Offline chord app: what is free and what is Pro
Most music apps depend on a connection and lock the essentials behind a subscription. Chord and Fret is free to start, plays offline and runs the loop backwards: you build the shape on the neck and it names the chord. Below is the side by side comparison, with facts only.
The comparison, side by side
| What matters | Chord and Fret | Most music apps |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to start; affordable Pro | Subscription, little free |
| Works offline | Plays offline — generated on your device | Usually needs a connection |
| Ads | No ads, on the site or in the app | Commonly ad-supported |
| Instruments | Guitar, electric, cavaquinho and ukulele | Varies |
| Your charts | They stay on the device, in folders, with sections and repeats — 20 on the free plan, unlimited with Pro; with Pro, a synced copy in your account | Varies — usually in the cloud, with an account |
| Transpose & capo | Non-destructive: reset and the song comes back exactly as it arrived | Varies |
| Identify a chord by its shape | Yes — the reverse path, with inversions | Almost never |
The “most music apps” column describes the market in general, not any one product.
Why it matters
- Free to start — the essentials never expire, no card needed
- Plays offline — the diagrams, scales and audio are generated on the device
- No ads, made by musicians
Start free. Go Pro when you want.
Chords, scales, strums and the tools, free to start. Pro adds what the table marks as Pro.
Meet Chord and FretAll the harmony, offline. Start free; subscribe when you want.
What it costs
The essentials are free forever — including hearing the chord. Pro opens the rest.
All three open the SAME Pro — only how you pay changes. No feature belongs to one plan.
Monthly
$6.99/mo
No lock-in. Cancel whenever you want.
Save 58%14 days free
Annual
$83.88 over 12 months(paying monthly)$34.99/yr
Works out to $2.92 a month.
One-time
Lifetime
$174.99once
Pay once. No renewal, ever.
14 days free on the annual plan, for anyone who has not tried Pro yet. The store decides who is eligible.
The subscription happens inside the app, through Google Play. Nothing is charged on this site.
And if I never pay?
The free plan does not expire: full chord and scale search, hearing the chord, tuner, metronome, rhythm trainer and 20 charts of your own — and the account, if you want one, is free too.
Straight questions, straight answers
How much does it cost?
The essentials are free forever. Pro is a subscription: $6.99/mo or $34.99/yr, with a 14-day free trial on the annual plan and cancel anytime. There is also a lifetime unlock: $174.99, a one-time purchase — pay once, no renewal. Updates are included.
Does it work without internet?
Playing does: the diagrams, scales and audio are generated on your device. The one thing that needs the internet now and then is confirming the Pro subscription: the app keeps a signed pass good for about 30 days and tolerates roughly 7 more. Go past that with no connection at all and Pro falls back to free until you open the app online once — nothing that is free ever stops.
Are there ads?
There are no ads, on the site or in the app. On the site, visit and ad measurement only runs if you accept in the cookie notice, and saying no blocks nothing.