# Guitar Fretboard Note Trainer — user reviews > 135 indexed App Store user reviews of Guitar Fretboard Note Trainer by Justin Guitar, rated 4.50/5 from 151 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-fretboard-note-trainer/id559758702/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-fretboard-note-trainer/id559758702.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 112 · 4★ 21 · 3★ 8 · 2★ 5 · 1★ 5 ## What do users think of Guitar Fretboard Note Trainer? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Helps learn notes quickly - 👍 Simple and intuitive interface - 🎓 Effective for improving fretboard knowledge - 💰 Good value for money - 👏 Supports Justin Guitar's excellent teaching **Cons** - 🐛 Note playback not matching displayed note - 🎨 Lack of customization options (e.g. note colors) - 🎛️ Volume adjustment issues - ⚠️ No support for left-handed players **Commonly reported bugs** - Unresponsive touch input on note selection - Inconsistent behavior between quiz modes **Most requested features** - Add option to practice specific fret/string ranges - Implement interval training - Introduce note colors for better visualization - Add support for alternate tunings ## Newest reviews (17 of 135) ### 4/5 — Great, but needs one tweak *2025-03-14* This app is helping me visualize notes on the front board very well. But, there’s one thing that really bothers me, and I saw this mentioned in some other reviews as well. When the note plays, it’s not the note that’s being shown all the time. This really needs to be fixed, since it starts to cause you to associate the played note with that fretboard position. This is a pretty big problem in my opinion. ### 4/5 — Doesn’t play corresponding note!? *2024-09-02* The app works fine in that it asks you to name the note highlighted on the fret board. However when you touch the correct note name a random pitch is played. When you touch “C” why not play a “C” tone? For example the played note may go down when the named note is up. Or the audio note may stay the same even as the displayed note jumps around the fret board. Misses the chance for some ear training at the same time! ### 4/5 — It’s a great app but could be a little bit better with one more feature *2024-04-12* I just got it yesterday and have spent about an hour and a half on it. Unfortunately I didn’t progress that fast. I feel that having an additional setting for what portion of fretboard your being quizzed on would help me and other users. Thanks Justin for putting this great app out on the App Store. ### 4/5 — Pretty Good *2024-01-09* I’ve played guitar for a while but until now I’d never bothered to learn the fretboard notes. (I wish I had now). This app is a great help when you can’t use a real guitar. I use it at lunchtimes while I’m in the office. It’s well thought out by someone that knows a lot about teaching and improving guitar players. Well worth the investment. ### 4/5 — Great for a beginner *2023-05-21* As a total newbie to learning guitar (68 year old) this is a fantastic tool to use. I would personally find name that note easier to use if the fret numbers were below the fret or even a dot below frets just like on a guitar. I find I am constantly counting the frets in my head to try to name the note. ### 5/5 — Quickly learning *2023-04-09* I'll have found the section find the note to be not only effective but fun to play. ### 5/5 — What a great app! *2023-03-06* I’ve just started using this app alongside the guitar lessons app. I can see it’s going to be a great help in learning the fretboard. It’s the same high quality as the lessons app and I can use it whenever I get some spare time in the day ### 5/5 — Justin is a genius ! *2023-01-07, version 2.17* I’m addicted to learning the notes though playing find the note on this app.Thank you Justin ### 5/5 — Great app any chance to expand it to 22 frets ? *2022-12-07* Great app any chance to expand it to 22 frets ? ### 5/5 — Great app *2022-11-15, version 2.17* Works well for me. Very handy reference tool too ### 4/5 — Useful; Doesn’t include different tunings. *2022-09-10* I’ve played guitar for 4 years. I’m the lead guitarist for a metal band, and I’m having trouble writing new music because I don’t know theory. I figured I’d start at fretboard memorization. We mostly play in Drop C# and C# Standard, so I consequently need to learn the notes for both of those tunings. This app has helped me learn the notes for standard tuning, which is a great start. I feel that the app could be improved, however, by allowing you to customize your learning experience by selecting different tunings, or even simply by adjusting the open note of a string. ### 5/5 — Outstanding app! *2022-04-16, version 2.17* Simply, beautifully designed and very efficient. Before getting the app I was only able to allocate the