Autochords vs Open—Shape

Autochords is an iPhone and iPad app that helps songwriters find chord progressions and learn chords on guitar, piano and ukulele. Choose a progression style and key to see a main progression and alternatives for other song sections. Progressions can be previewed at a selected tempo with piano, guitar or ukulele playback, and the app provides diagrams for each instrument. Its built-in library contains dozens of progressions across styles of western music, though some require PRO. The free plan provides the app's free features. PRO adds more progressions, favorites, tempo changes, color themes, custom progressions and MIDI export. Export uses the iOS share sheet to open files in compatible apps, including desktop DAWs such as Logic or GarageBand. PRO costs $2.99 a month, $12.99 a year or 29.99 USD once for lifetime access. If a PRO subscription expires, existing favorites and custom progressions remain accessible, but users cannot add or remove favorites or create or delete custom progressions. Astrocode Pty Ltd develops the app, which is operated by a solo developer.

Open—Shape helps guitarists find playable chord voicings across the fretboard, including in different tunings. Its chord engine searches for shapes, filters them by note count, and supplies difficulty labels and fingering details. Users can chain and reorder chords, play progressions, and save them. The Free plan includes the full chord engine, every voicing, 33 built-in tunings, real acoustic guitar playback, a microphone tuner, and up to three saved progressions. Pro costs $9.99, paid once, billed one-time, and adds unlimited custom tunings and saved progressions. The tuner identifies strings in alternate and custom tunings; capo settings update chord voicings and progressions. A visual Canvas board for connecting chords, tuning, and capo runs in a desktop browser. Open—Shape is available on iOS and the web, and an account is not required. Saved tunings and progressions are stored in browser local storage, with backup export and import in Settings. Its privacy policy says tuner audio is analyzed in the browser and is not recorded or transmitted.