# LAVA+ vs Fretionary

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Fretionary at 80% against LAVA+'s 28%. Fretionary also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). LAVA+'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. LAVA+ sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Fretionary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Fretionary holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 29 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of LAVA+'s written reviews are positive against 80% of Fretionary's.

LAVA+ ships an update fortnightly, Fretionary every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | LAVA+ | Fretionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.3 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lava-plus/id1589592794/reviews) | **[4.5 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretionary/id6761344883/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **36** | 29 |
| Positive reviews | 27.9% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 203 MB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [HK LAVA CLOUD SERVICE TECHNOLOGY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1763192426) | [Brandon Sumner](https://appshunter.io/developer/1889019674) |

## What reviewers say

### LAVA+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lava-plus/id1589592794)

Enhance your smart guitar experience with this app. Connect to all LAVA smart guitar models, access a vast music library, and instantly generate chord charts from any song. Join a global community to share your musical journey.

**Highlights:** Connects to all LAVA smart guitars, Thousands of songs across genres, Instant chord chart generation, Global music community features, Compatible with LAVA STUDIO, GENIE, ME air, ME 4, ME 3, ME Play

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| LAVA Songs+ Member | $3.99 | per month |
| LAVA Songs+ Member | $3.99 | per month |
| LAVA Songs+ Premium | $7.99 | per month |
| LAVA Ultimate Member | $15.99 | per month |
| LAVA Songs+ Annual Member | $35.90 | per year |
| LAVA Songs+ Annual Member | $35.90 | per year |
| LAVA Songs+ Premium Annual | $71.99 | per year |
| LAVA Ultimate Member | $191.99 | per year |
| Additional lavaAI mins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Additional lavaAI mins | $19.99 | one-time |


### Fretionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretionary/id6761344883)

This app transforms your device into an interactive guitar fretboard, visualizing scales, chords, and progressions. It offers color-coded displays and real audio playback to aid music theory learning.

**Highlights:** Interactive fretboard visualization, 14 scales and modes, 25 chord types, CAGED system shapes, Chord progression builder, Color-coded by function

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fretionary Pro Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Fretionary Pro Annual | $24.99 | per year |
| Fretionary Pro Lifetime | $44.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is LAVA+ free?

LAVA+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Fretionary free?

Fretionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, LAVA+ or Fretionary?

Fretionary is rated higher. LAVA+ averages 3.3 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Fretionary averages 4.5 from 29 ratings.

### Do LAVA+ or Fretionary have ads?

Fretionary shows ads; LAVA+ does not.

### Which is updated more often, LAVA+ or Fretionary?

LAVA+ ships an update fortnightly, and Fretionary every 4 days. Most recently, LAVA+ was updated on November 3, 2026 and Fretionary on November 5, 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.*