Flat vs Guitar Tab Maker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Flat
Compose, notate, and share music scores for any instrument on your mobile device or web browser. Offers real-time collaboration and a vast community library of original compositions. Unlock advanced features and unlimited storage with a subscription.
- Quick notation input
- 90+ instruments
- Real-time collaboration
- Import MusicXML, MIDI, and PDF
- Community score library
- Advanced export options (premium)
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Write, play and share music, anywhere! Flat is the sheet music app trusted by 5M+ musicians worldwide. Compose, notate, and collaborate on scores for any instrument, from guitar tabs to full orchestras, across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and your web browser. Free features include: → Quick notation input via touch piano, guitar fretboard, or drum pads → 90+ instruments including piano, guitar, violin, saxophone, drums, voice, and more → 100K+ original scores in the community → Edit music scores on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and in your web browser → Hundreds of notation symbols: articulations, dynamics, measures, text, and more → Autocompletion when adding chords → Transposition by key, interval, or tone → Import MusicXML and MIDI files → Import PDF sheet music and convert it into fully editable scores → Keyboard shortcuts for iPad keyboard and fretboard → Share scores publicly or privately Collaborate in real-time: → Real-time collaboration for a dynamic experience → Inline comments for live feedback → Find collaborators in the Flat community Share your music: → Join the monthly Flat community challenge and win prizes → Explore hundreds of thousands of original scores from composers worldwide → Get featured and connect with fellow musicians Subscribe to Flat Power to unlock the full experience across all your devices. Flat Power, premium features: → Unlimited cloud storage → Automatic sync so your full library stays connected on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and web browser → 180+ instruments including high-quality audio → Advanced export: individual parts, multi-rest print, remove Flat branding → Layout and styles: page dimensions, spacing, chord style, Jazz and Handwritten fonts → Custom note heads: Boomwhackers colors, Note Names, Shape-Note (Aiken) → Version history: view and revert to any past version of your scores → Advanced audio: per-part volume and reverb controls → Input notes with MIDI devices (USB and Bluetooth) → Autosave with full version history → Customizable keyboard shortcuts → Priority support → PDF and photo import pages included with every plan: - Monthly plan: 10 PDF import pages/month + full premium features - Yearly plan: 20 PDF import pages/month + full premium features (best value) - Lifetime plan: full premium features + 20 PDF import pages (one-time purchase, no renewal) Terms for in-app payments: Payment will be charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage and cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy: https://flat.io/help/en/policies Questions or feedback: ios@flat.io
Guitar Tab Maker
Create, edit, and share guitar tablature with an intuitive editor. Sync across devices, listen to playback, and export your creations. Offers free and premium features for musicians of all levels.
- Intuitive tab editor
- Automatic iCloud syncing
- Built-in audio playback
- Export tabs for sharing
- Support for multiple instruments
- Unlimited tab creation (Premium)
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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 update cadence: Flat at fortnightly against Guitar Tab Maker's every 5 weeks. Flat also leads on ratings volume (7K vs 515) and chart position (#158 vs unranked). Guitar Tab Maker's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 68%) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, rating, 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. Flat sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Flat against 4.6 for Guitar Tab Maker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flat has 7K ratings behind it against 515, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Flat's written reviews are positive against 80% of Guitar Tab Maker's.
Flat ships an update fortnightly, Guitar Tab Maker every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Flat | Guitar Tab Maker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (7K ratings) | 4.6 (515 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 67.8% of reviews | 79.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7K — better | 515 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #158 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 220 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Tutteo Limited | Kyle Gorlick |
Customer experience
Flat
Guitar Tab Maker
User reviews
Flat
From 7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Great for beginners
- 🎨 Lots of customization options
- 🎶 Extensive instrument selection
- 💡 Collaborative features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🔒 Limited free features
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔊 Poor audio quality
- 📏 Rigid layout and formatting
Guitar Tab Maker
From 515 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
Flat
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashes frequently
- Notes and rests disappear
- Playback issues and audio glitches
- Difficulty selecting and editing notes
- Syncing and saving problems
Requested features
5 requests- Add more percussion instruments
- Improve note entry and editing
- Allow custom soundfonts
- Implement measure repeat signs
- Add more advanced notation options
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
Flat
- Flat Power (Monthly)$9.991 Month
- Flat Power (Yearly)$29.991 Year
- Flat Power (Yearly)$39.991 Year
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- Flat Power (Yearly)$49.991 Year
- PDF import 30 credits$9.99
- PDF import 70 credits$17.99
- Flat Power (Lifetime)$119.00
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- Flat Power (Lifetime)$179.99
- Flat Power (Lifetime)$199.00
- Flat Power (Lifetime)$299.99
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 Flat free?
Is Guitar Tab Maker free?
Which has better reviews, Flat or Guitar Tab Maker?
Do Flat or Guitar Tab Maker have ads?
Which is updated more often, Flat or Guitar Tab Maker?
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