Comparison

GuitarNotes vs Fretello Guitar Lessons

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

Head to head
About

GuitarNotes

Learn and master guitar fretboard notes with interactive practice modes. Identify notes by fret location or find fret positions for specific notes. Customize your learning experience with adjustable settings and realistic sounds.

Highlights
  • Guess the note by fret
  • Locate the note by position
  • Supports left and right-handed players
  • Customizable quizzes
  • Realistic guitar sounds
  • Adjustable practice session duration
Features
Read full description

Know every note on the fretboard, instantly. Quick daily quizzes train your memory until chords, scales, solos make sense anywhere on the neck. 4.7 stars, 200+ ratings. Since 2012. One-time purchase, no subscriptions. TWO WAYS TO TRAIN Guess the Note: See a fret and name its note. Instant recognition is the secret to reading the neck while you play. Locate the Note: Given a note, find every position it lives in across the fretboard. Chords and scales start to make sense. YOUR PRACTICE, YOUR RULES - Pick exactly which notes, strings, and fret range to focus on. Master the first five frets before moving up the neck. - Right-handed or left-handed? Every exercise mirrors your actual guitar. - Set a practice duration and build a daily habit in just a few minutes. - Realistic guitar sounds link every position to what your ear should hear. HOW IT WORKS 1. Choose your focus: notes, strings, and frets 2. Answer quick quizzes in Guess or Locate mode 3. Watch the whole neck unlock, one short session at a time TRAIN AT YOUR OWN PACE - Set your strings and note names based on your own learning progress. - Start with just one string and a few notes, then gradually build up to all six strings and every note name. - Practice anytime, anywhere — even in small pockets of free time. Once you know the fretboard inside and out, you'll have a solid foundation for becoming a skilled guitarist. You'll be able to: 1) Quickly identify root keys, chords, and scales 2) Develop your improvisation skills WHAT PLAYERS SAY "A must if you plan to solo." - 5-star review "I downloaded every fretboard app I could find and this is by far the best." - 5-star review "My fretboard mastery has skyrocketed." - 5-star review "This app will help you drill knowledge deep down into your brain." - 5-star review, from a teacher and player of 30 years Memorize the fretboard for less than a pack of strings. GuitarNotes is a one-time purchase: no subscriptions, no ads, no data collection. Download GuitarNotes today. TERMS & PRIVACY: - Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ - Privacy Policy: https://soulreload.com/app/guitarnotes/privacy-policy/

About

Fretello Guitar Lessons

Learn to play guitar with interactive lessons tailored for beginners and experienced players. Master chords, techniques, and your favorite songs at your own pace. Develop rhythm, timing, and a personal playing style through engaging instruction and instant feedback.

Highlights
  • Personalized guitar lessons
  • Learn favorite songs
  • Master chords and fingering
  • Develop strumming and picking techniques
  • Instant feedback on playing
  • Learn music theory and technique
  • Progress at your own pace
Features
Read full description

Take the first step towards your guitar-playing dreams with Fretello - the interactive guitar learning app designed for beginners. Get personalized lessons and learn your favorite songs to master chords, fingering, and strumming with ease. Start your journey today and express yourself through music with Fretello. Fretello is perfect for you if you … … are a beginner starting to learn guitar from scratch … have some experience with the guitar and want to advance your playing … want to learn guitar at your own pace and according to your own goals == How Fretello works == • Quickly learn chords and songs • Build a strong foundation in music theory and technique • Progress rapidly with engaging lessons from experienced instructors • Get instant feedback on your playing and identify areas for improvement • Learn guitar at your own pace with fun and enjoyable lessons that fit your schedule == What you'll learn == 1) Hold and tune the guitar properly 2) Essential chords and chord progressions 3) Strumming and picking techniques 4) Reading guitar tablature 5) Playing basic melodies and riffs 6) Improvisation and playing by ear ...and much more! With Fretello, you'll develop … … a personal playing style … a sense of rhythm and timing … finger strength and dexterity … a solid understanding of basic music theory Here's what our users have to say: "Fretello is the best guitar learning app out there - I've tried them all!" "Finally a guitar app that adapts to my skill level and keeps me motivated!" "The instant feedback feature is a game-changer - I can see my progress in real-time!" =>> Download Fretello now and unlock your musical potential! How to reach us: Have questions, feedback, or suggestions? Leave an app review or reach out to us at support@fretello.com. JOIN THE COMMUNITY: * Facebook: https://facebook.com/fretellomusic * Twitter: https://twitter.com/fretello_music * Instagram: https://instagram.com/fretello_music/ Read our privacy policy here: https://fretello.com/privacy-policy/ Read our terms of service here: https://fretello.com/terms/

