# Guitar Tab Maker vs Sortwave

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sortwave at none against Guitar Tab Maker's 7. Sortwave also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 weeks). Guitar Tab Maker's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Guitar Tab Maker sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Sortwave asks for nothing beyond the download.

Guitar Tab Maker ships an update every 5 weeks, Sortwave every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Guitar Tab Maker | Sortwave |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (515 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-tab-maker/id1384053393/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **515** | — |
| Positive reviews | 79.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 15 MB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kyle Gorlick](https://appshunter.io/developer/541831739) | [Sooraj Sambasivam](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786064000) |

## What reviewers say

### Guitar Tab Maker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-tab-maker/id1384053393)

Create, edit, and share guitar tablature with an intuitive editor. Sync across devices, listen to playback, and export your creations. Offers free and premium features for musicians of all levels.

**Highlights:** Intuitive tab editor, Automatic iCloud syncing, Built-in audio playback, Export tabs for sharing, Support for multiple instruments, Unlimited tab creation (Premium)

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium (Monthly) | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium (Annual) | $12.99 | per year |
| Premium (Annual) | $12.99 | per year |
| Premium (Annual Family) | $17.99 | per year |
| Premium One-Time Buy | $29.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $34.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🚀 Quick and efficient
- 💡 Customizable tunings
- 👍 Great for beginners and experienced players

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or data loss
- 🔍 Limited annotation options (no hammer-ons, pull-offs, etc.)
- 🔍 No playback or audio features
- 🔍 Difficulty organizing and managing tabs
- 🔍 Lack of print or export options

**Reported bugs**

- Tabs randomly deleted or lost
- Infinite loading screen when accessing tabs
- Inability to change tunings in some cases

**Requested features**

- Add support for advanced tab notation (slides, bends, etc.)
- Implement playback and audio features to hear the tabs
- Improve tab organization and management tools
- Add print and export options (PDF, MIDI, etc.)
- Expand to desktop/web version for better workflow


### Sortwave

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sortwave/id6789786953)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Guitar Tab Maker free?

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

### Is Sortwave free?

Sortwave is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Guitar Tab Maker or Sortwave have ads?

Neither Guitar Tab Maker nor Sortwave shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Guitar Tab Maker or Sortwave?

Guitar Tab Maker ships an update every 5 weeks, and Sortwave every 5 days. Most recently, Guitar Tab Maker was updated on November 2, 2026 and Sortwave on October 28, 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.*