Harmony Lab vs maxChord
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Harmony Lab
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Create chord progressions and hear them come to life. Harmony Lab is built for exploring harmony in a way that feels clear and immediate. It gives you a space to build progressions, shape how they are played, and understand how everything connects. You can create progressions in multiple ways. Build them manually, generate them from scales, or follow harmonic relationships. Each approach leads to the same goal: turning ideas into sound quickly. Every chord you add is playable instantly. You hear how it fits, how it moves, and how it feels in context. This makes it easy to experiment, adjust, and refine your ideas without breaking flow. Playback is fully customizable. Choose how chords are played using different styles such as up, down, alternating patterns, or more dynamic variations. You can control octave placement and spread notes across multiple octaves to shape the depth of the sound. Rhythm is part of the process. Use built-in patterns or create your own to control how chords are triggered over time. This lets you move beyond static playback and explore groove, timing, and feel. Harmony Lab also gives you control over the details. Adjust note density, introduce probability to create variation, and add humanization to make playback feel more natural. These small changes can completely transform how a progression sounds. You can hear everything across multiple instruments. Switch between piano, guitar, strings, and more to explore different textures and directions. Each instrument gives a new perspective on the same harmonic idea. The interface keeps things focused. You add chords, shape how they are played, and hear the result instantly. Key Features: β’ Build chord progressions manually/from scales/Using Functional Harmony/Using a text description β’ Multiple playback styles and patterns β’ Control octave, range, and note spread β’ Adjust timing, density, and variation β’ Add humanization for a more natural feel β’ Multi-instrument playback β’ Real-time feedback while editing Harmony Lab works for writing, practice, and exploration. It helps you hear harmony more clearly and turn simple ideas into something more expressive. You explore, listen & create - Thatβs the core idea behind Melodic Mind. Let music feel natural again. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://melodic-mind.com/privacy-policy
maxChord
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Chords under your thumb. maxChord turns chord progressions into something you play with one hand. The pads are laid out in whatever key you choose, so everything you touch is already in tune. Tap one to play it. Hold it and drag, and the chord morphs β sevenths, sus, diminished, extensions β each one a direction rather than a menu. Common notes keep ringing while the rest move, so a progression bends instead of jumping. Then build the song. PLAY β’ Eight chord pads, in key, labelled with roman numerals β’ Drag any pad in eight directions to morph it live β’ Chord Lock keeps a variation as the pad's new resting chord β’ Inversions, slash chords, and automatic voice leading β’ Three modes: Chords, Arpeggiator, and Lead SEQUENCE β’ Multi-track sequencer built from chord tiles, not a note grid β’ Split, resize, and drag tiles to build rhythm by feel β’ Sixteen patterns, chained into sections to arrange a whole song β’ Per-track instrument, octave, volume, arpeggiator rate, and effects β’ Record from the pads or from a MIDI controller in real time SOUND β’ Sampled instruments: grand piano, upright, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, vibraphone, harp, strings, brass, nylon guitar, church organ, and choir β’ A fifteen-voice analogue synth bank with real filter envelopes and oscillator detune β’ Eight effects β drive, filter, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb β per track and across the whole mix, each swept with a single thumb CONNECT β’ MIDI in and out, including per-track output β’ Clock sync in both directions β’ Play maxChord from a controller, or drive Logic, Ableton, or GarageBand from it maxChord has no account, no ads, and no analytics. It does not collect your data, and it works entirely offline. Your songs live on your device and can be exported to a single file whenever you want them somewhere else. Made for people who hear the chord before they can name it. β maxChord Pro unlocks everything after a 3-day free trial: β¬1.99/month, β¬9.99/year, or β¬22.99 once for lifetime access. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends, and can be managed in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://maximumschmidt.github.io/maxchord-site/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: maxChord at every 10 days against Harmony Lab's every 5 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Harmony Lab sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and maxChord sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Harmony Lab ships an update every 5 weeks, maxChord every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Harmony Lab | maxChord |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 10 days β better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad β better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 317 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sean Ray Dvir | Maximilian Schmidt |
In-app purchases
Harmony Lab
- No Ads$1.991 Month
- Full Access$4.991 Month
maxChord
- Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Yearly3 Days trial$8.991 Year
- Lifetime$19.99
Questions
Is Harmony Lab free?
Is maxChord free?
Do Harmony Lab or maxChord have ads?
Which is updated more often, Harmony Lab or maxChord?
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