Comparison

ApproachNote vs Chartist Music Charts

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

Head to head
About

ApproachNote

Features
Read full description

Every tune has been played a hundred ways. ApproachNote helps you hear them. When you're learning a standard, the first question is always: how have players come at this before? ApproachNote puts every approach in one place โ€” search a tune and pull up the releases that recorded it, with full track listings, artist credits, cover art, and direct links to stream many recordings, where available. Listen to how a dozen players phrased the same melody. Trace who played on what. Follow the thread from one interpretation to the next until you find the approach that's yours. * Search a tune and find every release that recorded it * Full track listings, credits, and cover art * One-tap streaming links to hear each recording, where available * Explore artists and the players behind them * Built for the woodshed โ€” fast, clean, no clutter Before you decide how you'll play it, hear how it's been played. That's ApproachNote. ApproachNote is free for the next 60 daysโ€“try it out!

About

Chartist Music Charts

Features
Read full description

Some chord charts tell you what to play. Chartist also shows you when to play it. Chartist combines chords, rhythmic notation and melody in one clean, phone-friendly chart. Create songs quickly, read them comfortably on stage, and keep your entire set close at hand. MAKE CHARTS THAT FEEL MUSICAL - Build songs bar by bar with an intuitive, musician-first editor - Add chords, rhythm slashes, rests, pushes, repeats, endings and rehearsal marks - Write melody in treble or bass clef wherever notation is useful - See every change immediately as you edit READY FOR REHEARSAL AND THE STAGE - Open a focused view made for reading while you play - Transpose the entire chart for any singer or instrument - Organize songs into playlists and setlists - Search and reorder a set in seconds - Export and share charts as Chartist files, PDF or PNG YOUR MUSIC, WITH OR WITHOUT AN ACCOUNT Chartist is local-first. Create, edit, import, organize, perform and export from your own library without signing in. Chartist Sync is an optional subscription for musicians who want cross-device sync and shared playlists. It helps bands, teachers and working groups stay on the same page while the core chart library remains fully usable on your device. Whether you are preparing a gig, teaching a student, collecting standards or arranging for a new lineup, Chartist gives every song a clear, practical home. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

ApproachNote4 screens
Chartist Music Charts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ApproachNote at Free against Chartist Music Charts's $11.99. ApproachNote also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1). Chartist Music Charts's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

ApproachNote is free to download; Chartist Music Charts costs $11.99 up front. Chartist Music Charts sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. ApproachNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ApproachNote ships an update every 10 days, Chartist Music Charts every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences ยท 2 level
ApproachNote versus Chartist Music Charts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterApproachNoteChartist Music Charts
PriceFree โ€” better$11.99
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” better
Requires iOS17.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size30 MB15 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperDave RodgerKRISTIAN SVERRE ARNTSEN

In-app purchases

None

ApproachNote

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Chartist Music Charts

Subscriptions1
  • Chartist Sync Monthly$1.991 Month

Questions

Is ApproachNote free?
ApproachNote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Chartist Music Charts free?
Chartist Music Charts costs $11.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Do ApproachNote or Chartist Music Charts have ads?
Neither ApproachNote nor Chartist Music Charts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ApproachNote or Chartist Music Charts?
ApproachNote ships an update every 10 days, and Chartist Music Charts every 4 days. Most recently, ApproachNote was updated on October 25, 2026 and Chartist Music Charts on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons