# Fretcetera > Musical calculator for string instruments, finding chords, scales, and progressions in any tuning. (iPhone/iPad app by Joel Pipher.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretcetera/id1262938497 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Joel Pipher](https://appshunter.io/developer/1262938496) - Category: Music, Utilities - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.80/5 from 11 App Store ratings · 12 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 12.0 · 19 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2017-07-24 - Data updated: 2026-06-01 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretcetera/id1262938497/reviews.md ## What is Fretcetera? Fretcetera is musical calculator that uses algorithms to connect you to chords, scales and progressions on a variety of string instruments in any tuning! This is not just a chord book. Fretcetera computes every way to play chords or scales in any tuning, and returns the top results based on their playability. Fine-tune results by configuring your instrument exactly as you play it. Enter personal preferences and constraints. Select from common tunings or create your own! Build progressions to listen to chord transitions, and even get suggestions based on the chords you are playing! ## Key features - Chord and scale finder - Custom tuning support - Playability-based results - Progression builder - Chord transition suggestions - Instrument configuration ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Fretcetera Premium | $3.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 12) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretcetera/id1262938497/reviews.md ### 5/5 — this app still slaps *2024-04-14, version 3.4.2* love the new home screen update and recent chords list ### 5/5 — This is it *2024-01-17* I don’t think people understand the utter brilliance of an application like this. If there were more tools, it might become too crowded. You can download a tuner somewhere else. This is for learning your fretboard in more depth. Until now, I’ve had to draw out my own custom scales and figure out chords as I’m playing around. This gives you so much more flexibility and saves a ton of time for me. Wish I could pay for it. ### 4/5 — Custom tuning doesn’t save *2022-01-02* The custom tunings don’t save. And after reopening the app always starts with C major chord. **Developer response:** Thank you for reporting this. This turned out to be a problem only for iOS 12 and below. This has been fixed as of version 3.3.1 which is available now. Thanks again! ### 5/5 — Amazing *2021-05-19, version 3.3.0* I love writing with basic chords, then using this app to make things more interesting. ### 3/5 — Needs to add tuning *2018-04-17* This app is nice for a reference, even though you could just look at a book, but needs a built-in-tuner to have any value or use for a guitarist **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback! I encourage you to play with search settings to get more from the app. Fretcetera is more than just a chord book - the algorithm computes every way to play every chord within the given search criteria (capo, tuning, spanning frets, etc.). You can enter a completely custom tuning and still find results. A chromatic tuner is a great idea that may be added in a future release. In the meantime, you can tap the letters representing the tuning on the main display to hear the tones and tune to them. Thanks again! ### 5/5 — Quick and easy to use! *2018-04-09, version 2.1.0* Fretcetera is my go to app whether I’m jamming at home or in the studio. Thanks Fretcetera for making me a better guitar player! ### 5/5 — Please add 8-String option and Scales *2018-02-16* I like your app a lot! It has a really clean design and a well thought interface. I would straight buy it, if you add 8-String support for those of us, who play extended range guitars... plus I would love it, if you could include the scales you can play to a specific chord. Keep up the good work! **Developer response:** Thanks so much for your feedback! I have rolled out support for 8 string guitars. Scales are a work in progress but will be added in the near future. Thanks again! ### 5/5 — [Updated Review!] Needs Left-Handed Option *2018-02-08* This program is great! I had only rated it three stars due to no option for left-handed, but they’ve integrated that feature and now I love this program. I’m also noticing it has a chord progression builder feature as well, which is great. One more suggestion: the chord progression feature is almost great, but only decent right now. What would improve it is if you had a bit of an easier time choosing / auditioning chords to build your progression with. Right now there are just a bit too many steps in selecting your chords — and if a person has no knowledge of theory, it would be difficult for them to create meaningful/appropriate chord progressions without knowing exactly what chords they should try. It would be nice to maybe see a list of suggested chords (algorithm based around theory stuff according to circle of