. No ads. No account required to get started. CHORD PROGRESSIONS • Choose 2, 4, 8, 12, or 16 chords for focused loops or longer sessions • Set your key, mode, chord types, tempo, and guitar sound • Lock chords, change voicings, or build your own progression • Choose roots and chord types separately with an easy-to-browse picker • Explore open chords, barre chords, triads, and power chords • Add sevenths, sixths, ninths, suspended chords, and add9 chords • Get helpful suggestions for compatible chord options and musical styles • See chord shapes outlined on the fretboard during playback or preview EXERCISES & RIFFS • Explore over 750 riffs and technique drills, from beginner to advanced • Practice picking, legato, slides, bends, blues, country, jazz, and more • Follow synchronized TAB and an animated fretboard • Hear ringing notes, sustained chord tones, bends, and prebends • Adjust tempo and key, loop with a count-in and metronome, and save favorites • Search by name or reference, and filter by difficulty, technique, and type • Use All keys for variety and triad or interval colors to highlight chord tones RHYTHM & DRUMS • Play along with 23 sampled drum grooves, including Rock, Jazz Swing, Driving Rock, Half Shuffle, and Pocket Funk • Explore rhythms in 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8 with the full Pro collection • Customize drum parts from light to busy and add fills • Choose guitar strumming patterns independently of the drum groove • Balance guitar and drum volumes, and save rhythm settings with favorites TRIADS & ARPEGGIOS • Explore triad inversions and how shapes connect across the fretboard • Practice with the Triad Trainer and Arpeggio Trainer • Practice nine arpeggio types across all five CAGED positions • Follow animated TAB and adjust tempo, direction, and rhythm SCALES & FRETBOARD • Improvise with matching mode and pentatonic scale diagrams • Choose a scale manually with separate root and scale selections • Explore individual CAGED shapes or the full fretboard • Show note or interval labels and highlight triads or characteristic intervals • View suggested chord fingerings and move diagrams along the fretboard • Use left-handed diagrams in portrait or landscape MAKE IT YOUR OWN • Preview a collection of light and dark themes • Create and save custom color themes with Pro UNLOCK STRUMFORGE PRO Unlock unlimited progression generation, longer progressions, musical styles, the full drum collection, trainers, exercises, and advanced scale tools. Pro also includes: • Save, revisit, and share favorite progressions • Sync favorites and preferences across devices with an account • Automatic practice tracking, session stats, and streaks • Guitar tuner with alternate tunings and reference tones • Metronome with tap tempo, subdivisions, swing, and saved presets • Additional 12-string, overdrive, and arpeggiated guitar sounds • Saved practice preferences Put music theory into practice and discover ideas for your own songs with StrumForge. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Chord Progression Manager

Features
Read full description

Chord Progression Manager is the fastest way to build, play, and save chord progressions on iPhone, putting a live, playable chord lane right in your pocket. — BUILD YOUR PROGRESSION — Pick a root note, chord type, and tension, then add it to your progression with a single tap. Reorder or delete chords freely. Use the voicing editor to fine-tune individual notes on an interactive piano roll and craft exactly the sound you want. — PLAY IT BACK — Hear your progression immediately with the built-in synthesizer. Adjust tempo and transpose the entire progression up or down by semitone — no need to rebuild from scratch when you change keys. — SAVE & ORGANIZE — Save as many progressions as you like and keep your favorites just a tap away. Reopen any saved progression into the editor and keep building. — AI MUSIC ASSISTANT — Stuck on what chord comes next? Ask the built-in AI chat. Get suggestions for chord substitutions, borrowed chords, reharmonization ideas, and more — powered by any OpenAI-compatible endpoint you configure. Chord Progression Manager is free to download and use. AI chat features require your own LLM API key.

Screenshots

StrumForge4 screens
Chord Progression Manager4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chord Progression Manager at none against StrumForge's 4. StrumForge's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 months). On price 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

Both are free to download. StrumForge sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Chord Progression Manager asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StrumForge ships an update every 2 days, Chord Progression Manager every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
StrumForge versus Chord Progression Manager: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStrumForgeChord Progression Manager
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (61 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings61 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size70 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam SpainJun Tsuda

In-app purchases

4 purchases

StrumForge

Subscriptions3
  • StrumForge Pro Weekly7 Days trial$2.997 Days
  • StrumForge Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • StrumForge Pro Annual$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$49.99
None

Chord Progression Manager

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is StrumForge free?
StrumForge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chord Progression Manager free?
Chord Progression Manager is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do StrumForge or Chord Progression Manager have ads?
Chord Progression Manager shows ads; StrumForge does not.
Which is updated more often, StrumForge or Chord Progression Manager?
StrumForge ships an update every 2 days, and Chord Progression Manager every 4 months. Most recently, StrumForge was updated on October 31, 2026 and Chord Progression Manager on October 25, 2026.

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