Comparison

Chords Explorer vs MOUND

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

Head to head
About

Chords Explorer

This app helps musicians, producers, and songwriters generate and refine chord progressions. It offers various tools like a piano keyboard, guitar fretboard, and random chord generator to spark creativity. Progressions can be exported in multiple formats.

Highlights
  • Piano keyboard and guitar fretboard views
  • Random chord generator
  • Real-time audio playback
  • Smart chord suggestions
  • Drag and reorder chords
  • Custom Chord Builder
  • Export to MIDI, WAV, or TXT
Features
Read full description

Spark your next chord progression. Select a chord or roll the dice → build and refine → export to MIDI, WAV or TXT. Chords Explorer is a chord progression builder designed for musicians, producers and songwriters who want to quickly find and explore new ideas. Features Piano keyboard and guitar fretboard views Random chord generator to break creative blocks Real-time audio playback with adjustable tempo and sustain Smart chord suggestions based on music theory Drag and reorder chords in the timeline Inversions and voicing options Custom Chord Builder — define your own chord types with any interval combination Export to MIDI, WAV or TXT Community progressions — vote and discover Sharp / flat / auto notation that follows the detected key Available in English, Français, Español, Русский, 日本語 ABC and solfège notation Export, custom chords and real-time MIDI output are a one-time unlock — no subscription.

About

MOUND

Create unique music by layering sounds and applying effects with intuitive touch controls. Explore chord progressions, sonic combinations, and evolving soundscapes.

Highlights
  • Collage soundscape sequencer
  • Four mix channels
  • 100+ soundfont instruments
  • Paint to drive effects
  • Euclidean sequencing
  • Choose key, scale, BPM, and sequence length
Features
Read full description

A collage soundscape sequencer. MOUND is a unique touch instrument (standalone and AUv3 instrument and MIDI included) that uses collage and paint to generate music. You get four layers of stamps to populate chord progressions automatically using euclidean sequencing, and up to 6 paintbrush effects to use your gestures for uninhibited sonic combinations. FEATURES - Four mix channels — chord channel, and three other voices to layer. - 100+ soundfont instruments - Paint to drive effects — use X/Y and hold to control effects - Evolve — mutate your canvas and hear new possibilities - Choose key and scale - Choose BPM and sequence length - FREE Cassette Effect and Granular Delay Free to play. Unlock the full SoundFont library, advanced EVOLVE theory settings, and the rest of the spray effects. Built by fourtrack.fm.

Screenshots

Chords Explorer4 screens
MOUND3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chords Explorer at 100% against MOUND's 67%. Chords Explorer also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Chords Explorer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MOUND sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chords Explorer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Chords Explorer's written reviews are positive against 67% of MOUND's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chords Explorer ships an update every 8 days, MOUND every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chords Explorer versus MOUND: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChords ExplorerMOUND
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better4.8 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings78 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB176 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLoup Vuarnessonfourtrack.fm LLC

Customer experience

Chords Explorer

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

MOUND

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chords Explorer

One-time1
  • Unlock Exports2 variants$2.99
1 purchases

MOUND

One-time1
  • MOUND Lifetime Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is Chords Explorer free?
Chords Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MOUND free?
MOUND is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chords Explorer or MOUND?
Chords Explorer is rated higher. Chords Explorer averages 5.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while MOUND averages 4.8 from 8 ratings.
Do Chords Explorer or MOUND have ads?
Neither Chords Explorer nor MOUND shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chords Explorer or MOUND?
Chords Explorer ships an update every 8 days, and MOUND every 5 days. Most recently, Chords Explorer was updated on October 31, 2026 and MOUND on November 5, 2026.

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