fifths, etc?) or perhaps a visual representation you can click on to hear and audition rather than needing to jump to a fresh screen and a pulldown menu. Just something like that. There are a bunch of chord progression generator apps that do this pretty well, but most of those apps are lacking in other ways. I’d love to see something like that with this. I only have a basic understanding of theory and I’m not really sure what chords would sound good after each other, so I find myself randomly choosing chords from the drop down, waiting to get back to main area, and then playing the progression to hear it and it just takes a little too long to be worth it. If you could speed up the process somehow, especially if it were more visually represented besides a drop-down, it might be way better. Great program! **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback! I have added support for left-handed players in version 2.0.3, which has just gone live. There is an "Orientation" setting available on the Settings page. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts! ### 5/5 — Nothing else like this. *2017-07-27* This app is very simple/easy to use. I've always enjoyed the idea of playing and writing in alternate tuning but have always been put off by how long it takes me to figure out chords in those tunings... well this makes it incredibly easy and instantaneous. You can even use custom tunings. The best part is that this is completely free. ### 5/5 — Neat *2017-07-27* Neat ## Frequently asked questions about Fretcetera ### What string instruments does Fretcetera support? Fretcetera is designed for a variety of string instruments. While not explicitly listed, its functionality for chords, scales, and tunings makes it suitable for instruments like guitars, basses, ukuleles, and mandolins. ### Can I create my own custom tunings in Fretcetera? Yes, Fretcetera allows you to select from common tunings or create your own. This feature enables precise configuration for your specific instrument setup. ### How does Fretcetera determine the best way to play a chord or scale? Fretcetera uses algorithms to compute every possible way to play chords or scales in any tuning. It then returns the top results based on their playability, considering your configured instrument and preferences. ### Does Fretcetera offer suggestions for chord progressions? Yes, Fretcetera allows you to build progressions and listen to chord transitions. It can even provide suggestions based on the chords you are currently playing. ### What is the age rating for Fretcetera? Fretcetera has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for users of all ages, with no mature content. ### How often is Fretcetera updated? The latest version of Fretcetera is 3.5.0, and it was last updated on November 1, 2024. This indicates a relatively active development cycle. ### Is Fretcetera available on Android devices? Based on the provided data, Fretcetera is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Android compatibility is not specified. ### What do users like most about Fretcetera? Users appreciate Fretcetera's ability to find chords and scales in any tuning and its focus on playability. The app has a high rating of 4.8 stars from 11 ratings, suggesting positive user sentiment. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.5.0 — 2024-11-01 Fretcetera Premium features are now free and available without purchase Features included: - Full search results - Saveable custom tunings - Saveable progressions Thanks to everyone who has supported the app ### 3.4.2 — 2024-04-14 - Added Home screen with quick links to last 10 searches - Added support for capos on scale and arpeggio searches - Tuning, capo and filters are now displayed on the search results page - Improved navigation between pages - Removed ads and tracking. Fretcetera no longer tracks any personally identifiable data! Instead, the free version now has limited search results ### 3.3.1 — 2022-01-03 * Fixed issues with saved data on older versions of iOS * Added coloured intervals to reverse chord/scale search results * Add prompt to allow/deny tracking ### 3.3.0 — 2021-01-28 Light theme • Fretcetera will now match the theme preference of your device by default • Light or Dark theme can be selected manually in the settings page ### 3.2.2 — 2021-01-18 • Tone selection now includes both spellings of accidentals for differentiation (i.e. C# vs Db) • Progressions now have an editable scale property to specify the desired scale. This will affect the suggested chords, as well as the intervals and colour coding of the progression ## Apps similar to Fretcetera | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Chordelio](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordelio/id1435928143) | 4.0 (3) | Free | Music | | [Bluegrass Guru](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluegrass-guru/id915585580) | 5.0 (4) | Free | Music | | [Guitar Tuner EM-1](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-tuner-em-1/id1130498431) | 3.5 (8) | Free | Music | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-01.*