Comparison

Fretboard vs 1 to A

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

1 to A

Learn the Nashville Number System for music. Select a key and instantly see corresponding chords. Tap any number to view fingering diagrams.

Highlights
  • Nashville Number System explained
  • Chord translations for major keys
  • Fingering diagrams for chords
  • Key selection
  • Interactive chord lookup
Features
Read full description

Ever wonder how people play music with a number? 1 to A makes sense of the number system and shows you the translation for all major keys. Simply select a key and see the chord that corresponds! Don't know how to play that chord? We got you just click on the number and view the fingering!

Screenshots

Fretboard3 screens
1 to A3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: 1 to A at 5.0 against Fretboard's 3.3. 1 to A also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%). On price, ratings volume, 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. Fretboard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and 1 to A sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

1 to A holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Fretboard's written reviews are positive against 100% of 1 to A's.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Fretboard versus 1 to A: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFretboard1 to A
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (4 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSergey MankovskySean Moses

Customer experience

Fretboard

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

1 to A

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Fretboard

One-time1
  • Unlock All$4.99
1 purchases

1 to A

One-time1
  • 1 to A Premium$1.99

Questions

Is Fretboard free?
Fretboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 1 to A free?
1 to A is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fretboard or 1 to A?
1 to A is rated higher. Fretboard averages 3.3 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while 1 to A averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Fretboard or 1 to A have ads?
Neither Fretboard nor 1 to A shows ads.

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