Hookpad vs MasterWriter
Hookpad
hooktheory.comMasterWriter
masterwriter.comSide by side
| Figure | Hookpad | MasterWriter |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $7.99/mo | $8.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 3 |
| Spec score · Songwriting tools | 8.4 (#5) | 8.1 (#8) |
| Support | Hooktheory says Dave Carlton personally handles its software and book support emails. | The contact page lists phone and email support Monday through Friday, 9am–6pm PST. |
Plans
Hookpad
- FreeFree
- Standard$7.99 a month
- Aria AI add-on$14.99 a month
- Standard$199, paid once
In their own words
Hookpad
Hookpad is browser-based songwriting software for composing chord progressions, melodies and songs with integrated music theory tools. Its chord suggestions draw on music theory and data from 75,000 songs. The free plan includes Smart Guides, transposition, tempo and looping, piano playback and cloud saving; advanced chord palettes and search are limited to one-minute previews. Standard adds more than 500 instruments, 11 band templates, up to four melody voices, lyrics, mixing, recording and MIDI input, along with MIDI and MP3 export. Users can also export sheet music, guitar tablature and lead sheets. MIDI exports can be imported into digital audio workstations such as GarageBand, Logic and Pro Tools. Audio import supports WAV and MP3; MIDI input requires a browser with Web MIDI API support. Optional Aria can suggest chords, melodies or both. Hookpad works in a browser and offers tablet touch mode, but is not suitable for smartphone editing. Standard costs $7.99 a month, billed monthly; the optional Aria add-on costs $14.99 a month, billed monthly.
MasterWriter
MasterWriter has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.