famous “Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie” and the rest was a painful counting experience. It is difficult to believe how much I have progressed in just a couple of days playing with the app. ### 3/5 — Good but… *2022-04-15* One main issue. The pitches played when you choose a note on the fretboard are not matched to the correct octave. If you get really good at the tests on this app, it will mess with you when you play the same notes on a real guitar. ### 5/5 — Very Useful *2021-08-27* I recently started learning the fretboard and have been working on increasing my speed with identifying and playing notes. Although I prefer practicing on the real thing, this app is great when away from the guitar and has helped me improve much faster. Highly recommend it to supplement your normal practice routine. ### 4/5 — Great but only if you play in standard tuning! *2021-07-09* Great app but as a player who usually plays in Eb I am having to move all my answers a fret down; guess is still good for understanding the fretboard, but being able to adjust the tuning would be fantastic! ### 5/5 — Note tuition in every spare moment. *2021-05-09, version 2.17* Put Twitter drama aside and learn something that makes you feel real good. Let your musical talent grow and your guitar playing flourish. A must have at a give away price. ### 5/5 — Essential in Practice Routine *2021-05-04* I have been using this app for a couple of months, and my knowledge of the fretboard has dramatically improved. This is reflected on my awareness whilst practicing and improvising. It doesn’t take long to practice every game 3 times a day, and trying to beat my record keeps me focused. Learning the fretboard properly was long overdue for me, and this app is now an essential component of my practice routine. Highly recommended! ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Meh *2021-05-26, version 2.17* Only way to use this app is if you already know most of the notes! They need to add a lesson section. Wasted money on this app. ### 1/5 — Settings for solfège *2020-05-17, version 2.11* The solfège is only for anglo-saxon countries. No possibility to change the settings into “do ré mi fa sol la si do”. Is there a possibility for refund of the amount? ### 1/5 — No longer works *2017-09-30* Not updated to 64 bit, so will not run on iOS 11 👎👎 ### 1/5 — Don't buy this app *2013-03-05, version 1.0* When you tap a note on the fretboard it either doesn't register or registers on an adjacent string or fret. Don't waste your money on this POS! ### 1/5 — Terrible! *2013-02-23* I'm a begginer, which means I'm always looking for good ways to train my guitar skills. This however seems to serve more as a way to make sure you practice the knowledge you already have. There is no tutorial, so you don't know what you're doing half the time and the interface is terrible, which makes it even worse. There could be potential if as previously stated, there was a tutorial. Also if for example it could tell me where the notes were and then I had to place their locations by memory, not just expect that I find them on my own by chance with no knowledge being given whatsoever. As it stands It is a horrible app and I regret buying it. ### 2/5 — It’s a nut problem.! *2023-11-06, version 2.17* The only thing that works as advertised is name the note. The nut position on a fretboard is unavailable to touch, not responsive, in the other modes. You should call the software developer back in to fix this problem, probably a sizing problem. Tried it on Both iOS devices, iPad and phone. Until they fix this, I say, save you a bucks. ### 2/5 — Can’t change tuning *2023-08-17* Can only play in standard tuning. Unable to change guitar tuning, I play a whole step down. ### 2/5 — Could be so much better... *2021-02-24, version 2.17* The idea of this app is to improve your fretboard knowledge and help you in being able to identify the notes on the guitar. Like many completely free versions of this available on the internet this definitely does work. However, considering there are many free versions you expect something more when you pay for it, detailed statistics is what I had imagined. Nothing shows that you are learning better than being able to test yourself continuously against your previous top scores, but you can’t actually do that. The statistics are basically useless on here, it’s just a running total of right and wrong answers. It would be nice to see your results plotted out on a graph over time to see how much you have learnt and developed. I’d suggest this upgrade is made to give it a USP over the free versions of this, until then, why pay for it when you can get it for free? ### 2/5 — No playing guitar *2018-01-15, version 2.00* I was expecting an app with microphone access to play guitar with and note train but it’s all in an app. This is boring and it doesn’t click with me. ### 2/5 — Gets the job done. *2017-05-16, version 1.1* Gets the job done, but doesn't justify $1.99 with such a limited function. The distributor also has not updated this app since 2013. The layout looks like it's made for iPhone 3. However it does get the job done and force you to memorize the notes on guitar from various perspectives. My biggest critic is, it doesn't track your performance. It tells you at the end at each run, but your scoreboard stays empty. Great concept of an app. Can be quite the niche, but can use a lot of improvements. