Comparison

Guitarist's Reference vs Tonality

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

Head to head
About

Guitarist's Reference

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
Read full description

Introducing the Ultimate Guitarist's Companion - Your All-in-One Solution for Mastering the Fretboard: - Comprehensive Package: Elevate your guitar journey with an all-encompassing suite of tools and knowledge. Explore Guitar Chords, Chord Progressions, Scales, Triads, Arpeggios, Fretboard Note Mastery, Reverse Chord & Scale Finder, Chord Quizzes, Alternate Tunings, Guitar Tuner, Virtual Guitar and the intricate web of Chord-Scale Relationships. - Guitar Chord Encyclopedia: Unleash the potential of over 3000 commonly used guitar chords. Dive into chord theory and find clarity through easy-reference diagrams. Test your prowess with the Chord Quiz feature – a true test of your skills. - Mastering Guitar Scales: Demystify the realm of guitar scales fearlessly. From the basics to the sublime, our comprehensive scale reference transforms your fretboard knowledge. With 42 scale types spanning major, minor, pentatonic, modes, and more, you'll command all keys with confidence. - Unveiling Chord-Scale Relationships: Say goodbye to chord change anxiety. Our guide deciphers the intricate dance between chords and scales. Elevate your playing by understanding which scales harmonize with each chord, empowering you to navigate complex progressions effortlessly. - Modern Guitarist's Arpeggios: Seamlessly locate any arpeggio, regardless of your reading ability. Presented in intuitive diagram form, this feature benefits both beginners seeking structured guidance and professionals requiring arpeggio references for any musical scenario. - Alternate Tunings Explored: Dive deep into 36 of the most popular alternate tunings, expanding your creative horizons. Whether you're in Standard or Alternate Tuning, access Scales, Arpeggios, and Fretboard Notes effortlessly. Guitar Tuner: Our improved tuning feature now allows you to tune your guitar by ear across a wide range of preset alternate tunings. - Reverse Chord/Scale Finder Tool: Transform your musical ideas into named chords/scales effortlessly. Struggling to name a chord/scale you've crafted? This ingenious tool deciphers your fretboard inputs, revealing the chord/scale's identity. - Virtual Guitar: Immerse yourself in the guitar-playing experience right from your device. Our virtual guitar feature enables you to strum, pluck, and navigate the fretboard with a variety of alternate tunings. Whether you're a seasoned guitarist or a beginner, this feature provides a platform for practice, chord and scale experimentation, and the joy of guitar sounds without requiring a physical instrument. Take hold of virtual strings and let your musical creativity flow. Experience an unparalleled guitar journey, where knowledge meets practice in perfect harmony. Unleash your true potential with our All-in-One Guitarist's Package.

About

Tonality

This app is a comprehensive music theory reference tool for musicians. It offers extensive chord and scale dictionaries, ear training exercises, and interactive tools like the Circle of Fifths. It also includes MIDI functionality for composition and performance.

Highlights
  • Chord and scale dictionaries
  • Chord identification from microphone
  • Interactive Circle of Fifths
  • Ear training exercises
  • MIDI and AUv3 plugins
  • Chord pads for composition
Features
Read full description

