Comparison

Chords Max vs Instrument Scales

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

Head to head
About

Chords Max

Access thousands of guitar chords with detailed visual aids and audio playback. Explore variations, voicings, and finger positions on a realistic guitar image. Perfect for beginners and professionals looking to expand their chord knowledge.

Highlights
  • Thousands of guitar chords
  • Smart chord generator
  • Intuitive visual aids on guitar image
  • Listen to chords on acoustic, classical, electric
  • Discover chord voicings and shapes
  • Seamless chord navigation
Features
Read full description

Explore the BIGGEST selection of Chords on the App Store! Access thousands of unique chords on your smartphone & view them on a guitar image, so you know exactly how to play them. SMART CHORD GENERATOR Explore thousands of guitar chords, each with different voicings and variations. You’ll be able to improve your musical talent and expand your knowledge of guitar chords. Just select a chord root and a chord name, then browse through all the shapes, forms and voicings of that particular chord. Easily jump to the next fret with a quick tap of a button! INTUITIVE VISUAL AIDS Visualizing a chord can be tough, especially for beginners. With each chord on our app, you’ll see that chord presented on a realistic guitar image. Clearly see the notes and correct finger position, making it easy to translate to your own guitar! LISTEN & LEARN To find the perfect voicing for the chord you want to use, you can simply tap a button to listen to chords on a real guitar. Select whether you want to hear the chord on an Acoustic, Classical, or Electric guitar, making it easy to browse through and find the perfect chord without manually playing each one! =============== KEY FEATURES =============== • State of the art chord auto generation covers every variation possible • Discover all the voicings, forms and shapes of every guitar chord • Thousands of chords at your fingertips • See the notes and finger position clearly presented on a real guitar • Listen to each chord on an Acoustic, Classical, or Electric guitar • Seamless navigation through each chord makes it easy to find the right one Whether you’re a beginner guitarist looking to practice your chords, a professional testing out the perfect chord voicing for your song or you just want to expand your personal chord repertoire, you’re in the right place. With more chords than you could ever need, Guitar Chords Max is the ultimate destination for guitar players looking to discover awesome chords. ========================================= DOWNLOAD GUITAR CHORDS MAX TODAY! =========================================

About

Instrument Scales

Master your instrument with interactive courses, AI-powered guidance, and a comprehensive music toolkit. Learn chords, scales, and theory for guitar, bass, and piano with a precision tuner and custom tuning options.

Highlights
  • Interactive Courses
  • AI-powered guidance
  • Precision Tuner
  • 100+ Scale Library
  • Custom Tunings
  • iCloud Sync
Features
Read full description

