Comparison

FretFinder vs Tabinator Pro

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

Head to head
About

FretFinder

This app helps guitarists of all levels learn the fretboard, discover new chords and scales, and explore inversions. It features an interactive fretboard, a chord menu, and the ability to save favorite progressions. Users can also hear how patterns sound when strummed or arpeggiated.

Highlights
  • Interactive fretboard highlighting
  • Chord and scale discovery
  • Chord inversion exploration
  • Save favorite chord progressions
  • Audio playback of patterns
  • Chord menu
Features
Read full description

Introducing FretFinder, the missing calculator for guitarists! Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned player, FretFinder is the perfect tool to help you learn the fretboard and discover new chord and scale inversions. Whether you're practicing at home or on the go, FretFinder is the perfect tool to help you master the fretboard. Download FretFinder today and start exploring the possibilities! - Touch the fretboard to highlight your own chord patterns or choose one from the chord menu. - Use the arrow keys to move across inversions for a given chord pattern, making it easy to explore new sounds and shapes. - Press one of the four fretboard buttons to switch between different chords/scales, or slide your finger across them to compare your patterns. - If you find a chord progression that you love, you can save it as one of your favorites. - The play button lets you hear how each pattern sounds when strummed or arpeggiated, so you can get a better sense of how it will fit into your music. Be sure to turn your phone off silent mode! FretFinder was developed by Sean over the course of a few years while learning software development. He did it solely for the love of guitar. He works full-time, and builds FretFinder on the side. Please reach out to fretfinderhelp@gmail.com with any questions, bug reports, or feature requests! He is happy to hear whatever you have to say, and will probably talk your ear off if you love jazz, math, or chess.

About

Tabinator Pro

Create, edit, and play guitar and bass tablature. Import existing Guitar Pro files or compose your own songs with multiple instruments. Practice efficiently with a scrolling landscape mode and export your work as PDFs.

Highlights
  • Import Guitar Pro files (.gp3, .gp4, .gp5)
  • Compose tabs for up to 6 instruments
  • Full note editor with bends, slides, and more
  • Playback with metronome and count-in
  • Landscape practice mode with scrolling tab
  • Export songs to PDF
  • Share songs with other users
Features
Read full description

Tabinator is a guitar and bass tab editor that opens Guitar Pro files. Import .gp3, .gp4 and .gp5 files straight from the Files app or the share sheet, edit them on your phone, play them back with a metronome and practice along in landscape mode. Or write your own tabs from scratch, organize them into songs and share them with your band or export them as PDF. Built for every stage of songwriting, from the first riff to band rehearsal. FEATURES - Import Guitar Pro files (.gp3, .gp4, .gp5) - Write guitar tabs, bass tabs and lyrics sheets, up to 6 instruments per song - Bends, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, palm mutes and more in the note editor - Playback of all instruments at once, with a metronome and count-in - Landscape practice mode: one continuous tab row that scrolls with the playback - Choose the tuning of each instrument - Share songs with other Tabinator users - Export songs to PDF -------------------------------------------- FREE AND FULL ACCESS Tabinator is free for up to 3 songs. Full access unlocks Guitar Pro import, PDF export, sharing, unlimited songs and up to 6 instruments per song. Full access is available as an annual subscription or as a one-time lifetime purchase. The subscription renews automatically after one year unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your Apple account is charged for the renewal. When a subscription ends, Tabinator falls back to the free plan. -------------------------------------------- Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/tabinator-privacy-policy/home -------------------------------------------- CONTACT Questions, ideas or suggestions? Write to us: support@tabinator.de

Screenshots

FretFinder4 screens
Tabinator Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: FretFinder at none against Tabinator Pro's 2. FretFinder also leads on ratings volume (14 vs 3) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Tabinator Pro's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, ads and device support 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. Tabinator Pro sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. FretFinder asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tabinator Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of FretFinder's written reviews are positive against 100% of Tabinator Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FretFinder ships an update monthly, Tabinator Pro fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
FretFinder versus Tabinator Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFretFinderTabinator Pro
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (14 ratings)4.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings14 — better3
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size33 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSean OreillyFabio Valvano

Customer experience

FretFinder

All ratings14 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Tabinator Pro

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

FretFinder

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Tabinator Pro

Subscriptions1
  • Full Access$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Full Access$9.99

Questions

Is FretFinder free?
FretFinder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tabinator Pro free?
Tabinator Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FretFinder or Tabinator Pro?
Tabinator Pro is rated higher. FretFinder averages 4.4 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while Tabinator Pro averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do FretFinder or Tabinator Pro have ads?
Neither FretFinder nor Tabinator Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FretFinder or Tabinator Pro?
FretFinder ships an update monthly, and Tabinator Pro fortnightly. Most recently, FretFinder was updated on November 3, 2026 and Tabinator Pro on November 12, 2026.

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