# Guitarist Magazine — user reviews > 116 indexed App Store user reviews of Guitarist Magazine by Future plc, rated 4.80/5 from 211 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitarist-magazine/id450488501/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitarist-magazine/id450488501.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 189 · 4★ 13 · 3★ 0 · 2★ 0 · 1★ 9 ## What do users think of Guitarist Magazine? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 📚 High-quality magazine content and articles - 📸 Excellent photo resolution and visual presentation - 🎥 Embedded videos and audio content - 📖 Offline access to downloaded issues - 💰 Affordable subscription pricing - 🎯 Comprehensive guitar reviews and gear coverage - 📱 Works well on larger screens (iPad/Macbook) **Cons** - 🐢 Extremely slow download speeds (hours to complete) - 💾 Massive file sizes requiring 1-3GB+ storage space - 🔄 Frequent app crashes and freezes - ❌ Download failures and interrupted transfers - 🔐 Lost purchased issues after app updates - ⚠️ Cannot restore previous purchases reliably - 📵 App becomes unresponsive frequently - 🔗 Broken links to online media content - 🚫 Cannot access archived issues offline - 😤 Poor customer support and automated responses - 📄 Requires constant zooming to read text - 🔄 Must keep app open during downloads - 💳 Unexpected double charging for subscriptions - 📰 Digital version released later than print - 🖼️ Repetitive editorial content month-to-month **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes when switching between applications - Downloads freeze at 30% or fail mid-process - Cannot access archived library when offline - App fails to remember reading position - Store view takes 1+ minute to load and refreshes constantly - Video audio not working in reviews - Pages fail to load or load extremely slowly - Restore purchases function doesn't work - Login authentication failures - Failed to Load Store message prevents access - App closes instead of opening magazines - Subscription status not recognized despite payment - Sampler content displayed instead of full issues - Memory leaks causing 3.5GB+ usage - iOS 7, iOS 8 compatibility issues - Cannot download new issues without deleting old ones **Most requested features** - Mac app version (requested for 5+ years) - Optional media downloads to reduce file size - Text selection and lookup functionality - Improved page navigation and bookmarking - Better table of contents with proper sizing - Ability to read without constant zooming - Simultaneous access across multiple devices - Dark mode option - Faster, more reliable download system ## Newest reviews (10 of 116) ### 2/5 — Room for improvement *2024-08-19* Not all bad and somewhat more useable than the iOS version because of the larger screen on my Macbook. Still plenty of room for improvement but that's been the case for years already so I question the effort behind making this a great app instead of mediocre. ### 2/5 — Not good *2021-03-14* Subscribed but continually shows me the sampler not full issue. Very annoying ### 3/5 — Excellent Journal... Temps chargement horrible ! *2018-04-07* Contenu du journal parfait ! Avec des liens pour les applis, les vidéos et les tutos qui fonctionne et très bien. Mais... Impossible de se connecter à l’appli en moins de 3 minutes !!! Et encore avec une connections au Max !!! Pour une wifi standard cela peut prendre jusqu’à 5 minutes !!! C’est long, très long, trop long... Charger un nouveau numéro cela peut prendre jusqu’à 20 minutes. Si il y a quelques choses à faire c’est bien de ce côté. Par contre une fois chargée, l’appli est très fluide. ### 1/5 — Phew! *2018-03-29* Since last update all is good; no rsi reading on iPhone!! Thanks ### 4/5 — Great Magazine for Guitar Players *2017-03-03* Updated Review (edited). I love and appreciate the issues. So well done. Only problem was I had one magazine stuck in the cue, i.e. Refuse to download the issue. I followed the instructions, which advised to delete the App and reinstall it. Then it is supposed to allow you to restore the magazines you purchased. The 24 magazines I purchased would not re-install. I kept getting an error message. The App developer did not respond to the in App message (3 times). Needless to say I was crazy mad. However, they did restore my purchases after I left my review. Now all is well with the universe again. ### 2/5 — A devil to get going but ok when you get the knack *2016-11-17* After several attempts to open the app and log in, problems with the password not working due to an issue with the web site the magazines will not download, they get to about 30% and then freeze. I cleared out all the open apps, deleted the app and its data reloaded the app and hey presto it worked. The fix for me was to make sure there were no updates waiting for other apps, clearing these finally got it going. Still not good as it should be able to cope with this issue. ### 5/5 — Well done. *2016-09-23, version 4.9.1* Beautiful hd pics and terrific lessons. ### 2/5 — Good format, well presented but tired content *2016-07-22* Having bought Guitarist on and off since its introduction I don't recall a period of less interesting coverage. I am thoroughly sick of vintage Gibsons and Fenders. Guitars and valve amps are nearly all great now over a certain spend, as are most pedals. There is obviously nothing new worth reporting on right now so I'm listening to a lot more music. Having cancelled my recurring subscription I just noticed, yes another old Gibson on the new cover. I had five vintage Gibsons and I don't regret selling any of them. I will renew when I am convinced there has been an editorial shake up. ### 5/5 — Very good but one thing *2016-05-28* Very good app with all multimedia content imbedded. Articles and guitar lessons are top grade and the gear demos give inspiration for more tunes to learn. ### 4/5 — Excellent magazine, app not so much... *2016-05-01* Inside I found more usefull information than any other guitar magazine. But the app doesn't remember where you stoped reading and doesn't let you add marks or comments. This is a pitty, and reduces the joy. