Fretboard vs NanoRadio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Fretboard
Master the guitar fretboard with this visual tool. Understand scales, arpeggios, and patterns across the entire neck instantly. Connect music theory to your playing and practice smarter by discovering patterns.
- Interactive fretboard with pinch-to-zoom
- Explore scales and arpeggios
- Visualize CAGED patterns
- Change key instantly
- See entire neck or zoom into regions
- Three display modes
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Master the guitar fretboard. One scale at a time. Stop guessing scales and shapes. Fretboard turns your guitar into a visual map — see every note, scale, and pattern across the entire neck instantly. MOST GUITARISTS ARE LOST ON THE FRETBOARD You memorize shapes. But when the key changes or the song moves… everything falls apart. Because the fretboard still feels like a puzzle. FINALLY UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE NECK Fretboard helps you explore scales and arpeggios in CAGED positions across the entire fretboard. So you can see how everything connects. WHAT YOU'LL UNLOCK • Play anywhere on the neck — no more being stuck in one position • Understand scales instantly — see patterns across every key • Connect theory to your guitar — turn music theory into something visual • Practice smarter — discover patterns instead of memorizing random shapes BUILT FOR REAL GUITAR PRACTICE • Interactive fretboard with pinch-to-zoom • Explore scales and arpeggios — pentatonic, major, minor, modes, and more • Visualize CAGED patterns — arrow through positions and watch them light up • Change key instantly — tap to switch root note • See the entire neck or zoom into 4–5 fret regions • Three display modes: degrees, note names, or dots only SCALES & ARPEGGIOS INCLUDED Basic scales: Minor Pentatonic, Major Pentatonic, Blues, Major, Natural Minor, Melodic Minor, Harmonic Minor Major scale modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian Arpeggios: Major, Minor, Major 7, Minor 7, Dominant 7, Minor 7b5 Universal app — works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Simple, uncluttered, and designed for practice.
NanoRadio
This minimalist audio streaming tool allows users to import and play their own custom audio or radio stream URLs. Enjoy seamless listening with features like preset management, Apple Watch integration, and a sleep timer, all within a distraction-free interface.
- Custom stream import
- Preset management
- Apple Watch integration
- Home screen widgets
- Sleep timer
- Minimalist UI with dark mode
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NanoRadio is a powerful, minimalist audio streaming tool designed for pure playback efficiency. Built from the ground up to provide a seamless listening experience, it allows you to bring your own audio streams and listen anywhere. Please note: NanoRadio is solely a playback tool. It does not provide, host, or distribute any copyrighted music or radio resources. Users must provide their own legally obtained streaming URLs. Key Features: • Custom Stream Import: Easily add your own audio or radio stream URLs (supports MP3, AAC, M3U8, etc.) and start listening instantly. • Preset Management: Save your favorite streams to quick-access preset slots for one-tap playback. • Apple Watch Integration: Control playback or listen directly from your wrist with our standalone Watch app. • Home Screen Widgets: Start playing your favorite presets directly from your desktop. • Sleep Timer: Fall asleep to your favorite audio streams with a customizable auto-stop timer. • Dark Mode & Minimal UI: A completely redesigned, distraction-free interface that supports dynamic theming. • Bedside Mode: Turn your iPhone into a nightstand radio clock. A full-screen, dimmable night clock shows the time alongside the station you're listening to, with large play / previous / next controls and a sleep timer that fades out automatically. Choose from three layouts (overview, minimal clock, or clock with a player bar) and a warm night color that's easy on the eyes in the dark — usable even when it isn't charging (charging overnight recommended). • CarPlay support: browse your stations and favorites right on your car's display, tap to play, and control playback (play/pause, previous/next station) from the dashboard. Perfect for listening to the radio while you drive. • WAKE WITH RADIO Fall asleep to the radio, wake up to it too. In bedside mode, set a time and NanoRadio starts your chosen station at exactly that moment — a gentle, familiar way to wake up instead of a harsh alarm tone. Pick any station, or simply let it resume the one you were listening to. If the station can't be reached — no signal, or the stream is down — a built-in tone takes over, so you're never left oversleeping. Together with the sleep timer, your bedside clock now handles both ends of the night: it stops the radio when you drift off, and starts it again when it's time to get up.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NanoRadio at 3.8 against Fretboard's 3.3. NanoRadio also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Fretboard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and NanoRadio sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
NanoRadio holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 6 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 75% and 75% positive.
Fretboard ships an update every 2 months, NanoRadio every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fretboard | NanoRadio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (4 ratings) | 3.8 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sergey Mankovsky | 恒俭 董 |
Customer experience
Fretboard
NanoRadio
In-app purchases
Fretboard
- Unlock All$4.99
NanoRadio
- Unlock Pro Features$2.99









