Comparison

Flat vs Guitar Tab Maker

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Quick notation input
  • 90+ instruments
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Import MusicXML, MIDI, and PDF
  • Community score library
  • Advanced export options (premium)
Features
Read full description

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

About

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.

Highlights
  • Intuitive tab editor
  • Automatic iCloud syncing
  • Built-in audio playback
  • Export tabs for sharing
  • Support for multiple instruments
  • Unlimited tab creation (Premium)
Features
Read full description

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

Flat4 screens
Guitar Tab Maker4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Flat versus Guitar Tab Maker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlatGuitar Tab Maker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7K ratings)4.6 (515 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.8% of reviews79.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7K — better515
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#158 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTutteo LimitedKyle Gorlick

Customer experience

Flat

All ratings7,043 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews946 reviews
Positive67.8%
Neutral13.4%
Negative18.8%

Guitar Tab Maker

All ratings515 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral4.3%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews162 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral8.6%
Negative11.7%

User reviews

Flat

From 7K App Store ratings

What 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 ratings

What 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

10 purchases

Flat

Subscriptions4
  • Flat Power (Monthly)$9.991 Month
  • Flat Power (Yearly)$29.991 Year
  • Flat Power (Yearly)$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Flat Power (Yearly)$49.991 Year
One-time6
  • PDF import 30 credits$9.99
  • PDF import 70 credits$17.99
  • Flat Power (Lifetime)$119.00
Show 3 more
  • Flat Power (Lifetime)$179.99
  • Flat Power (Lifetime)$199.00
  • Flat Power (Lifetime)$299.99
7 purchases

Guitar Tab Maker

Subscriptions5
  • Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Premium (Monthly)$1.991 Month
  • Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$12.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Premium (Annual)$12.991 Year
  • Premium (Annual Family)3 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time2
  • Premium One-Time Buy$29.99
  • Premium Lifetime$34.99

Questions

Is Flat free?
Flat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Guitar Tab Maker free?
Guitar Tab Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flat or Guitar Tab Maker?
Guitar Tab Maker is rated higher. Flat averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7K ratings, while Guitar Tab Maker averages 4.6 from 515 ratings.
Do Flat or Guitar Tab Maker have ads?
Neither Flat nor Guitar Tab Maker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flat or Guitar Tab Maker?
Flat ships an update fortnightly, and Guitar Tab Maker every 5 weeks. Most recently, Flat was updated on November 10, 2026 and Guitar Tab Maker on November 2, 2026.

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