Uberchord

What Uberchord does

Uberchord UG (haftungsbeschränkt) is a privately held German software company, founded in 2013 and registered in Potsdam, Brandenburg, that built a mobile application for learning to play the guitar. Its core product is an iOS app that uses the company's patented "ChordSense" audio-based recognition technology to listen to a real acoustic or electric guitar through the iPhone microphone and deliver real-time feedback on fingering, chord accuracy and strumming/rhythm timing. The app bundles a personal learning path branded "Uberpath," an adaptive daily workout, a 19-tuning high-precision tuner, a chord finder available both in-app and as a standalone web app, a Lesson Editor for user-authored content, and a song catalog of 200+ licensed courses (launched at 100) featuring artists such as Ed Sheeran, Michael Jackson, U2 and Coldplay via Universal Music.

Uberchord's commercial model is freemium subscription: tuner, daily workout, chord finder, a beginner course and two free song courses remain free, while the premium catalog and additional courses sit behind a $14.99/month or $89.99/year Apple App Store subscription. Revenue is shared with Universal Music for licensed content and is distributed exclusively through Apple's App Store for iOS (iPhone 6+, iPad Air+, iPod Touch 6th gen+); an Android version has long been on the roadmap but has not shipped. The company has also modularized ChordSense into a cross-platform Unity-framework SDK, funded under the Brandenburg Innovation Voucher (BIG) co-financed by the EU's European Regional Development Fund, positioning a future B2B licensing motion to music-tech and ed-tech companies. Customer segments are individual self-taught guitar learners and a smaller cohort of teachers and students using the Lesson Editor.

The company has operated for roughly 10 years as a small team (1–10 employees, undisclosed exact headcount) led by co-founder and managing director Eckart Burgwedel, with co-founders Simon Barkow-Oesterreicher (CFO/COO), Martin Polak (CTO) and Ilona Maslioukovskagia (visual design). Uberchord raised disclosed VC funding including rounds backed by Verve Ventures (2015), 3wVentures (2015) and Abbey Road Studios (2016), plus the public BIG/ERDF grant. In 2026 the company publicly announced that the Uberchord consumer app is being sunsetted after 10 years in operation to "make space for something much bigger and better," while the patent-protected ChordSense IP and successor product plans remain in place.

Name

Uberchord

Legal name

Uberchord UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

Website

https://uberchord.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Uberchord is a Potsdam-based software company that built a patented, audio-based iOS guitar-learning app using its ChordSense recognition engine, monetized via freemium subscriptions and Universal Music-licensed song courses; the app is being sunsetted after 10 years in favor of a successor initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Musical Instrument and Supplies Retailers (45914), Music Publishers (512230)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Education & Practice Software (Ear training, tutors, metronome tools) (MPAIAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online / Virtual Music Instruction & Platforms (EDAMANAI), Music Theory, Ear Training & Musicianship (EDAMANAF), AI Music Creation & Assistive Tools (Generation, Separation, Mastering) (MPAIAIAG)

Keywords

• Guitar learning app
• Music education software
• Chord recognition technology
• Audio recognition SDK
• Music edtech

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Freemium in-app subscription: Free tier (Tuner, Daily Workout, Chord Finder, Beginner Course 1, two free song courses) used as a funnel into a paid subscription at $14.99/month or $89.99/year for premium content and additional songs/courses.
2. Freemium conversion funnel: Significant portion of content is offered free to acquire users; premium content and individual song courses are gated behind subscription.
3. B2B ChordSense SDK licensing: Planned B2B revenue stream based on modularized, cross-platform Unity-framework implementation of the patented note-recognition technology, intended to be sold/licensed as an SDK for additional use cases.
4. Song-content licensing cost share with Universal Music: Revenue share/royalty payments to Universal Music for licensed songs included in the app's song catalog.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Uberchord builds and sells an iOS guitar-learning mobile application (Uberchord App) powered by its patented "ChordSense" audio-based chord and note recognition technology, which listens to a real acoustic or electric guitar via the iPhone microphone and provides real-time feedback on chord fingering, accuracy, strumming patterns and rhythm timing. The consumer app is offered on a freemium basis, with a free tier and a $14.99/month or $89.99/year premium subscription unlocking 200+ songs and 16 courses licensed via Universal Music. The same ChordSense technology has been modularized into a cross-platform, Unity-framework-based SDK intended for B2B licensing to other music-tech and ed-tech products.

