Comparison

Fretuoso vs JustinGuitar Note Trainer

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

Head to head
About

Fretuoso

Learn note positions on stringed instruments through an engaging game. Supports multiple instruments and offers staff training to improve sheet music reading. Practice specific fret ranges and tunings with adaptive learning.

Highlights
  • Learn note locations on fretboard
  • Supports 11 string instruments
  • Staff training for sheet music
  • Customizable practice modes
  • Flexible tuning options
  • Progress tracking and statistics
  • Adaptive learning engine
Features
Read full description

Master the Fretboard with Fretuoso Fretuoso is an engaging educational game designed to help you learn the location of notes on the fretboard of the guitar and other stringed instruments. With support for eleven instruments—including 4, 5, and 6-string basses, mandolin, ukulele, and banjo—you can expand your musical knowledge no matter your instrument of choice. How It Works Presented with random notes on the fretboard, you choose the correct answer from multiple options. Simply tap the right button to score points and improve your skills! The new Staff Training Mode helps you learn the positions of notes on the musical staff relative to your instrument’s fretboard, making reading sheet music a breeze. Features • Train Your Ear and Mind: Enhance your auditory skills while deepening your understanding of your instrument. • Learn Sheet Music: Master the positions of notes on the musical staff; say goodbye to tabs! • Eleven Realistic Instruments: Choose from 4 guitars, 3 basses, mandolin, ukulele, and banjo—all with beautiful, lifelike graphics. • Customized Training: Focus on specific fret ranges or string subsets to target your practice. • Flexible Tunings: Use built-in common tunings or create your own custom tunings. • Progress Visualization: Track your improvement with detailed statistics for every fret. • Smart Learning Engine: The app adapts to focus on areas where you need more practice. • Competitive Play: Enjoy Game Mode with levels of increasing difficulty, compete with friends, and share your achievements via Game Center. • Left-Handed Mode: Fully compatible with left-handed players. What Artists Are Saying “Learning the notes on the fretboard is key to any guitarist’s development, and Fretuoso is a neat way to get that info burned into your brain without having to carry a guitar everywhere you go. Pretty cool!” — Bryan Beller (The Aristocrats, Steve Vai, Mike Keneally) “This is one of the best apps I’ve seen in a while. It’s simple, fun, and educational. Very useful for guitar players, as many tend to play by ear and not focus on knowing the fretboard.” — Rick Musallam (Mike Keneally, Gryphon Labs) Unlock Full Access This version offers free access to only part of each available instrument. Unlock the full potential of Fretuoso with a Premium subscription, including every instrument, level, and feature, ad-free! Terms Of Service (EULA): https://fretuoso.app/terms/

About

JustinGuitar Note Trainer

Master the guitar fretboard quickly with daily exercises designed to build a deep understanding of note locations. This app helps you stop guessing and start knowing every note on your guitar, improving your playing.

Highlights
  • Learn fretboard notes fast
  • Daily 5-minute exercises
  • Build mental map of guitar neck
  • Stop guessing, start knowing notes
  • Smart repetition for weak spots
  • Practice anywhere on your phone
Features
Read full description

Most guitar players never properly learn the notes on the fretboard. We memorize shapes and guess—and it works for a while. But when we try to improve, we hit a wall. JustinGuitar Note Trainer helps us learn the fretboard fast, in just 5 minutes a day. No diagrams. No memorizing charts. Just simple exercises that build a real understanding of the guitar neck. We learn to find any note on the guitar fretboard, build a clear mental map across all strings, and stop guessing and actually know the notes. Short daily exercises perfect for busy schedules, smart repetition to reinforce weak spots, and practice anywhere with your phone. If we want to learn guitar notes properly, this is one of the most valuable skills we can build. Built by JustinGuitar.

Screenshots

Fretuoso4 screens
JustinGuitar Note Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Fretuoso at Free against JustinGuitar Note Trainer's $4.99. Fretuoso also leads on ratings volume (954 vs 5) and rating (4.6 vs 4.4). JustinGuitar Note Trainer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence 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

Fretuoso is free to download; JustinGuitar Note Trainer costs $4.99 up front. Fretuoso sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. JustinGuitar Note Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fretuoso holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fretuoso has 954 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Fretuoso's written reviews are positive against 80% of JustinGuitar Note Trainer's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fretuoso ships an update every 11 days, JustinGuitar Note Trainer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Fretuoso versus JustinGuitar Note Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFretuosoJustinGuitar Note Trainer
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (954 ratings) — better4.4 (5 ratings)
Positive reviews63.8% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings954 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCatloaf Software LLCJustin Guitar

Customer experience

Fretuoso

All ratings954 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews224 reviews
Positive63.8%
Neutral8.5%
Negative27.7%

JustinGuitar Note Trainer

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Fretuoso

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Restore purchases not working
  • Sound not working
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Incorrect note display
  • Syncing issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow adjusting fret marker positions
  • Add 'play the fret' mode
  • Improve randomness of note selection
  • Provide more tuning and instrument options
  • Add landscape mode support

JustinGuitar Note Trainer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Fretuoso

One-time12
  • 8-String Guitar$3.99
  • 12-String Guitar$3.99
  • Guitar$39.90
Show 9 more
  • Bass Guitar$39.90
  • Banjo$39.90
  • Mandolin$39.90
  • Ukulele$39.90
  • 7-String Guitar$39.90
  • 5-String Bass Guitar$39.90
  • 6-String Bass Guitar$39.90
  • Acoustic Guitar$39.90
  • All Instruments$89.90
None

JustinGuitar Note Trainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fretuoso free?
Fretuoso is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is JustinGuitar Note Trainer free?
JustinGuitar Note Trainer costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Fretuoso or JustinGuitar Note Trainer?
Fretuoso is rated higher. Fretuoso averages 4.6 out of 5 from 954 ratings, while JustinGuitar Note Trainer averages 4.4 from 5 ratings.
Do Fretuoso or JustinGuitar Note Trainer have ads?
Fretuoso shows ads; JustinGuitar Note Trainer does not.
Which is updated more often, Fretuoso or JustinGuitar Note Trainer?
Fretuoso ships an update every 11 days, and JustinGuitar Note Trainer fortnightly. Most recently, Fretuoso was updated on October 26, 2026 and JustinGuitar Note Trainer on October 25, 2026.

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