# Guitarism - Pocket Guitar — Natural strum, brilliant sound

> Virtual acoustic and electric guitar simulator with realistic sound and community features. (iPhone/iPad app by Rhism LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitarism-pocket-guitar/id409707446 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Rhism LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/409679320)
- Category: Music, Entertainment
- Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 57 App Store ratings · 308 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 86 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2010-12-18
- Data updated: 2026-09-12
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitarism-pocket-guitar/id409707446/reviews.md

## What is Guitarism?

Over a million downloads. 9,000+ user reviews. 4.5 star avg rating. Get it now!

"My guitarist friend had a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body and left him unable to play. I fired up Guitarism and handed my iPhone to him. A minute later he was singing and playing, his wife began to tear up and the smiles filled the room. Thank you thank you thank you." - 5 star user review from Canada

"After losing a finger in an accident, I have searched for a way to play guitar again. The first time I played with this app, I cried; I was finally playing guitar again. Thanks so much." - 5 star user review from the United States

Time.com: "simulates the experience of strumming away on six strings"
MacLife.com: "beautiful acoustic tones"
Evolver.fm: "a virtual acoustic guitar that anyone can play"
Apps4iDevices: "Killer App"
SmiteMatter: "amazingly playable design ... 5 stars!"
theiphoneappreview.com: "Fantastic sounding"
appchronicles.com: "Life-like guitar sounds"
appdictions.com: "Top notch"
"Everyone I show this to - WANTS it!"
 - 5 stars
"feels like a real musical instrument"
 - 5 stars
"can't make it sound bad"
 - 5 stars
"My wife often asks me why I’m playing (guitar) in the kitchen and then realizes it’s the app"
 - 5 stars
"Don't need any musical knowledge, you will gain it as you play"

 - 5 stars
"Mind blown"

 - 5 stars

Featured on MacLife's "8 Apps for Guitar Enthusiasts" and Music App Blog's "25 iOS music apps to get you started"

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A guitar app for those who love the physical, visceral experience of playing guitar, with an online community for limitless inspiration and feedback! guitarism offers a highly tuned strumming interface integrated with spectacular guitar samples. The result of years of iteration, improvement and polish, you won't find a better-sounding or more playable guitar app on the App Store.

- Unrivaled sound quality - people will think you're playing a real guitar! Other guitar apps don't compare
- The most natural interface around - literally play with your eyes closed
- A complete suite of stunning acoustic and electric guitars, a powerful electric amp, fantastic effects, beautiful skins and a diverse range of presets to give you maximum control over your tone and sound!
- Beautiful artwork from graphic artist Ryan Hemeon

- Play along with songs from your music library, and save chord presets per song
- Record and share your performances with the community and your friends
- Watch others' performances for inspiration and download their chords
- Get feedback and stats on your published performances, and climb the charts
- Universal app for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Hold your iPad like a guitar and fret the chords!
- Integrate with your DAW via AudioCopy and export to iTunes File Sharing and Garageband
- Audiobus support! Now you can use guitarism as an Audiobus input and send live audio directly to other Audiobus-compatible apps. E.g. use Audiobus to connect guitarism to AmpKit and get live guitar effects in guitarism! See http://audiob.us for more information. Note: iPhone 4S+ / iPad 2+ required for Audiobus
- Quadroplay: simultaneously control guitarism and up to 3 additional MIDI-compatible apps (e.g. GarageBand) in complementary roles: guitar, bass and chords. Quadroplay turns guitarism into an advanced multi-channel MIDI controller
- Demo videos at www.youtube.com/rhismnation

- Rock out with guitarism today!

---

I am an independent developer, working hard to make guitarism the best guitar app possible. If you have any issues please email me at support@rhism.com - I reply to every support request!

Download guitarism now and start rocking out!

## Key features

- Realistic strumming interface
- High-quality acoustic and electric guitar sounds
- Integrated electric amp and effects
- Play along with music library
- Record and share performances
- Online community for inspiration and feedback
- Audiobus and AudioCopy integration

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $4.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Smart Strings | Free | one-time |
| Quadroplay | Free | one-time |
| Rockstar Collection | Free | one-time |
| 12-String Acoustic Guitar | Free | one-time |
| Electric Guitar | Free | one-time |
| 12 String Electric Guitar | Free | one-time |
| Auto Wah Effect | Free | one-time |
| Distortion Effect | Free | one-time |
| Chorus Effect | Free | one-time |
| Delay Effect | Free | one-time |


## What do users think of Guitarism?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🎸 Realistic and playable guitar sounds
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 🎨 Wide range of guitar models and effects
- 🎶 Useful for songwriting and practicing
- 🔌 Good MIDI and Audiobus connectivity

**Cons**

- 🔒 Limited chord options (only 6 at a time)
- 🔧 Lack of advanced features like string bending and finger vibrato
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and compatibility issues with iOS updates
- 💰 In-app purchases required for additional guitar models and effects

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes when switching between guitar models
- Compatibility issues with iOS 8 and later
- Inconsistent MIDI and Bluetooth connectivity

**Most requested features**

- Expand chord selection to 8-12 chords
- Add support for custom chord creation and chord inversions
- Implement string bending and finger vibrato functionality
- Improve Audiobus and MIDI integration
- Provide more guitar models and effects without additional purchases

## Recent user reviews (10 of 308)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitarism-pocket-guitar/id409707446/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Great Guitar emulation but no connectivity with other music apps

*2025-08-01, version 3.38*

This a great acoustic (and electric) guitar strum and arpeggio app. The sounds are v good - the 12 string acoustic is particularly sonorous. It is easy to get a natural playing sound with it. 

