# Notey vs Fretionary

The clearest difference is ads: Notey at none against Fretionary's shown. Notey also leads on ratings volume (242 vs 28). Fretionary's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notey sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Notey against 4.5 for Fretionary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notey has 242 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of Notey's written reviews are positive against 78% of Fretionary's.

Notey ships an update fortnightly, Fretionary every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notey | Fretionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (242 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notey-learn-guitar/id1667721678/reviews) | **[4.5 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretionary/id6761344883/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **242** | 28 |
| Positive reviews | **84.4% of reviews** | 77.8% 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 | 1.2 GB | 58 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Notey Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1636072166) | [Brandon Sumner](https://appshunter.io/developer/1889019674) |

## What reviewers say

### Notey

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notey-learn-guitar/id1667721678)

This app transforms guitar learning into an engaging game where your instrument acts as the controller. It offers a fun, structured path for beginners, especially children, to learn real songs and skills through interactive gameplay.

**Highlights:** Guitar as controller, Learn real songs, Structured learning path, Progress tracking for parents, Interactive gameplay, Designed for kids

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notey's World Weekly | $7.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| One Free Month Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| One Year Half Off Subscription | $49.99 | per year |
| Six Month Subscription | $69.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Notey's World Yearly | $99.99 | per year |
| Beatcoin 500 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Beatcoin 1000 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $139.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and engaging way to learn guitar
- 🎨 Cute and appealing visuals
- 🎮 Gamified learning experience
- 🎓 Helpful for beginners and intermediates
- 🎸 Works with real guitar

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Login and subscription issues
- 🔧 Compatibility problems on certain devices
- 🎚️ Sensitivity and accuracy issues with guitar input

**Reported bugs**

- Levels freezing with mic setting screen open
- Challenges not starting properly after restarting
- Informational prompts disappearing too quickly

**Requested features**

- More song/level variety
- Customizable curriculum and progress tracking
- Expanded support for different instruments
- Offline mode or downloadable content
- Improved performance and stability


### 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 Notey free?

Notey 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, Notey or Fretionary?

Fretionary is rated higher. Notey averages 4.4 out of 5 from 242 ratings, while Fretionary averages 4.5 from 28 ratings.

### Do Notey or Fretionary have ads?

Fretionary shows ads; Notey does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notey or Fretionary?

Notey ships an update fortnightly, and Fretionary every 4 days. Most recently, Notey was updated on November 3, 2026 and Fretionary on October 31, 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.*