"Best music app tool I own, period!" "Never downloaded an app so fast in my life" "Excellent app for music theory. It is brilliantly supported by the developer who is continually updating it... The app is indispensable for the reference and learning of music theory." Tonality is the ultimate chord, scale, and general music reference tool for musicians of all skill levels. It allows you to explore a large database of chords and scales and comes with tons of MIDI/AUv3 functionality, including chord pads for composition and performance. NOTE: Tonality will always be a one-time purchase with free upgrades. All IAPs are for tips only. CHORDS: • Chord dictionary with over 1,000 chords for piano and guitar • Listen to a chord by tapping, or arpeggiate by swiping • Reverse search for chords using piano or fretboard • Identify chords from the microphone using a cutting-edge ML algorithm • Search for chords by root, quality, and/or extension • View different inversions and omittable notes • View related scales GUITAR CHORD CHARTS: • View charts for any chord • Supports multiple tunings and instruments (including custom tunings) • Generate voicings by criteria including fret range, number of fingers used, and finger stretch • Left-handed option SCALES: • Scale dictionary with over 1,000 scales • Search for scales by root and name, and filter by various tags • Reverse search for scales using piano or fretboard • View scale degrees and note names • View ascending and descending versions • View all modes and scale chords CIRCLE OF FIFTHS: • Interactive circle of fifths: view key signatures and scales for major and minor keys • Focus on diatonic chords in a given key and view Roman numeral analysis EAR TRAINING: • Learn to recognize notes, melodies, intervals, chords, and scales by ear! • After each session, view what gave you trouble and create a level with just those items • View detailed statistics about each training session and your training history MUSICAL TERMS DICTIONARY: • View musical terms and their definitions/illustrations • Tempo, symbol, articulation, dynamics, and more MUSICAL TYPING KEYBOARD: • Special keyboard for typing and previewing chord symbols • Works wherever iOS keyboard does - enable it from Settings->General->Keyboard->Keyboards->Add New Keyboard... ---- Includes 4 AUv3 MIDI Plugins! ---- CHORD/SCALE IDENTIFICATION: • View the names of the piano chords/scales you play in real time • Record identified chords and export as text/MIDI CHORD PADS: • Add chords via list, scale chords, fretboard, name, or MIDI input • Drag and drop to and from other apps or plugin instances • Full voicing control: edit individual notes' octaves and velocities • Grid sizes from 2x2 to 12x12 • Strum bar for performing arpeggios or individual notes • MIDI trigger mappable with MIDI learn capability • Automation parameters for footpedal control • CC mapping on XY axes • Multiple velocity sensitivity modes • Custom presets can be saved and shared across hosts • Patchstorage integration for community sharing • Export pad sets as MIDI/XML files • Import Scaler chord packs (XML) GRAND STAFF: • View MIDI input in a grand staff in real time • Detects chord names CIRCLE OF FIFTHS: • Control other apps with a circle-of-fifths layout • Modify inversion, octave, extensions, and bass notes on the fly • Auto-voice lead option CUSTOMIZATION/ADVANCED: • Create your own chords, scales, fingerings, ear training levels, and definitions • Show set theory information for any pitch class set, including Forte numbers, pitch constellations, and Tonnetze • Choose the playback instrument (load any .sf2 file) • Choose note naming (English or Solfège)

Screenshots

Guitarist's Reference4 screens
Tonality4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tonality at $7.99 against Guitarist's Reference's $19.99. Tonality also leads on review sentiment (97% vs 62%) and ratings volume (129 vs 16). Guitarist's Reference's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On rating, update cadence, 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

Guitarist's Reference costs $19.99 and Tonality $7.99 up front. Tonality sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Guitarist's Reference asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Guitarist's Reference against 4.8 for Tonality. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tonality has 129 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Guitarist's Reference's written reviews are positive against 97% of Tonality's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Guitarist's Reference ships an update every 3 weeks, Tonality fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Guitarist's Reference versus Tonality: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGuitarist's ReferenceTonality
Price$19.99$7.99 — better
Rating4.8 (16 ratings)4.8 (129 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.0% of reviews97.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings16129 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size79 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMy App Catalog LLCBryce Hostetler

Customer experience

Guitarist's Reference

All ratings16 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews179 reviews
Positive62.0%
Neutral15.6%
Negative22.3%

Tonality

All ratings129 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative1.3%

User reviews

Guitarist's Reference

From 16 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Tonality

From 129 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent for music theory learning
  • 💡 Versatile tool for songwriting
  • 🚀 Seamless MIDI integration
  • 🎵 Great for ear training
  • 🎹 Useful for practicing chords and scales

Room to improve

  • 🤔 Can be overwhelming for new users
  • 🎨 Color scheme can be hard on eyes
  • 🤷‍♂️ Some features not intuitive
  • 🎶 App icon appearance noted

Bugs and requests

Guitarist's Reference

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Tonality

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • MIDI mappings reset when switching keys
  • AUv3 version not showing up in AUM
  • Difficulty assigning pads to MIDI controller
  • Trouble identifying inverted chords

Requested features

15 requests
  • Add pedal function for note release
  • Add arpeggios
  • Add fingering diagrams
  • Ability to set global MIDI mappings on pads
  • Solfege audio unit (fixed and movable do)
Show 10 more
  • Chord progression generator
  • Mode for practicing music reading
  • Mac version
  • Print out or capture of chord sequences
  • Sustain hold for chord pads
  • Octave up/down per chord for pads
  • Easy triggering of pads from external MIDI keyboard
  • Presets full of chords
  • Strummer with omnichord type function (range of octaves)
  • Ability to play back sequences of chords as progressions

In-app purchases

None

Guitarist's Reference

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Tonality

One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$5.99

Questions

Is Guitarist's Reference free?
Guitarist's Reference costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tonality free?
Tonality costs $7.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Guitarist's Reference or Tonality?
Tonality is rated higher. Guitarist's Reference averages 4.8 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Tonality averages 4.8 from 129 ratings.
Do Guitarist's Reference or Tonality have ads?
Neither Guitarist's Reference nor Tonality shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Guitarist's Reference or Tonality?
Guitarist's Reference ships an update every 3 weeks, and Tonality fortnightly. Most recently, Guitarist's Reference was updated on November 6, 2026 and Tonality on November 6, 2026.

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