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Does exactly what you want! *2026-03-05* In an era of subscriptions and over complicating what should be simple tools to justify monthly costs - Justin continues to keep it real. A simple tool - exactly as you need it to be able to practice when you’re away from your guitar. I implore anyone looking for a tool of this nature to spend the $2 and have this tool for life. And while they’re add it consider donating a few bucks to Justin who does great work ### 5/5 — Very Helpful *2025-02-10, version 2.17* This app is very helpful and convenient. ### 5/5 — PLEASEEEE ADD COLOURED NOTES!!!!!! *2025-01-22* I love this app, one suggestion I would absolutely love to see which could really help beginners is assigning each note with an individual colour. For instance when using the name the note feature, you could assign say the colour red to F and therefore when it comes up you on your fretboard you know it’s a F without even thinking. After a while you could turn off coloured notes and it should have made it clearer in your mind due to your brain remembering where the colour was on the fretboard and what note it represents. I really hope this makes as much sense to you as it does to me cause I really think it could be beneficial as I know it would definitely help me out. Overall, although it’s sounds like I’m complaining😂, this app if fantastic!! Made more progress with this then anything else I found so far. Thank you Justin for literally making me the guitar player I am. ### 5/5 — Great app *2024-12-06, version 2.17* 5 star app from 5 star geezer! Got me into playing guitar and practicing with a purpose and objective yonks ago, never been bored. ### 5/5 — Great aid to learning the fretboard *2024-10-15* Given that “little and often” is the best way to learn anything, I fire this app up whenever I’ve got 5 minutes (on hold in a phone call, eating breakfast etc). The notes are starting to sink into my brain! The app is also written in a fun ( and slightly addictive!) format making learning easy, quick and fun. Would like to see the privacy policy included in the app store but the app itself is excellent. ### 5/5 — 100% recall in a week! *2024-06-08* I have a bad memory made worse at the moment by acute sleep problems. Using this app I went from painfully slow recall and 65% accuracy to reflex recognition and perfection in just week! Justin is a really genuine guy and as soon as I saw his name against the app I knew it would be well thought out and trustworthy. I wasn’t disappointed! My only request would be a mode to test knowledge of the notes above the 12th fret ### 5/5 — Followed Justin for over a decade *2024-03-28, version 2.17* I first started watching Justin’s YouTube videos probably a decade or more ago. His style was calm and confident and genuinely excited about whatever the technique he was demonstrating. He was also extremely knowledgeable. I always felt like he was a old trusted and patient friend sitting next to me showing me some cool thing he just learned. I could never have advanced in my playing as much as I have without his guidance. I owe him a lot. I am thrilled to write my first ever review on the App Store about Justin. So, if you are at all serious about playing guitar…buy All of his apps!, check out his web site!, check out his YouTube channel! Check him out anywhere he is!!! You won’t regret it! ### 5/5 — Love the Portability *2023-10-21* This is a great app. Aside from the many ways of testing your string memory. It’s great to be able to do it when you’re without your guitar. Right now I’m sitting on the toilet! TMI?! Sorry ### 5/5 — Really cool *2023-10-18, version 2.17* I had seen the launch of this app on his YouTube channel all those years ago and only now decided to purchase it and use. It’s really good as i just wanted to find a way to just keep learning the fret board at any time of the day. ### 5/5 — Simple and effective. *2023-09-18* I really like this app. It does exactly what I wanted with great presentation. If you’re wondering whether or not it’s effective in learning the notes- for me it absolutely has been. --- *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 2026-06-19.*