# Guitar Notation vs Tabinator Pro

The clearest difference is rating: Tabinator Pro at 4.7 against Guitar Notation's 4.0. Tabinator Pro also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 58%) and monetization model (freemium vs subscription). Guitar Notation's advantage is ratings volume (249 vs 3) and iOS requirement (13 vs 15.0). 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 Tabinator Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Tabinator Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Guitar Notation has 249 ratings behind it against 3, 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 100% of Tabinator Pro's.

Guitar Notation ships an update every 4 months, Tabinator Pro every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Guitar Notation | Tabinator Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (249 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-notation-tabs-and-chords/id1144464459/reviews) | **[4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabinator-pro/id6480323844/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **249** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 58.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Size | 153 MB | 53 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [嵩 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/1091921941) | [Fabio Valvano](https://appshunter.io/developer/1738700827) |

## 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


### Tabinator Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabinator-pro/id6480323844)

Create, edit, and play guitar and bass tablature. Import existing Guitar Pro files or compose your own songs with multiple instruments. Practice efficiently with a scrolling landscape mode and export your work as PDFs.

**Highlights:** Import Guitar Pro files (.gp3, .gp4, .gp5), Compose tabs for up to 6 instruments, Full note editor with bends, slides, and more, Playback with metronome and count-in, Landscape practice mode with scrolling tab, Export songs to PDF, Share songs with other users

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Access | $3.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Full Access | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Guitar Notation free?

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

### Is Tabinator Pro free?

Tabinator Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Guitar Notation or Tabinator Pro?

Tabinator Pro is rated higher. Guitar Notation averages 4.0 out of 5 from 249 ratings, while Tabinator Pro averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Guitar Notation or Tabinator Pro have ads?

Neither Guitar Notation nor Tabinator Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Guitar Notation or Tabinator Pro?

Guitar Notation ships an update every 4 months, and Tabinator Pro every 2 weeks. Most recently, Guitar Notation was updated on November 6, 2026 and Tabinator Pro on November 8, 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.*