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — App doesn’t even open *2024-11-08* Can’t open app it’s basically useless ### 1/5 — Outdated app, poor user experience *2024-07-14* I choose to use digital content so I’m stuck with this awful app. You have to zoom each page to read the text which makes turning a page impossible. When a new mag comes out you have no choice but to download it which means leaving whatever you were trying to read before. You can’t select text in order to do a “look up”. I realise that’s to stop copy and paste but who the hell wants to copy and paste commercial gain anyway. The app is clunky and the UX is poor. It makes me want to stop subscribing to the magazine. My 2 stars are purely for the content. The app gets -2 stars **Developer response:** Hi there, Thanks for your review, and we're really sorry to hear you're experiencing difficulties. Depending on your device and app iteration, we do include a reader mode in-app, accessible via the navigation toolbar (regrettably, some older issues may not feature this element). As you've noted, we're unable to add a look-up feature for data protection and security reasons – however, this feature is available via other platforms the magazine is hosted on, such as Readly. We hope this helps. Thanks, The Digital Support Team ### 1/5 — Dreadful. *2021-08-04* I subscribed to the Guitarist, a magazine I use to read regularly. I thought I would subscribe to the digital version as I wanted to read it again after not reading it for a few years. The whole experience of trying to get a digital copy was dreadful. I followed all the advice from the “help centre” but to no avail. I persevered for a while but could not get anywhere with downloading a copy I had paid for. I have cancelled my subscription, hopefully, and will not consider buying anything from Future Plc ever again. All I can say is get your act together Future Plc, the current customer service is dreadful. ### 1/5 — Great magazine, terrible app *2021-07-24* Issues disappear, I pay but I cant get the issues... complete disaster. ### 1/5 — Difficult to use *2021-07-04* Been reading this since issue 1 in 1984. Thought I’d go green and change to digital, which I have done successfully with a number of Other publications. Total confusion after I registered. Turns out I don’t have an account, but did I register with iTunes, my favourite magazine or magazines direct? Reply from the help emails takes three days and tells me to use menus that don’t actually appear on the screen. A shambles. To be fair I don’t really need to read identikit articles on vintage Les Pauls/strats every single month, so I’m not missing much in the way of creative content. ### 1/5 — Can’t get the app to work *2021-04-11* I was able to download one issue and really enjoyed the digital magazine so I bought the subscription and now I can’t download anything. Whatever is going on needs to be fixed ASAP. This is ridiculous ### 1/5 — Repetitive = Boring *2020-09-20* I find the adverts more interesting that the rest of the magazine. Sept/Oct editions have to be the most boring of the last six issues. It is the same old, same old regurgitated stuff month after month. I wish my wife had not purchased 12 month subscription for me at the beginning of lockdown and instead given the money to a charity. ### 1/5 — App sucks *2019-05-12* I've bought twice issues and both times it takes my money but errors out. I've tried multiple times to restore or even get my two magazines back but to no avail. Don't get this app ! ### 1/5 — This app is awful. *2018-10-02* Tried to download the current issue but the download showed as queued and would not load. Did all the suggested steps and reloaded the app and now all my previous downloaded purchases are gone and will not download. This app is a waste of time and money. ### 1/5 — Failed to download subscribed electronic version *2018-05-08* I subscribe to both the hard copy by post and the e- version to my iPad 2 and my iPhone 6, I want to read the e version on the plane on my holidays but because I am offline it will not allow me to access my saved and stored library, very frustrating ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Guitarist app broken *2023-08-21* Always been a great way to read one of my favorite mags, however, since latest app update and latest iOS update the darn app no longer works. Issues are; slow load times, slow download times, showed I am subscribed but still seems to want me to purchase current magazine, difficulty accessing my library, and last but not least, app becoming completely non responsive. I do not think this is what I am paying for! This on top of my last working version that no longer included the video and audio links I had come to appreciate. Think you would do well to address this poorly crafted update to this app. ### 5/5 — Same issues other have had 2 years ago! *2021-01-29* Unfortunately, after 6 months of nice and smooth experience, the app started to be unresponsive and extremely slow in downloading (...the few times that I succeeded!) I got twice the same “automatic answer” from Technical Support and I tried all their recommendations with no success. I believe that all Guitarists love to spend time playing, reading news about Guitars and buy new stuff. No Guitarist like to spend time fighting with this app! As much as I love Guitarist, I dislike this app: please do something! ### 5/5 — Great articles & looovely pictures *2020-12-03* This mag is about 5 to 7 times the download size of a typical magazine. That extra size is all about photo resolution. If you find guitars 'drool-worthy' the pictures here will have you wearing a bib. The articles are often about guitars themselves, not so much guitarists or techniques (the sister publications Total Guitar and the excellent Guitar Techniques cover those areas). This is well worth the subscription price. The photographers, writers and editors do great work! ### 5/5 — Digital only *2020-07-12* Love the mag itself but hate trying to find where I am when I come back to it. I have lost count of how many times I have needed to re-download my current issue. Still a brilliant magazine once I get there though ### 5/5 — Mac *2020-04-16* Is this app ever going to be used on a Mac ????? Cmon I’ve been waitin for 5 years ### 5/5 — My monthly fix *2020-03-10* Great magazine been a subscriber for a while. Love it ### 5/5 — Guitarist *2019-06-30* Great Magazine! Love the video reviews! ### 5/5 — Ignore negative reviews. *2018-05-09* Bingo bongo ### 5/5 — Brilliant guitar magazine *2017-02-10* Certainly one of the best digital magazines on the market in any category or subject. Great use of video, audio and still pictures, with the great benefit of offline access. Outstanding reviews of guitars, amps and effects. Highly recommended. ### 5/5 — All around excellent *2016-10-23* Full on high quality glossy magazine! Plenty of photos and videos of highest quality. Articles on artists and gear reviews as well as instructional articles. Music is tasteful and can be inspiring. It's the one magazine for me. One word of caution, the magazine is based in the UK so represented pricing may not apply. --- *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 2026-09-14.*