Guitar Notation vs Guitar Tab Maker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Guitar Notation
This app allows guitar enthusiasts to read, compose, edit, and play back guitar sheet music. It supports multi-track tabs, chord charts, and various notation elements, enabling users to create music on the go.
- Read, compose, and edit guitar sheet music
- Playback functionality with high-quality sound
- Multi-track tab support
- Chord chart configuration
- Export in MusicXML, MIDI, PNG, and PDF formats
- Supports up to 8 staff for editing
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A great guitar tabs and chords notation app on iOS. For any guitar music lover, Guitar Notation gives you the ability to read, compose, edit, and playback guitar sheet music scores. With it you can be a talented composer and great musician anywhere. As long as you have a little knowledge of sheet music, you can write music composition simply by touch and move. Of course it could help you to learn guitar notations. It can handle multi-track tabs, also it supports for chord chart configuration. With the help of it you could easily record the flashes of inspiration wherever they strike. Are you ready to compose music in a simple way? ----------------------- Features: -Export in the industry-popular MusicXML file format, allowing for exchanging sheet music with other software (Finale, Sibelius, Encore, MuseScore, etc). -Export MIDI file. -Export PNG image and PDF document. -High quality sound for playback. -Support editing up to 8 staff at the same time. -Support many kinds of guitar and bass instrument. ----------------------- Supported notation: *A variety of note types, from whole note to 128th note and dotted note *Chord chart configuration *A variety of time signatures *All standard key signatures *Adjustable tempo *All accidentals (sharps, flats, double sharps, double flats, and naturals) *Tie, slur, and tuplet *Many types of ornament *A wide range of dynamics ----------------------- UNLIMITED ACCESS SUBSCRIPTION - Support up to 8 staff - Config parts(add, delete, reorder) - Config chord freely - Change beat type and tempo - A wide variety of guitar types - Config sound for each part - No watermark image export - No Ads - Support 2nd voice part - Config capo for each line - Import data file - The subscriptions are $9.99 monthly - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that service, where applicable - Terms of use: https://service.notationpad.com/terms_service.html
Guitar Tab Maker
Create and edit guitar tablature with ease on your iOS or macOS devices. Sync across platforms, export to various formats, and even listen to your compositions with audio playback. Supports multiple string instruments and offers advanced features through an optional purchase.
- iCloud sync across devices
- Export to PDF and GTAB
- Audio playback of tabs
- Support for multiple string instruments
- Designed for guitar tabs
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Create, edit, and share guitar tabs with ease. Here’s the Riffs & Licks: Guitar Tab Maker is a powerful yet straightforward tablature editor designed for guitarists, bassists, and other stringed-instrument players. Whether you're capturing a new riff, transcribing a song, or organizing your ideas, Guitar Tab Maker makes writing tabs fast and intuitive. Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac with seamless syncing across your devices. FREE FEATURES • Create and edit guitar tabs in an intuitive editor • Sync your tabs automatically with iCloud • Listen back with built-in audio playback • Export tabs for sharing and backup • Support for guitar, bass, ukulele, and 7- and 8-string instruments • Available across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS PREMIUM FEATURES • Upgrade to Premium to unlock: • Unlimited tab creation • Advanced editing tools • Watermark-free exports • Backup all tabs ability • Additional organization & customization options • Future Premium enhancements as they're released ~ New User Special ~ Start with a free 7-day Premium trial. No strings attached. Whether you're sketching ideas, practicing songs, or building a personal tab library, Guitar Tab Maker helps keep your music organized and accessible wherever inspiration strikes. User Guide: https://kylegorlick.com/guitartabber/guide/ Questions, feedback, or feature requests? Email: kyle@kylegorlick.com Your support is much appreciated. Thank you! Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Guitar Tab Maker at 4.6 against Guitar Notation's 4.0. Guitar Tab Maker also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and review sentiment (80% vs 58%). Guitar Notation's advantage is iOS requirement (13 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Guitar Notation sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and Guitar Tab Maker sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Guitar Tab Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 249 and 514 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Guitar Notation's written reviews are positive against 80% of Guitar Tab Maker's.
Guitar Notation ships an update every 4 months, Guitar Tab Maker every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Guitar Notation | Guitar Tab Maker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (249 ratings) | 4.6 (514 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.1% of reviews | 79.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 249 | 514 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 153 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 嵩 张 | Kyle Gorlick |
Customer experience
Guitar Notation
Guitar Tab Maker
User reviews
Guitar Notation
From 249 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good app
- 🚀 Useful
- 👍 Simple and effective
- 🚀 Excellent tool
- 👍 Nice app
Room to improve
- 💰 Excessively paid version
- 🐛 Buggy and constantly asking to pay
- 🚫 Free version is basically unusable
- 🚫 Can't even use anything but 4/4
- 🚫 No tutorial on how to use
Guitar Tab Maker
From 514 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Quick and efficient
- 💡 Customizable tunings
- 👍 Great for beginners and experienced players
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or data loss
- 🔍 Limited annotation options (no hammer-ons, pull-offs, etc.)
- 🔍 No playback or audio features
- 🔍 Difficulty organizing and managing tabs
- 🔍 Lack of print or export options
Bugs and requests
Guitar Notation
Reported bugs
4 issues- Audio playback only works through Bluetooth
- Can't create a D chord, forces barre chord
- Freezes on login screen
- Incompatible with older devices
Requested features
6 requests- Add ability to change tuning
- Add palm muting feature
- Add more examples
- Add instructions/tutorial
- Add ability to transpose
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- Add ability to input chord symbols
Guitar Tab Maker
Reported bugs
3 issues- Tabs randomly deleted or lost
- Infinite loading screen when accessing tabs
- Inability to change tunings in some cases
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for advanced tab notation (slides, bends, etc.)
- Implement playback and audio features to hear the tabs
- Improve tab organization and management tools
- Add print and export options (PDF, MIDI, etc.)
- Expand to desktop/web version for better workflow
In-app purchases
Guitar Notation
- Unlimited Access7 Days trial$6.997 Days
- Unlimited Access Monthly$9.991 Month
- Unlimited Access Yearly$49.991 Year
- Guitar Instrument Group$0.99
- Bass Instrument Group$0.99
- Extras Package$14.99
Guitar Tab Maker
- Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Premium (Monthly)$1.991 Month
- Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$12.991 Year
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- Premium (Annual)$12.991 Year
- Premium (Annual Family)3 Days trial$17.991 Year
- Premium One-Time Buy$29.99
- Premium Lifetime$34.99
Questions
Is Guitar Notation free?
Is Guitar Tab Maker free?
Which has better reviews, Guitar Notation or Guitar Tab Maker?
Do Guitar Notation or Guitar Tab Maker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Guitar Notation or Guitar Tab Maker?
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