Comparison

StrumForge vs DroPilot Modes

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

Head to head
About

StrumForge

Instantly generate countless guitar chord progressions and practice with built-in scales, tempo, and grooves. Explore various chord types and fingerings, and play along with integrated drum patterns. Designed for musicians to focus on playing and songwriting.

Highlights
  • Generate over 425,000 chord progressions
  • Play along with chord diagrams in tempo
  • Solo over progressions with scale diagrams
  • Lock or randomize key
  • Choose chord types (open, barre, triads, power)
  • Built-in drum groove and tempo control
  • Left-handed chord diagram support
Features
Read full description

StrumForge brings chord progressions, drum grooves, scales, triads, and arpeggios together in one practice app. Work on chord changes, build your timing, and practice improvisation with interactive diagrams and built-in playback. 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 • Generate theory-based progressions instantly across every key • Choose 2, 4, 8, 12, or 16 chords for focused loops or longer practice sessions • Select your key, mode, chord types, tempo, and guitar sound • Lock individual chords, change their voicings, or replace them manually • Explore open chords, barre chords, triads, and power chords • Add sevenths, suspended chords, and add9 chords • See chord shapes outlined on your scale diagram during playback or chord preview • Build your own progression to practice specific chord changes RHYTHM & DRUMS • Play along with sampled drum grooves that bring your practice to life • Unlock the full collection of 20 grooves with Pro, including rhythms in 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8 • Customize individual drum parts from light to busy, add fills, and choose an optional metronome click • Explore guitar strumming patterns and choose your strum independently of the drum groove • Adjust guitar and drum volumes to suit your practice • Save your drum settings and guitar strum with each favorite progression TRIADS & ARPEGGIOS • Explore every triad inversion and see how shapes connect across the fretboard • Play along with the Triad Trainer to practice changes in time • Learn moveable arpeggios through CAGED chord shapes • Follow animated TAB that highlights each fret as it plays • Adjust playback tempo, direction, and rhythm to practice at your own pace SCALES & FRETBOARD • Practice improvisation over progressions with matching mode and pentatonic scale diagrams • Explore CAGED scale shapes individually or across the full fretboard • Choose note or interval labels and highlight triads or characteristic intervals • Move diagrams to your preferred fretboard position • Explore chord shapes with interval, note, or suggested finger-placement labels • Use left-handed diagrams in portrait or landscape orientation UNLOCK STRUMFORGE PRO • Unlimited progression generation and longer progressions • Musical styles for mood-based generation • The full drum groove collection, customizable kits, fills, and independent guitar strumming • Triad Trainer and Arpeggio Trainer with animated TAB • Advanced scale tools and individual CAGED scale shapes • Save, revisit, and share favorite progressions, including your chosen scale and rhythm settings • Sync favorites and preferences across devices with an account • Track practice automatically with session stats and streaks • Built-in guitar tuner with popular alternate tunings and reference tones • Full-featured metronome with tap tempo, subdivisions, swing, and saved presets • Additional 12-string, overdrive, and arpeggiated guitar sounds • Dark mode and saved practice preferences From focused chord-change drills to exploring the whole fretboard, StrumForge helps you put music theory into practice—and discover ideas for your own songs along the way. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

DroPilot Modes

Features
Read full description

DroPilot Modes helps you understand and practice guitar modes in a visual, clear and musical way. Choose a root note and a mode, and the app shows which notes you can play, how they are laid out on the fretboard and which chord type fits the sound best. Ideal for guitarists who want modes to stop being abstract diagrams and start recognizing their character: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, melodic minor and more. WHAT'S INCLUDED • Major scale modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian • Melodic minor family for jazz, fusion and modern sounds • 7 positions per mode to practice each scale across the fretboard • Notes, intervals or characteristic note view (Color mode) • Related chord and suggested progressions for each mode • Player with vamp, progression, tempo, loop and metronome • Interval jumps and note highlighting to train your ear • Favorites to save your practice setups • Built-in guitar tuner (4 and 6 strings) • Chord diagrams and shape dictionary • Right- and left-handed display HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick a family (major scale or melodic minor), root note and mode. 2. Explore the fretboard in 7 positions with notes or intervals. 3. Hear the mode in context: vamp or suggested progression. 4. Adjust tempo, loop and patterns; save what works in favorites. DroPilot Pro (one-time purchase, no subscription) unlocks all modes, 4th–7th positions, full progressions, advanced interval patterns and player loop. Developed by Zipizapp.

Screenshots

StrumForge4 screens
DroPilot Modes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: StrumForge at every 2 days against DroPilot Modes's every 5 days. DroPilot Modes's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and DroPilot Modes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StrumForge ships an update every 2 days, DroPilot Modes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
StrumForge versus DroPilot Modes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStrumForgeDroPilot Modes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (53 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings53 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size66 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAdam SpainPablo Niveiro

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
1 purchases

DroPilot Modes

One-time1
  • DroPilot Modes Pro$6.99

Questions

Is StrumForge free?
StrumForge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DroPilot Modes free?
DroPilot Modes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StrumForge or DroPilot Modes have ads?
Neither StrumForge nor DroPilot Modes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StrumForge or DroPilot Modes?
StrumForge ships an update every 2 days, and DroPilot Modes every 5 days. Most recently, StrumForge was updated on October 13, 2026 and DroPilot Modes on October 2, 2026.

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