# Fretcetera vs Guitar Scales

The clearest difference is monetization model: Fretcetera at free against Guitar Scales's freemium. Fretcetera also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (92% vs 75%). Guitar Scales's advantage is ratings volume (33 vs 11). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Fretcetera sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Guitar Scales sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 — 4.8 for Fretcetera against 4.9 for Guitar Scales. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 33 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Fretcetera's written reviews are positive against 75% of Guitar Scales's.

Fretcetera ships an update every 3 weeks, Guitar Scales every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Fretcetera | Guitar Scales |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretcetera/id1262938497/reviews) | **[4.9 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-scales-string-theory/id1591787859/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 11 | **33** |
| Positive reviews | **91.7% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 19 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Joel Pipher](https://appshunter.io/developer/1262938496) | [Denis Andrasec](https://appshunter.io/developer/667450290) |

## What reviewers say

### Fretcetera

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretcetera/id1262938497)

This app helps musicians find chords, scales, and progressions for string instruments in any tuning. It calculates optimal fingerings based on playability and user-defined preferences, and can generate chord transition suggestions.

**Highlights:** Chord and scale finder, Custom tuning support, Playability-based results, Progression builder, Chord transition suggestions, Instrument configuration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fretcetera Premium | $3.99 | one-time |


### Guitar Scales

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-scales-string-theory/id1591787859)

Visualize scales on your instrument's fretboard for guitar, bass, and ukulele. Explore over 48 built-in scales, create your own, and customize tunings. Practice solos or simply play along with interactive note playback.

**Highlights:** Visualize scales on fretboard, Supports guitar, bass, ukulele, Over 48 built-in scales, Create custom scales, Customizable instrument tunings, Interactive note playback, Left-handed mode

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $17.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Fretcetera free?

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

### Is Guitar Scales free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Fretcetera or Guitar Scales?

Guitar Scales is rated higher. Fretcetera averages 4.8 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Guitar Scales averages 4.9 from 33 ratings.

### Do Fretcetera or Guitar Scales have ads?

Neither Fretcetera nor Guitar Scales shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Fretcetera or Guitar Scales?

Fretcetera ships an update every 3 weeks, and Guitar Scales every 2 months. Most recently, Fretcetera was updated on October 24, 2026 and Guitar Scales on October 23, 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.*