Screenshots

GuitarNotes4 screens
Fretello Guitar Lessons4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Fretello Guitar Lessons at Free against GuitarNotes's $2.99. Fretello Guitar Lessons also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (1.5K vs 221). GuitarNotes's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 40%) and in-app purchases (none vs 11). On 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

Fretello Guitar Lessons is free to download; GuitarNotes costs $2.99 up front. Fretello Guitar Lessons sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. GuitarNotes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GuitarNotes holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fretello Guitar Lessons has 1.5K ratings behind it against 221, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of GuitarNotes's written reviews are positive against 40% of Fretello Guitar Lessons's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GuitarNotes ships an update every 7 months, Fretello Guitar Lessons fortnightly. Both last shipped on September 21, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 1 level
GuitarNotes versus Fretello Guitar Lessons: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGuitarNotesFretello Guitar Lessons
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (221 ratings) — better4.5 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews83.3% of reviews — better39.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2211.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer小舟 苏Fretello GmbH

Customer experience

GuitarNotes

All ratings221 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative4.5%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral1.9%
Negative14.8%

Fretello Guitar Lessons

All ratings1,517 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral5.3%
Negative7.5%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive39.6%
Neutral11.3%
Negative49.1%

User reviews

GuitarNotes

From 221 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Highly customizable practice
  • 💰 Affordable price point
  • 🧠 Effective for memorization
  • ✅ Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Well-programmed and brilliant

Room to improve

  • 🐌 App is unbearably slow (post-update)
  • ⚫ Boring black and white interface
  • 📉 Downgraded after redesign
  • 🐛 Notes are incorrect on some strings
  • 🚫 No sound

Fretello Guitar Lessons

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great learning tool
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🎓 Helpful for beginners and experienced players
  • 🎸 Effective for practicing scales and techniques

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Tempo detection issues
  • 🔒 Paywall for most features
  • 🤔 Lack of flexibility in practice sessions
  • 📚 Limited song selection and music genres

Bugs and requests

GuitarNotes

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App is unbearably slow after update v3
  • Notes are incorrect on some strings (iPhone 6s)
  • No sound
  • App doesn't work properly on iPhone 6s
  • Numbers splash up on screen and can't be removed
Show 5 more
  • Tuning is off
  • Cannot count frets without losing track or getting eye strain
  • No way to make fret numbers display
  • Download issues initially
  • Reinstalling after factory reset requires payment again

Requested features

23 requests
  • Visualize notes by mistakes
  • Sort by most mistaken notes
  • Completely turn off timer
  • Freeplay mode
  • Alternate tunings (drop D, DADGAD)
Show 18 more
  • Support for 24 frets
  • Chord function
  • Scales and triads
  • Chords
  • Automatic playback of continuous notes
  • App recognizes notes via sound
  • Change tuning (half step down)
  • Turn off voice speaking letters
  • Support for iOS 11
  • Limit number of frets
  • Alternate orientation for one-handed use
  • Option to prevent accidental hits on turned-off notes
  • Visual options for the neck
  • Tones to accompany notes
  • Fret spacing more consistent with actual guitar
  • Fret numbers display
  • Graphic changes for eye strain
  • Ability to limit fretboard breadth displayed

Fretello Guitar Lessons

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes or freezes
  • Inaccurate note recognition
  • Inability to retry or restart exercises

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more song options and music genres
  • Allow manual tempo adjustment
  • Improve feedback on performance
  • Sync progress across devices
  • Provide more music theory lessons

In-app purchases

None

GuitarNotes

No in-app purchases

11 purchases

Fretello Guitar Lessons

Subscriptions11
  • Guitar lessons for 1 month$19.991 Month
  • Fretello Pro7 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Fretello Pro3 Months trial$96.991 Year
Show 8 more
  • Fretello Pro7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Fretello Pro$99.991 Year
  • Fretello Pro1 Year trial$99.991 Year
  • Guitar lessons for 12 months7 Days trial$119.991 Year
  • Thomann Offer3 Months trial$119.991 Year
  • YAMAHA Offer1 Month trial$119.991 Year
  • Promotional Offer1 Year trial$119.991 Year
  • Fretello Pro1 Year trial$119.991 Year

Questions

Is GuitarNotes free?
GuitarNotes costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fretello Guitar Lessons free?
Fretello Guitar Lessons is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, GuitarNotes or Fretello Guitar Lessons?
GuitarNotes is rated higher. GuitarNotes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 221 ratings, while Fretello Guitar Lessons averages 4.5 from 1.5K ratings.
Do GuitarNotes or Fretello Guitar Lessons have ads?
Neither GuitarNotes nor Fretello Guitar Lessons shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GuitarNotes or Fretello Guitar Lessons?
GuitarNotes ships an update every 7 months, and Fretello Guitar Lessons fortnightly. Most recently, GuitarNotes was updated on September 21, 2026 and Fretello Guitar Lessons on September 21, 2026.

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