Most free apps on the App Store have grown into something else entirely. They add features, then more features, then third-party SDKs for analytics, ads, and push notifications. The result is a bloated app that does a dozen things okay and harvests your data to do them. A small, paid utility app usually does one thing well, shows you what it's doing, and keeps its UI calm.
When you pay for an app, you get a predictable experience. No surprise subscriptions, no tracking SDKs reading your behaviour, no ads interrupting your workflow. The app costs what it costs and it works. That's a different kind of value, and for utility apps it often wins.
Chord Finder
Chord Finder is a music app for guitarists who want to look up a chord shape without scrolling through a list. You tap a chord name and the app shows a fretboard diagram with your fingers placed exactly where they should go. It covers the 20 chords you actually use, with visual diagrams for barre chord voicings and all 12 keys per chord. Mute marks on strings tell you which strings to avoid. The free tier gives you 8 open chords with no ads. A subscription unlocks the full 20-chord library, barre voicings, and all 12 keys.
- Visual fretboard diagrams with finger positions
- Barre chord voicings
- All 12 keys per chord
- Mute marks on strings
This app suits learning guitarists who forget the F or Bm shape and want a fast visual lookup.
Chess Clock
Chess Clock is a two-player game timer with two big tap zones and two countdowns. You tap one side to start your clock and tap the other to stop yours and start theirs. It works for chess, scrabble, or board-game night. The app includes Fischer increment and Bronstein delay settings, plus bullet, blitz, rapid, and classical presets. You don't need a physical clock. The free version gives you a 5-minute flat timer with no ads. A subscription unlocks the time-control presets, Fischer increment, and Bronstein delay.
- Two large tap zones
- Two independent countdowns
- Supports chess, scrabble, and board games
- Fischer increment and Bronstein delay
This app suits chess players, scrabble fans, and board-game groups who don't want to carry a physical clock.
BMI Mate
BMI Mate is a body-mass-index calculator that lives on one screen with no account required. You enter your height and weight, and a colour dial shows your result in green, yellow, or red. You can switch between metric and imperial instantly. Everything runs on your device with no third-party tracking. The free version gives you instant BMI calculation, both unit systems, and the colour dial. A subscription adds weight-goal tracking, BMR estimate, waist-to-height ratio, theme palettes, and a trend graph.
- Colour dial that turns green, yellow, or red by result
- Instant metric/imperial switch
- Fully on-device with no account
- Optional weight-goal tracking
This app suits anyone wanting a quick body-mass-index check without handing over personal data.
How we think about paid apps
All three apps here are paid-only. They have no ads, no third-party tracking SDKs, and no accounts unless you want one. Each app does one job on one screen: Chord Finder shows chord shapes, Chess Clock times two players, BMI Mate calculates your body-mass index. They're built for iOS and they work. You pay once, you get the app, and you use it.