Guitar Notation vs ProTabs
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
ProTabs
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Learn the songs you love, note for note — and play along. ProTabs gives you accurate guitar and bass tabs, chords and play-along tools. Follow the tab with the music video, play chords along with the original song and practice every riff at your own pace. EVERY KIND OF SONG • ProTabs – our own interactive tabs, synced to the music video. Watch, listen and follow every note. • Guitar Pro tabs – thousands of songs with built-in playback: loop, slow down and practice. • ProChords – chords that follow the YouTube video in real time, with chord diagrams. • Chords – lyrics with chords, autoscroll, transpose and every chord shape at a glance. • Tabs and bass tabs – play them back in the built-in player. PRACTICE TOOLS • Loop any part and repeat it as often as you like. • Speed trainer: start slow and speed up every repeat until you play at full tempo. • Slow down to 25% without losing the notes, with count-in and metronome. • Circle of fifths with the chords of every key and popular progressions. • Chord changes trainer that listens through your microphone. • Tuner and metronome. YOUR OWN LIBRARY • Save favorites and build playlists for practice or your next gig. • Search by artist or song and filter by type, difficulty and style. • Missing a song? Request ProChords right in the app. PROTABS PREMIUM Unlock every song and all practice tools. Try it free for 2 weeks with the yearly plan. • Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase (after the free trial, if applicable). • Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://www.gitaartabs.nl/voorwaarden?lang=en Privacy Policy: https://www.gitaartabs.nl/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Guitar Notation at none against ProTabs's shown. Guitar Notation also leads on iOS requirement (13 vs 15.0.0). ProTabs's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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 ProTabs sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Guitar Notation ships an update every 4 months, ProTabs every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Guitar Notation | ProTabs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (249 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 58.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 249 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 15.0.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 153 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 嵩 张 | Jan van der Heide |
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
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Add ability to input chord symbols
ProTabs
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
ProTabs
- Play music$9.991 Month
- ProTabs - Guitar Tabs14 Days trial$34.951 Year
Questions
Is Guitar Notation free?
Is ProTabs free?
Do Guitar Notation or ProTabs have ads?
Which is updated more often, Guitar Notation or ProTabs?
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