Looking for a Chordify alternative? ChordSonic finds chords on any audio you upload.
Free chord chart on the timeline. Transposition included. Works on songs that aren't in any catalog — your demos, your mixes, anything you have an MP3 of.
The short answer.
If you're hitting Chordify's paywall on the timeline view or transposition, ChordSonic gives you the chord chart free, with no signup, on any audio you upload.
Chordify is still the better pick if you mostly want to play along to popular catalog songs with synced lyrics on a phone. ChordSonic is built for the other half of the problem: charting audio that no catalog covers — your own recordings, demos, private mixes, generative tracks — and exporting the result for a DAW or a songbook.
Both products do chord recognition. The choice between them is really a choice between two workflows: catalog-and-play vs upload-and-analyze. Most musicians end up wanting one tool for each. If you only ever play covers of Top 40 songs, Chordify already has them charted. If you also write, record, jam, transcribe by ear, or pull stems out of a personal library, ChordSonic fills a gap that no catalog product can.
Chordify vs ChordSonic, feature by feature.
Both tools detect chords. The big difference is where the chords come from — a curated catalog lookup vs an analysis of whatever audio you upload — and where each product puts the paywall.
| Feature | Chordify | ChordSonic |
|---|---|---|
| Free chord chart on the timeline | Limited — full timeline view behind Premium | Free, full timeline |
| Transposition | Premium only | Free |
| Library of pre-charted songs | Large catalog of popular tracks | No catalog — bring your own audio |
| Works on your own audio (uploads, demos, AI tracks) | Limited — focused on the catalog | Yes — any MP3 or WAV up to 50 MB |
| Lyrics overlay | Yes, synced lyrics on many tracks | Not yet |
| Export to TXT / CSV / JSON | Not offered | All three formats, free |
| Mobile app | Native iOS and Android apps | Mobile-friendly web — no app yet |
| Pricing | Free tier + Premium subscription | Free core, paid tier in the works |
| Best for | Learning popular songs from a catalog | Charting your own audio + DAW exports |
Comparison reflects publicly listed features at the time of writing. Tools evolve — if anything looks out of date, tell us.
Three reasons we hear over and over.
- 01
You hit Chordify's paywall on transposition
Transposition is the single most common reason guitarists pay for Chordify Premium. On ChordSonic it's free — load any track, shift the whole chart up or down, capo or no capo, play in a key your voice actually likes.
- 02
Your song isn't in their library
Chordify charts a song by looking it up in their catalog. If the track isn't there — your band's demo, a private mix, a one-of-a-kind live recording, an AI-generated stem — there's nothing to look up. ChordSonic runs the analysis from the audio itself, so the chord chart comes from your file, not a database.
- 03
You want machine-readable exports for your DAW
If the chart is the end of the workflow, a screen view is fine. If you need to drop chord markers into Ableton, generate practice loops, or hand a session musician a printable lead sheet, you want the data — ChordSonic exports the full progression to TXT, CSV and JSON.
Frequently asked
Is ChordSonic really free?
Yes. You can upload a track, get a full chord chart on the timeline, transpose it, and export to TXT, CSV or JSON without a credit card. We have a paid tier in the works for higher quotas and longer tracks, but the core chord-finder is free.
Will ChordSonic work on songs not in Chordify's library?
That is the main reason people switch. Chordify works by looking a track up in a curated catalog. ChordSonic analyzes whatever audio you upload — a band demo, a private mix, a generative track, a YouTube rip, a live recording. If you have an MP3 or WAV, you can get chords for it.
Can I transpose chords for free on ChordSonic?
Yes. Transposition is part of the free chart — every detected chord can be shifted up or down without a subscription. On Chordify, transposition sits behind their Premium paywall.
How accurate is the chord detection vs Chordify?
Both products use template-based chord recognition over chroma features. Accuracy depends much more on the source material than on the brand — clean studio mixes do well in either tool, busy live recordings are harder for both. ChordSonic's pipeline adds modern source separation before chord matching so the harmony track is cleaner before templates are applied.
Does ChordSonic have lyrics overlay like Chordify?
Not today. Chordify is the better choice if synced lyrics over chord blocks are the feature you care about most. ChordSonic focuses on the chord chart, timeline, transposition and machine-readable exports for DAWs and songbooks.
Try ChordSonic on a track Chordify doesn't know.
Drop an MP3 or WAV. Get a free chord chart, transpose it, export it. No credit card, no catalog limits.