# Guitar Notation vs Guitar Notebook

The clearest difference is rating: Guitar Notebook at 4.6 against Guitar Notation's 4.0. Guitar Notebook also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). Guitar Notation's advantage is ratings volume (249 vs 30) and iOS requirement (13 vs 16.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and Guitar Notebook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Guitar Notebook holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Guitar Notation has 249 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Guitar Notation's written reviews are positive against 80% of Guitar Notebook's.

Guitar Notation ships an update every 4 months, Guitar Notebook every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Guitar Notation | Guitar Notebook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (249 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-notation-tabs-and-chords/id1144464459/reviews) | **[4.6 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-notebook/id1558957561/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **249** | 30 |
| Positive reviews | 58.1% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 153 MB | 107 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [嵩 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/1091921941) | [SonaMetro LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1558957563) |

## 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


### Guitar Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-notebook/id1558957561)

Organize all your musical creations in one place. Add chords, lyrics, and audio recordings. Import songs from photos using AI. Streamline your songwriting with customizable organization and sharing options.

**Highlights:** Add chords and notes, Record audio and lyrics, Import songs from photos with AI, Organize songs with labels and tags, Print and share songs as PDFs, Customizable page styles, Offline access and cloud sync

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Guitar Notebook Pro - 1 Year | $4.99 | per year |
| Guitar Notebook Pro | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Guitar Notation free?

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

### Is Guitar Notebook free?

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

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

Guitar Notebook is rated higher. Guitar Notation averages 4.0 out of 5 from 249 ratings, while Guitar Notebook averages 4.6 from 30 ratings.

### Do Guitar Notation or Guitar Notebook have ads?

Neither Guitar Notation nor Guitar Notebook shows ads.

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

Guitar Notation ships an update every 4 months, and Guitar Notebook every 3 weeks. Most recently, Guitar Notation was updated on October 29, 2026 and Guitar Notebook on October 30, 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.*