# Guitarist's Reference vs Guitar Genius

The clearest difference is price: Guitar Genius at Free against Guitarist's Reference's $19.99. Guitarist's Reference's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Guitar Genius is free to download; Guitarist's Reference costs $19.99 up front. Guitar Genius sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Guitarist's Reference asks for nothing beyond the download.

Guitarist's Reference holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 10 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Guitarist's Reference's written reviews are positive against 60% of Guitar Genius's.

Guitarist's Reference ships an update every 3 weeks, Guitar Genius every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Guitarist's Reference | Guitar Genius |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitarists-reference/id304048049/reviews)** | [4.6 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-genius-learn-and-lessons/id1236668475/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **16** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | **62.0% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 79 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [My App Catalog LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/304048052) | [Yaron Karasik](https://appshunter.io/developer/471339482) |

## What reviewers say

### Guitarist's Reference

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitarists-reference/id304048049)

This comprehensive suite offers a vast collection of guitar chords, scales, and arpeggios with clear diagrams and detailed theory. It includes tools for finding chord-scale relationships, exploring alternate tunings, and even a virtual guitar for practice.

**Highlights:** 3000+ guitar chords with diagrams, 42 scale types including modes and pentatonics, Arpeggio finder, 36 alternate tunings, Chord-scale relationship guide, Virtual guitar, Guitar tuner

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Comprehensive guitar reference
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 💡 Reverse chord finder
- 🚀 Detailed chord, scale, and arpeggio information
- 👍 Great for beginners and advanced players

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 🔧 Missing some common chord and scale voicings
- 🔧 Chord playback implementation could be improved
- 🔧 Outdated or lacking support for newer iOS versions
- 🔧 Interface could use a more modern design

**Reported bugs**

- Chord finder not detecting all chord inversions
- Issues with alternate tuning functionality
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Ability to overlay multiple scales
- Customizable chord/scale display options
- Integrated tuner functionality
- Support for more alternate tunings
- Improved chord/scale audio playback


### Guitar Genius

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-genius-learn-and-lessons/id1236668475)

Enhance your guitar practice with interactive exercises, song mastering tools, and personalized routines. Learn scales, modes, and chords, and improve your playing speed and fretboard confidence. Organize your learning materials and track your progress for consistent improvement.

**Highlights:** Interactive fretboard exercises, Guitar scales, modes, and chord practice, Song and lesson practice tools, Adjustable tempo and playback speed, Progress tracking and daily reminders, Import songs from YouTube and Apple Music

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Guitar Time Pro - Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Guitar Time Pro - Yearly | $29.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Guitarist's Reference free?

Guitarist's Reference costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Guitar Genius free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Guitarist's Reference or Guitar Genius?

Guitarist's Reference is rated higher. Guitarist's Reference averages 4.8 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Guitar Genius averages 4.6 from 10 ratings.

### Do Guitarist's Reference or Guitar Genius have ads?

Neither Guitarist's Reference nor Guitar Genius shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Guitarist's Reference or Guitar Genius?

Guitarist's Reference ships an update every 3 weeks, and Guitar Genius every 9 days. Most recently, Guitarist's Reference was updated on October 26, 2026 and Guitar Genius on October 24, 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.*