Is Chordly free to use, and do I need an account?

Updated

Chordly is free to use and does not require an account for its core chord sheet features. The site describes itself as "the free, open-source chord sheet & lead sheet maker," and its homepage states "No account required" alongside the chord transposition feature. Sign up and log in options exist, but the page presents them as optional rather than mandatory for getting started.

What "free" means here

Chordly's homepage makes two distinct claims that are worth separating:

  • Free to use — the tool is presented as free, with a "Get Started for Free" call to action and no pricing page or payment links listed on the site.
  • Open source — the source code is licensed under GPLv3, and the site credits the project to Stuart Frost. The current version shown is v1.7.0.

Because the project is open source under GPLv3, the software itself can be inspected, modified, and self-hosted by anyone who wants to, subject to that license. That is a different kind of "free" than simply not paying — it means the code is publicly available.

Do you need an account?

No, not for basic use. The homepage explicitly lists "No account required" as a feature of instant chord transposition. You can create a chord sheet and transpose chords without signing up.

Sign up and log in are still offered in the site navigation. The page does not explain exactly what an account unlocks, so the safe reading is: the core create-and-transpose workflow works without one, and an account is there if you want it.

What you can do without paying or registering

Based on the features listed on the homepage:

Feature What it does
Create chord sheets Build chord sheets and lead sheets in the browser
Transpose chords instantly Change the key of a song with one click instead of transposing by hand
ChordPro support Import existing ChordPro files and edit them immediately
Export to PDF Download individual chord sheets or entire set lists for printing
Set lists Organize chord sheets into set lists for gigs or practice

If your goal is simply to write out a song, change its key, and print it, none of that requires an account or payment according to the site's own description.

Practical caveats

A few things the homepage does not answer, so treat them as unconfirmed rather than assumed:

  • Whether an account is needed to save chord sheets across sessions or to sync them between devices. The "create, organize, and share" language suggests organization features exist, but the page does not say whether they require login.
  • Whether there are any limits on the free tier. No pricing signals, payment platforms, or usage caps appear on the page.
  • Whether the hosted version at chordly.co.uk will always remain free, given that the open-source code can be self-hosted independently of the hosted service.

If you need guaranteed persistence or sharing, signing up is the low-risk move; if you just want to transpose and print a chart right now, you can skip it.