Turn music theory into something you can see, hear, and practice. Instrument Scales is a visual music-theory toolkit for guitar, bass, piano, ukulele, and mandolin. Explore scales and chords across the full instrument, hear each note, and understand how tones connect in every key. Pro unlocks all lessons and advanced tools with one permanent purchase — no subscription required. The Max subscription includes those capabilities plus a fresh Max Daily session every day, full ear-training sessions, and the Mastery Map. Eligible subscribers can try yearly Max free for 7 days. Premium access is provided by Pro or Max. EXPLORE SCALES AND CHORDS • Browse a complete catalog of scales. • View notes across guitar, bass, piano, ukulele, or mandolin. • Switch between note names, scale degrees, and intervals. • See key-aware note spelling and the chords that belong to each key. • Explore practical chord voicings and fingerboard patterns. • Tap notes to hear how they sound. LEARN AND PRACTICE • Choose a learning path for guitar, bass, piano, high-G ukulele, or mandolin. • Listen, experiment, practice a short phrase, and apply it in a new context through guided stages. • Keep your study instrument, tuning, and register separate from Explore, and return to your last step. • Follow your core progress, with optional extras and older course history in the library. • Study one compatible core lesson free each day; Premium gives unlimited lesson access. • Answer a free daily ear-training question and use practice reminders. • With Max, get a fresh Max Daily session, full ear-training sessions, and the Mastery Map. MUSIC TOOLS • Tune any note with the chromatic tuner. • Build steady time with the metronome. • Create, reorder, play, and loop chord progressions in any key. MAKE IT YOURS • Work with multiple scale setups at once. • Save favorites and reusable practice plans. • Create custom scales and tunings. • Personalize instrument necks and note colors. • Use left-handed layouts where supported. ON APPLE VISION PRO • Place the Practice Station beside your instrument once, and visionOS puts it back where you left it. • The Station shows the scale, chord, pattern or lesson exercise you picked, on the same fretboard or keyboard the app already draws, at a readable size or at a typical instrument's nominal size. • Reference keeps the shapes in your sightline. Play Along runs a timed example. Follow waits for each note and moves on when it hears or receives it. Harmony shows the next chord before it arrives. • Switch on Listen and the Station lights up the notes you play through the microphone; a MIDI keyboard works too. It never listens until you ask it to. • Keep the tuner in a panel beside the board, and reach Play, Pause, Repeat, Slower, Faster and Stop with Voice Control, without putting the instrument down. • Place the Scale of the Day and Practice Streak widgets in your surroundings. • Explore, Learn, Tools, your practice history and everything you have already bought are the same app, in its own window beside the Station. Instrument Scales is available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro, with a localized interface in English, Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese, Spanish, German, and Simplified Chinese. Start with the free essentials. Optional Pro and Max purchases unlock additional tools, lessons, and practice features. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Chords Max3 screens
Instrument Scales4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Instrument Scales at none against Chords Max's shown. Instrument Scales also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 64%) and device support (5 vs 3). Chords Max's advantage is ratings volume (212 vs 29) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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 Max sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Instrument Scales sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Instrument Scales holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chords Max has 212 ratings behind it against 29, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Chords Max's written reviews are positive against 92% of Instrument Scales's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chords Max ships an update every 3 weeks, Instrument Scales monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Chords Max versus Instrument Scales: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChords MaxInstrument Scales
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (212 ratings)4.7 (29 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.0% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings212 — better29
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKeynote Star IncThiago Anderson Martins

Customer experience

Chords Max

All ratings212 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral5.2%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive64.0%
Neutral8.0%
Negative28.0%

Instrument Scales

All ratings29 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Chords Max

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App not launching after update
  • Purchased items not restoring after reinstallation
  • In-app purchase not restoring after iPhone restore
  • No sound issue
  • App forced rating and then required payment
Show 10 more
  • Layout less cohesive after update
  • No minor chords displayed or played
  • App was better before update
  • Cords may be incorrect
  • App not working after update
  • Paid features not restoring
  • No sound with iPods
  • No sound when strumming or clicking
  • No sound at all
  • No sound

Requested features

11 requests
  • Paid ad-free version
  • Include Scales
  • Listen to songs and show chords
  • Ability to type in chord
  • Update to include more chord types
Show 6 more
  • Add left-handed mode
  • Add option to listen to chords
  • Add ability to guess chord being played
  • Add dark mode
  • Add advanced analytics dashboard
  • Add instructions for new users

Instrument Scales

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Chords Max

One-time1
  • Pro Chords$1.99
3 purchases

Instrument Scales

Subscriptions2
  • Instrument Scales Max$0.991 Month
  • Instrument Scales Max$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Instrument Scales Pro$0.99

Questions

Is Chords Max free?
Chords Max is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Instrument Scales free?
Instrument Scales is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chords Max or Instrument Scales?
Instrument Scales is rated higher. Chords Max averages 4.6 out of 5 from 212 ratings, while Instrument Scales averages 4.7 from 29 ratings.
Do Chords Max or Instrument Scales have ads?
Chords Max shows ads; Instrument Scales does not.
Which is updated more often, Chords Max or Instrument Scales?
Chords Max ships an update every 3 weeks, and Instrument Scales monthly. Most recently, Chords Max was updated on November 1, 2026 and Instrument Scales on November 3, 2026.

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