Edit - it does have IAA connectivity into GarageBand but only inconsistently so - try until it works (usually on the second attempt). So upgraded this review to 5 stars. Guitarism is much better than the guitars in GarageBand - so Apple should buy the app and put it into Garageband! 

[However it has no AU3 or even IAA connectivity so is no use for adding to other music projects in GarageBand (etc) on your phone - you could record into another device using an audio interface, but you might as well use a real guitar if you are going to that effort. A shame anyway - although not surprising as the last update to the app was in 2018.]

### 2/5 — App incompatible with widi master Bluetooth

*2024-12-15, version 3.38*

I’ve selected widi master on midi multiple times in guitarism and it refused to output through my midi controller, this is unacceptable 😡

### 2/5 — Chords missing

*2024-07-31, version 3.38*

In keys options many chords missing to make a proper chord progression,fix this issue please

### 1/5 — Frustrating

*2024-06-27, version 3.38*

This is the most frustrating app available on iTunes. While it’s a great realistic sounding guitar app, however, it’s reminiscent of the gimmicky slew of apps that first appeared on the iTunes Store. It’s frustrating because in 2024, this app has stayed in 2012. Again, it’s 2024, and this app falls short on three features we musicians seek. Ability to connect an external keyboard or any arpeggiator/chord and pattern apps  through midi-in. AUV3 compatibility. And MPE functionality. The developer has neglected updating and maintaining this app depriving us hopefuls of what could be the greatest acoustic guitar sound on the iOS platform. 
Avoid till developer addresses these three important features any proper music should have

### 5/5 — Nice little tool for studio users

*2024-04-29, version 3.38*

Nice little tool for studio users especially if you can get an older model iPhone with headphone socket I’ve used this since it came out and wii guitar which is no longer supported on new iOS versions Guitarism is one of the reasons to buy an iPhone and it makes my older devices useable as instruments in y studio if you got audio out on your phone or pad defenetly not a toy

### 5/5 — Orphaned app

*2023-01-05, version 3.38*

No appreciable updates in 8 years.  Abandoned app?

### 5/5 — Lasted the test of time

*2022-12-02, version 3.38*

Love strumming this with no need for the awkward finger positioning. Amazing app.

### 5/5 — Top

*2022-09-09, version 3.38*

The best

### 5/5 — Muted Strings Feature - yay!

*2022-08-30, version 3.38*

After a long search, This is only app I’ve found on the modern iOS that has a mode to capture a natural muted strings strumming style, for which I’m very happy.

There are of course many positive features that I haven’t mentioned; however my wish list is that the software could be updated with
1.  An additional three or more chord tabs
2. A chord modification button for 7ths 9ths Sus etc.

### 5/5 — An on-screen interface worth practicing

*2022-08-01, version 3.38*

On both phone and pad this is a game changer for me. With midi out I can bring my other sound apps and even Mac VSTs to life. A few things I would change for a paid Pro upgrade: 1 moving chord boxes position on-screen. 2 Adding more chord boxes to the vacant screen real estate on the pad version 3 Keeping only and changing the chords you set up when transposing. Not recording chords when you go to a minor key. 4 Modal support 5 Allowing all the positions of easy chord type 6 String bending and finger vibrato 7 Midi learn for key boxes so you could change chords with a keyboard and strum with the other hand. MPE capability. 8 Watch support to change alternative chord selection

## Frequently asked questions about Guitarism

### What is Guitarism - Pocket Guitar?

Guitarism is a mobile application that simulates the experience of playing a guitar. It features a natural strumming interface, brilliant sound quality, and a wide range of virtual instruments, amps, and effects. The app is designed to offer a realistic and enjoyable guitar playing experience for users of all levels.

### What are the key features of this guitar app?

Key features include an unrivaled sound quality that mimics a real guitar, a natural and playable interface, a suite of stunning acoustic and electric guitars, a powerful electric amp, fantastic effects, and beautiful skins. You can also play along with songs from your music library, record and share performances, and connect with an online community for inspiration and feedback.

### Is Guitarism - Pocket Guitar free to use?

The application is free to download and use, offering a core set of features. However, it also includes in-app purchases, which likely unlock additional guitars, amps, effects, or other premium content and functionalities for users who wish to enhance their experience.

### What devices is Guitarism - Pocket Guitar compatible with?

This is a universal app, meaning it is designed to work seamlessly on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch devices. You can hold your iPad like a guitar to fret chords, offering a versatile playing experience across different Apple mobile devices.

### Can I use this app with other music software?

Yes, the app integrates with other music software. It supports AudioCopy for transferring audio and allows export to iTunes File Sharing and Garageband. Additionally, it has Audiobus support, enabling it to be used as an Audiobus input to send live audio directly to other compatible apps, such as connecting it to AmpKit for live guitar effects.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.38 — 2018-01-22

This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included.

Fixed isssue with MIDI Out on newer iPads

### 3.37 — 2017-09-25

Fixed touch handling on new iPhones

### 3.36 — 2017-02-09

Fixed crash when deleting chord preset - thanks to Kevin R, Sue V and Jirayu J for reporting this issue!

### 3.35 — 2017-02-06

Fix for 'stuck chord' issue. Thanks to Gary S. and Christian D. for reporting it!

### 3.34 — 2017-01-24

Fixed issue with fast strumming on the same string. Thanks to Andrea R for reporting the issue!

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## Related topics

[the pocket guitar](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/the-pocket-guitar)

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*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 2026-09-12.*