Comparison

Fretboard vs BPMDecibel

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

BPMDecibel

Features
Read full description

Measure the world of sound with two powerful tools in one simple app: - Decibel meter – instantly monitor the sound level around you. Track current dB values and peak levels with precision. - BPM detector – detect the tempo (beats per minute) of music, rhythms, or any audio source in real time. Why BPMDecibel? - Built entirely in SwiftUI for a clean, modern experience. - Lightweight and fast: no unnecessary features, just what you need. - Works completely offline, with no ads and no third-party services. - Your data stays on your device — nothing is shared or tracked. - Perfect for musicians, audio enthusiasts, or anyone curious about sound and rhythm. BPMDecibel — clean, private, and focused on what matters: sound.

Screenshots

Fretboard3 screens
BPMDecibel2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Fretboard at Free against BPMDecibel's $4.99. BPMDecibel's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads, 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

Fretboard is free to download; BPMDecibel costs $4.99 up front. Fretboard sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BPMDecibel asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Fretboard versus BPMDecibel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFretboardBPMDecibel
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating3.3 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSergey MankovskyMarco Tini

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Fretboard

One-time1
  • Unlock All$4.99
None

BPMDecibel

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fretboard free?
Fretboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BPMDecibel free?
BPMDecibel costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fretboard or BPMDecibel have ads?
Neither Fretboard nor BPMDecibel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fretboard or BPMDecibel?
Fretboard ships an update every 2 months, and BPMDecibel every 2 months. Most recently, Fretboard was updated on October 24, 2026 and BPMDecibel on October 25, 2026.

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