ChordU vs Open—Shape

ChordU identifies chords in audio and aligns them with musical notation. Users can also find a song on YouTube, copy its link and search for it in ChordU. A song may have simplified, advanced, bass or edited chord arrangements, as well as treble-clef and bass-clef note versions. Chord diagrams cover guitar, piano, ukulele and mandolin. On the website, users can obtain PDF chord and note sheets, MIDI files and synthesized notes in WAV format. MusicOnly mode provides controls for vocals, bass, drums and other instruments, and can export a mixed audio download. Local music uploads and MusicOnly for those uploads require Premium; Premium also permits chord downloads without a stated monthly limit. The Free plan has limited access, while Premium costs $5.00 per month. ChordU is available on Android, iOS and the web. Its terms limit song and chord use to personal, non-commercial purposes.

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.