Comparison

Fender Play vs Donner Play

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

Head to head
About

Fender Play

Learn guitar, bass, or ukulele with guided video lessons, song tutorials, and practice tools. This app offers a personalized learning path for beginners and intermediate players, featuring feedback technology and a supportive community.

Highlights
  • Guided learning paths
  • 3000+ bite-sized video lessons
  • Extensive song library
  • Integrated lesson feedback
  • Practice tools (metronome, looping)
  • Community support
Features
Read full description

Fender Play® is your one-stop online guitar teacher for starting your guitar, bass, or ukulele learning journey. Start for free. Play for life. Created by the most trusted name in music; you can expect a robust, guided learning path to jumpstart your playing ability as a beginner or intermediate player. Whether you’re learning to play your favorite songs, building a healthy habit, or finding a new creative outlet — we’ve got you covered! Learn to play guitar with the industry's elite instructors and over 3000+ bite-sized video lessons, with chords, scales, songs and riffs that you can practice at your own pace. Play your way with Fender Play. How Does It Work? EXTENSIVE MUSIC LIBRARY Play songs by your favorite artists with our 1000+ song library! Fender Play helps you to master the chords, techniques and guitar scales to play songs from your favorite artists, including: "Come As You Are" - Nirvana "when the party's over" - Billie Eillish "Red" - Taylor Swift "Good Riddance (Time of Our Lives) - Green Day "Paint it Black" - The Rolling Stones "Master of Puppets" - Metallica QUALITY LEARNING EXPERIENCE Guided Learning Tools - Begin playing in a few short lessons with learning, practice and feedback activities. Bite-Sized, Quality Lesson Videos - Top quality lessons from our experienced instructors help show you a unique hands-on perspective, breaking down each skill, riff or popular song. Personalized Learning Path - Choose your instrument and your favorite genre to customize your learning experience. Integrated Lesson Feedback - Cutting-edge listening technology by MatchMySound helps to assess your playing, give you feedback and help improve your score. No Ads - Enjoy consistent and quality lessons, free of ads or other distractions. INNOVATIVE PRACTICE TOOLS Practice Mode - Built-in metronome and tempo control to help you learn timing. Reminders - Set practice reminders to prioritize practicing in a way that fits your schedule. Tone Integration - Tap into amp presets that work with select Fender amps to get the right tone to sound like your favorite artists. Practice Features for All - Scrolling tablature, chord charts, chord drills, backing & isolated tracks, looping, tuning, metronome and more. COMMUNITY & MOTIVATION Highly Supportive Community - Live instructor office hours, giveaways and more are here to help you feel supported and motivated to stick with your instrument. Streaks - Keep your streak going by practicing every week! Backing Tracks - Feel like you’re jamming with a full band, even if you’re practicing alone. Chord Challenge - Master chord transitions and improve finger dexterity. Beat your own high score by increasing the speed and tempo of chords from your favorite songs. Simply download the Fender Play app and learn to play guitar on your iPhone, iPad, or iOS device and get started learning how to play guitar today! Download the Fender Play learning app and get 14 days free. Get 10% off Fender gear (and other added perks) all year long with an Annual Plan or 10% off your next order with a Monthly Plan. Discount only applies to Fender products in the U.S., UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Australia. -- Terms of Use: https://www.fender.com/play/pages/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://www.fender.com/pages/privacy-center

About

Donner Play

Learn and create music with interactive lessons and tools. Connect to Donner instruments for real-time feedback, practice with various songs, and access professional masterclasses. This app supports your musical journey from beginner to advanced.

Highlights
  • Real-time instrument interaction
  • Song practice with e-drum
  • Music creation with synthesizer
  • Berklee-certified masterclasses
  • Practice tools (tuner, metronome)
Read full description

Donner Play, the best one for you to change the way to learn and create music. With Donner series instruments, it kick starts your musical journey easier. 1. Seamless interaction with Donner instruments provides real-time feedback to improve your playing efficiently. 2. Play various songs with the Backbeat e-drum to challenge yourself, or create and arrange music easily with the MEDO portable synthesizer in seamless sync with your gear. 3. Berklee-certified masterclasses covering drums, digital pianos, guitar/bass, and MIDI production offer you structured, professional music training. 4. The built-in toolset includes tuner, chord finder, metronome and more to support efficient practice and performance. Whether you're just starting or already progressing, Donner Play is your go-to place for learning, improving, and creating music.

Screenshots

Fender Play4 screens
Donner Play4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Fender Play at 4.8 against Donner Play's 2.4. Fender Play also leads on ratings volume (61K vs 23) and review sentiment (51% vs 28%). Donner Play's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Fender Play sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Donner Play asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fender Play holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fender Play has 61K ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Fender Play's written reviews are positive against 28% of Donner Play's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Fender Play versus Donner Play: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFender PlayDonner Play
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (61K ratings) — better2.4 (23 ratings)
Positive reviews51.5% of reviews — better27.8% of reviews
Number of ratings61K — better23
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#101 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size113 MB157 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperFender DigitalDonner LLC

Customer experience

Fender Play

All ratings60,611 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews534 reviews
Positive51.5%
Neutral10.5%
Negative38.0%

Donner Play

All ratings23 ratings
Positive30.4%
Neutral4.3%
Negative65.2%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive27.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative72.2%

Bugs and requests

Fender Play

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Subscription renewal and login problems
  • Inconsistent lesson progress tracking
  • Feedback mode not working reliably
  • App crashes and freezes on certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add left-handed support
  • Improve chord chart and tab visibility
  • Synchronize video with chord/tab display
  • Implement real-time feedback and progress tracking
  • Expand song library and include more advanced material

Donner Play

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Fender Play

Subscriptions10
  • Monthly Plan7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Monthly Plan7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Plan$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Monthly Plan7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Annual Plan14 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Annual Plan14 Days trial$74.991 Year
  • All Access Annual Plan14 Days trial$74.991 Year
  • Annual Plan14 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Annual Plan$89.991 Year
  • Annual Plan14 Days trial$149.991 Year
None

Donner Play

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fender Play free?
Fender Play is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Donner Play free?
Donner Play is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Fender Play or Donner Play?
Fender Play is rated higher. Fender Play averages 4.8 out of 5 from 61K ratings, while Donner Play averages 2.4 from 23 ratings.
Do Fender Play or Donner Play have ads?
Fender Play shows ads; Donner Play does not.
Which is updated more often, Fender Play or Donner Play?
Fender Play ships an update monthly, and Donner Play monthly. Most recently, Fender Play was updated on October 27, 2026 and Donner Play on October 25, 2026.

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