ChordCraft vs HarmonyBuilder

ChordCraft is a free web-based chord progression generator for producers and musicians. Users choose a genre and mood, then generate progressions with humanized playback and real instruments. The generator lists 10 genres, including Pop, Lo-fi, Jazz, EDM, Rock, R&B, Ambient, Cinematic, Bossa Nova and Hip-Hop, plus eight moods from Happy and Sad to Epic and Mysterious. Voice leading is available, and chords can be edited or locked. Advanced controls cover key selection, chord length and voicing modes. Multiple sections can be combined into a full arrangement. Saved progressions can be exported or imported. Export formats are WAV, stems and MIDI. The Free plan costs nothing and includes those export formats, while listing free generations remaining today. ChordCraft also provides chord audio playback.

HarmonyBuilder is music notation and composition software for writing and hearing four-part harmony. Its editions range from score creation and MIDI export to harmony instruction, composition tools, and teacher-student collaboration. Basic supports moving notes and experimenting with harmony and rhythm. Educational checks voice-leading errors, color-codes chord notes, and identifies and names chords. Professional adds a Chord Selector wheel, a Voicing Generator, and tools for harmonizing melodies or bass lines. Institutional provides a dedicated database for sharing assignments, homework, and compositions; its score accounts are password-protected. Compositions can be saved to a computer or public web archive, or in MIDI format, and a private link can open a score in a browser. HarmonyBuilder runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and requires Java 6 or higher. The trial lasts up to 28 days and includes Basic, Educational, and Professional functionality. Basic costs $14 a month; Educational costs $49 a month.