Comparison

JamJar Music vs ChordLoop

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

Head to head
About

JamJar Music

Features
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JamJar keeps your whole song collection in one place — sheet music, chords, and lyrics — organized, searchable, and synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac through your own iCloud. As a hobby musician, my music was scattered everywhere: PDF books, tunes from public-domain archives, photos of pages off my shelf and several music apps. Finding a song again was harder than playing it, so I built JamJar to be one shelf for all of it. BRING YOUR OWN MUSIC • Import single songs or whole books as PDFs and images • Scan paper books with the camera on iPhone or iPad • Search online tune collections and import • Open files from the apps you already use: ChordPro, ABC, OnSong, OpenSong, iReal Pro, and MusicXML LESS TYPING, MORE PLAYING • Scan or import a page and JamJar reads the title, composer, and key off it, then files the song for you • Split a scanned book into separate songs automatically • Ask about any song in plain language — what key is this in, how does the form repeat — and get a straight answer • Ask for changes in the same conversation: transpose it, tidy the chords • Powered by Apple Intelligence PLAY TOGETHER • Build set lists for a gig, a rehearsal, or a lesson • Share a set list with your bandmates so everyone's on the same running order • Reorder on the fly when the night goes sideways CREATE AND EDIT • Write and edit songs in ChordPro or ABC notation • Beautifully rendered chord sheets and notation • Transpose to any key • Draw and highlight directly on your sheet music STAY ORGANIZED • Tag, search, and filter your library • Automate with Siri and Shortcuts • Private sync through your own iCloud — no account, no sign-up PRACTICE WITH BACKING BAND • Hear any chart played with the right groove for the tune • Mix each band part with its own fader — pull one out and play it yourself JamJar speaks English and Swedish, with more languages on the way. Whether you're rehearsing, teaching, or on stage, JamJar keeps every song ready to play.

About

ChordLoop

Features
Read full description

ChordLoop is the fastest way to find your next chord progression. Pick a key, tap a chord, and hear it instantly. Stack chords into a progression, loop it at any tempo, and let the ideas flow. Whether you're writing a song, learning theory, or just noodling on the couch, ChordLoop turns "what sounds good next?" into a few taps. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Play every chord in any key — major and minor, with the music theory built in and correct • Hear real sound generated right on your device — nothing to download, works fully offline • Flip on 7th chords for a richer, jazzier feel • Loop your progression at any tempo and hear it come to life • Start from classic progressions — pop, 50s, ballad, and more • Save the progressions you love • Share a progression with a single tap CHORDLOOP PRO — one-time unlock • Export any progression to MIDI and drop it into GarageBand, Logic, or any DAW • Drum grooves that turn your progression into a real track • Six more instruments — Organ, Nylon Guitar, Synth, Strings, Music Box, and Marimba CHORDLOOP STUDIO — for teachers, band leaders and anyone who runs a rehearsal • Chord chart export — a clean one-page chart of any progression to print or share • Practice mode — count-in, start slow, speed up each pass, stop after a set number of passes • Lesson sets — group saved progressions by class, student or song • Up to 100 saved ideas, and everything in Pro while Studio is active Studio is an auto-renewing subscription: $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, billed to your Apple ID. It renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel it any time in your Apple ID settings. Pro stays a one-time purchase and does not expire. STUDIO WITH A TEACHER — free for the teacher • Got a code from your music teacher? Settings › Studio with a teacher › type it with your first name • No code yet? Invite your teacher from the app: they sign up free and you join their studio automatically • This week's loop from your teacher sits at the top of the app, with their note and practice plan • Every practice run reports back: the loop, how many passes, the tempo you reached — never typed, never a leaderboard • Teachers: paste your key once and every saved idea gets a Send to students button; your page shows who practised Built for songwriters, producers, guitarists, pianists, ukulele players, teachers, and anyone learning music. No account. No ads. The full songwriting core is free; Pro is a single one-time purchase; Studio is optional. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://jonathanbbiles.github.io/chordloop/privacy.html

Screenshots

JamJar Music4 screens
ChordLoop4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: JamJar Music at none against ChordLoop's 3. ChordLoop's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 27.0). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. ChordLoop sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. JamJar Music asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JamJar Music ships an update every 2 weeks, ChordLoop every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
JamJar Music versus ChordLoop: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJamJar MusicChordLoop
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS27.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size67 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNorrkross SoftwareJONATHAN BILES

In-app purchases

None

JamJar Music

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

ChordLoop

Subscriptions2
  • ChordLoop Studio (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • ChordLoop Studio (Yearly)$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • ChordLoop Pro$3.99

Questions

Is JamJar Music free?
JamJar Music is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ChordLoop free?
ChordLoop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do JamJar Music or ChordLoop have ads?
Neither JamJar Music nor ChordLoop shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JamJar Music or ChordLoop?
JamJar Music ships an update every 2 weeks, and ChordLoop every 5 days. Most recently, JamJar Music was updated on November 9, 2026 and ChordLoop on November 5, 2026.

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