# Guitar Notation vs FingerStyle

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FingerStyle at none against Guitar Notation's 6. FingerStyle also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 58%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13). Guitar Notation's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 3.7) and ratings volume (249 vs 18). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Guitar Notation sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. FingerStyle asks for nothing beyond the download.

Guitar Notation holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Guitar Notation has 249 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 58% of Guitar Notation's written reviews are positive against 73% of FingerStyle's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Guitar Notation ships an update every 4 months, FingerStyle every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Guitar Notation | FingerStyle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (249 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-notation-tabs-and-chords/id1144464459/reviews)** | [3.7 (18 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fingerstyle/id1448802713/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **249** | 18 |
| Positive reviews | 58.1% of reviews | **72.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Size | 153 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [嵩 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/1091921941) | [Jonathan Kopp](https://appshunter.io/developer/1439387370) |

## What reviewers say

### Guitar Notation

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-notation-tabs-and-chords/id1144464459)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Access | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Unlimited Access Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Access Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Guitar Instrument Group | $0.99 | one-time |
| Bass Instrument Group | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extras Package | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app
- 🚀 Useful
- 👍 Simple and effective
- 🚀 Excellent tool
- 👍 Nice app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Add ability to change tuning
- Add palm muting feature
- Add more examples
- Add instructions/tutorial
- Add ability to transpose


### FingerStyle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fingerstyle/id1448802713)

This app helps guitarists of all levels master songs with tools like daily song additions, tab creation, and YouTube tutorials. It allows users to play along, adjust song speed, loop sections, and save songs for offline practice.

**Highlights:** Daily new songs, Create guitar tabs, YouTube tutorials integration, High-quality song sheets, Adjust song speed, Loop song sections, Offline song playback

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Guitar Notation free?

Guitar Notation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is FingerStyle free?

FingerStyle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Guitar Notation or FingerStyle?

Guitar Notation is rated higher. Guitar Notation averages 4.0 out of 5 from 249 ratings, while FingerStyle averages 3.7 from 18 ratings.

### Do Guitar Notation or FingerStyle have ads?

Neither Guitar Notation nor FingerStyle shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Guitar Notation or FingerStyle?

Guitar Notation ships an update every 4 months, and FingerStyle every 6 months. Most recently, Guitar Notation was updated on October 27, 2026 and FingerStyle on October 22, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*