Product overview

Uberchord's offering is centered on a single core consumer product — the Uberchord iPhone app — built around the patented ChordSense audio-based chord/note recognition technology. The app bundles a personal learning path (Uberpath), a song catalog with 100+ handcrafted courses licensed via Universal Music, chord and rhythm trainers, and supporting utility modules such as the High Precision Tuner, the Daily Workout adaptive practice program, the Chord Finder (also offered as a separate web app), and the Lesson Editor for user-generated content. The same ChordSense technology has been modularized into a B2B-capable SDK in the Unity framework for third-party use cases. The company announced in 2025 that the consumer app is being sunsetted after 10 years to make space for new initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Uberpath: "The all new Uberpath" — Uberchord's branded personal learning experience/learning path feature inside the Uberchord app, with unlockable challenges and favorite songs.
• ChordSense

Products and services

• Uberchord App (iOS) iPhone (also iPad and iPod Touch) application that teaches guitar to individual hobbyists and self-learners using real-time audio feedback based on patented ChordSense recognition; offers free features (Daily Workout, Chord Finder, Beginner Course 1, High Precision Tuner, two free song courses) plus a premium subscription ($14.99/month or $89.99/year) unlocking 200+ songs and 16 courses licensed via Universal Music.
• Chord Finder Web App

Quantifiable outcome

• Catalog of 200+ songs and 16 courses available to premium subscribers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Universal MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUberchord states 'With Universal Music on board, we have licensing costs of songs which we feature in the app and have to share from our revenue generation.' Universal Music provides licensed song content for the app's catalog (Ed Sheeran, Michael Jackson, U2, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, The Police, Bryan Adams, Paul Simon, The xx, Foo Fighters, etc.) in exchange for revenue share. Relationship is bidirectional: Universal supplies content, Uberchord pays royalties.
• Abbey Road Studios (Abbey Road Red)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerUberchord displays the Abbey Road Red logo under 'As seen in' linking to abbeyroad.com/abbeyroadred, indicating association with Abbey Road's music-tech startup program for visibility and credibility.
• Apple Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApple distributes the Uberchord iOS app via the App Store, manages in-app subscription billing ($14.99/month and $89.99/year), and has featured the app editorially ('Featured by Apple').

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yousician: Yousician is the closest direct competitor: a freemium, subscription-based app that listens via the device microphone and gives real-time feedback on guitar, bass, ukulele, and piano. Operates on iOS, Android, and web, and has raised tens of millions—making it the benchmark Uberchord is benchmarked against.
• Fender Play: Fender's subscription learning app offers structured guitar lessons with video and interactive content. It is a direct competitor in the self-taught adult guitar learner segment that Uberchord targets, with the advantage of Fender's brand and instrument ecosystem.
• Simply Guitar (JoyTunes): JoyTunes' Simply Guitar listens to the player via microphone and provides real-time feedback on chords and rhythm, with a freemium subscription model very similar to Uberchord. One of the most-funded competitors in the music-learning app category.
• Skoove: Skoove is a subscription piano/ keyboard lesson app using AI feedback on real-time audio input, with a similar freemium-to-premium funnel and tiered pricing. Comparable business model in the same AI-driven instrument learning category.
• Moises: Moises applies AI audio recognition to separate stems, detect chords, and transcribe music. Overlaps with Uberchord's audio-recognition DNA (ChordSense) and serves a similar creator/learner base that wants machine listening for music practice.
• Tonara: Tonara is a music education app that follows the score in real time and provides feedback to instrumentalists and vocalists. Closely comparable technology stack (real-time audio-based feedback) and subscription model for music learners.
• Ultimate Guitar: Ultimate Guitar is the dominant platform for chords, tabs, and song-based learning content. Its catalog and tools (tuner, chord finder) overlap with Uberchord's utility features (Chord Finder, High Precision Tuner) and target the same self-taught learner.
• BandLab: BandLab is a free, social music creation platform with learning and practice features. Comparable mobile-first, freemium music software model that overlaps with Uberchord's chord, rhythm, and song-based learning flow.

Broad incumbents

• Gibson App: Gibson, like Fender, is a major guitar brand with learning content and tools aimed at self-taught players. A broad incumbent leveraging instrument heritage, distribution, and brand to compete in the same guitar-learning category.

Emerging players

• LANDR: LANDR provides AI-driven audio tools (mastering, samples, collaboration) to musicians. Adjacent rather than directly competitive, but shares the AI-music-tool DNA and a creator/learner overlap with Uberchord's user base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/uberchord
• Facebookfacebook.com/uberchord

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Uberchord