Fretboard vs BPMDecibel
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.
BPMDecibel
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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
Verdict
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
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.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fretboard | BPMDecibel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 3.3 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sergey Mankovsky | Marco Tini |
In-app purchases
Fretboard
- Unlock All$4.99
BPMDecibel
No in-app purchases









