Comparison

TEFview vs Guitar Notation

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

Head to head
About

TEFview

This app lets you view, print, and play musical tablatures and various music file formats on your iOS device. It supports MIDI playback with speed control, metronome, and file management features for easy organization and sharing.

Highlights
  • View tablatures and standard notation
  • MIDI playback with speed control
  • Assign volume and MIDI instrument per track
  • Metronome and countdown timer
  • File manager with WIFI sharing
  • PDF export for printing and sharing
Features
Read full description

TEFview for iOS is an app that allows you to view, print and play tablatures created in TablEdit Tablature Editor on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. TEFview allows you as well to view and listen to ASCII tabs, ABC tunes, MIDI, PowerTab, GuitarPro and musicXML files. Specifications: - Supported file formats: TablEdit, ASCII, ABC, MIDI, Music XML, PowerTab, GuitarPro - Tablature and/or Standard notation display, - MIDI Playback with full speed control, - Ability to assign the volume and the MIDI instrument for any track in real time, - Metronome and count down, - Embedded Help, - Emails file as attachment, - File manager. - WIFI file sharing, Files app support - Subdirectory management - Playlist - extract the compressed tef files from a zip file - pdf export: the pdf can be emailed, printed to a compatible AirPrint printer or opened in a third app,

About

Guitar Notation

This app allows guitar enthusiasts to read, compose, edit, and play back guitar sheet music. It supports multi-track tabs, chord charts, and various notation elements, enabling users to create music on the go.

Highlights
  • Read, compose, and edit guitar sheet music
  • Playback functionality with high-quality sound
  • Multi-track tab support
  • Chord chart configuration
  • Export in MusicXML, MIDI, PNG, and PDF formats
  • Supports up to 8 staff for editing
Features
Read full description

A great guitar tabs and chords notation app on iOS. For any guitar music lover, Guitar Notation gives you the ability to read, compose, edit, and playback guitar sheet music scores. With it you can be a talented composer and great musician anywhere. As long as you have a little knowledge of sheet music, you can write music composition simply by touch and move. Of course it could help you to learn guitar notations. It can handle multi-track tabs, also it supports for chord chart configuration. With the help of it you could easily record the flashes of inspiration wherever they strike. Are you ready to compose music in a simple way? ----------------------- Features: -Export in the industry-popular MusicXML file format, allowing for exchanging sheet music with other software (Finale, Sibelius, Encore, MuseScore, etc). -Export MIDI file. -Export PNG image and PDF document. -High quality sound for playback. -Support editing up to 8 staff at the same time. -Support many kinds of guitar and bass instrument. ----------------------- Supported notation: *A variety of note types, from whole note to 128th note and dotted note *Chord chart configuration *A variety of time signatures *All standard key signatures *Adjustable tempo *All accidentals (sharps, flats, double sharps, double flats, and naturals) *Tie, slur, and tuplet *Many types of ornament *A wide range of dynamics ----------------------- UNLIMITED ACCESS SUBSCRIPTION - Support up to 8 staff - Config parts(add, delete, reorder) - Config chord freely - Change beat type and tempo - A wide variety of guitar types - Config sound for each part - No watermark image export - No Ads - Support 2nd voice part - Config capo for each line - Import data file - The subscriptions are $9.99 monthly - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that service, where applicable - Terms of use: https://service.notationpad.com/terms_service.html

Screenshots

TEFview4 screens
Guitar Notation4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: TEFview at 4.7 against Guitar Notation's 4.1. TEFview also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and review sentiment (91% vs 58%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Guitar Notation sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. TEFview asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

TEFview holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 303 and 246 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of TEFview's written reviews are positive against 58% of Guitar Notation's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TEFview ships an update every 5 months, Guitar Notation every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
TEFview versus Guitar Notation: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTEFviewGuitar Notation
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (303 ratings) — better4.1 (246 ratings)
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews — better58.1% of reviews
Number of ratings303 — better246
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.1 — better13
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB153 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTablEdit嵩 张

Customer experience

TEFview

All ratings303 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral3.6%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews190 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative5.8%

Guitar Notation

All ratings246 ratings
Positive75.6%
Neutral4.5%
Negative19.9%
Written reviews191 reviews
Positive58.1%
Neutral6.3%
Negative35.6%

User reviews

TEFview

From 303 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Plays all tef files flawlessly
  • 🎶 Can change tempo for learning
  • 👍 Amazing free resource
  • 🎹 Brilliant for MIDI to Notation
  • 🎸 Great for learning new songs

Room to improve

  • 🔧 Settings for print not user-friendly
  • 🤖 Synth sounds could be improved
  • 🔍 Scrolling can be too sensitive

Guitar Notation

From 246 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Good app
  • 🚀 Useful
  • 👍 Simple and effective
  • 🚀 Excellent tool
  • 👍 Nice app

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessively paid version
  • 🐛 Buggy and constantly asking to pay
  • 🚫 Free version is basically unusable
  • 🚫 Can't even use anything but 4/4
  • 🚫 No tutorial on how to use

Bugs and requests

TEFview

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Doesn't work with files in iCloud Drive
  • Crashes when opening MIDI files

Requested features

3 requests
  • Left-handed fretboard view
  • Chord name display
  • Ability to delete downloaded files

Guitar Notation

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Audio playback only works through Bluetooth
  • Can't create a D chord, forces barre chord
  • Freezes on login screen
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add ability to change tuning
  • Add palm muting feature
  • Add more examples
  • Add instructions/tutorial
  • Add ability to transpose
Show 1 more
  • Add ability to input chord symbols

In-app purchases

None

TEFview

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Guitar Notation

Subscriptions3
  • Unlimited Access7 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Unlimited Access Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Unlimited Access Yearly$49.991 Year
One-time3
  • Guitar Instrument Group$0.99
  • Bass Instrument Group$0.99
  • Extras Package$14.99

Questions

Is TEFview free?
TEFview is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Guitar Notation free?
Guitar Notation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TEFview or Guitar Notation?
TEFview is rated higher. TEFview averages 4.7 out of 5 from 303 ratings, while Guitar Notation averages 4.1 from 246 ratings.
Do TEFview or Guitar Notation have ads?
Neither TEFview nor Guitar Notation shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TEFview or Guitar Notation?
TEFview ships an update every 5 months, and Guitar Notation every 4 months. Most recently, TEFview was updated on October 15, 2026 and Guitar Notation on October 14, 2026.

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