# Tabs & Notes vs Guitar Tabs X

The clearest difference is rating: Tabs & Notes at 5.0 against Guitar Tabs X's 4.1. Guitar Tabs X's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (358 vs 1). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tabs & Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Guitar Tabs X sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Tabs & Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Guitar Tabs X has 358 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of Tabs & Notes's written reviews are positive against 55% of Guitar Tabs X's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Tabs & Notes ships an update every 5 months, Guitar Tabs X every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tabs & Notes | Guitar Tabs X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabs-and-notes/id587927619/reviews)** | [4.1 (358 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-tabs-x-tabs-editor/id1138809362/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **358** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **54.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Oliver Buecker](https://appshunter.io/developer/587927622) | [Aleksandar Mlazev](https://appshunter.io/developer/1093798140) |

## What reviewers say

### Tabs & Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabs-and-notes/id587927619)

This app displays and plays song tablature and notes, supporting gp3, gp4, gp5, and gpx files. It offers full General MIDI sound playback, making it ideal for guitar practice anywhere. Features include easy song downloads, track switching, flexible playback speed, and editable metadata.

**Highlights:** Plays gp3, gp4, gp5, gpx files, Full General MIDI sound playback, Flexible playback speed, Free instrument to track mapping, Editable song metadata, Easy song download

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tabs & Notes Full Version | $0.99 | one-time |


### Guitar Tabs X

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-tabs-x-tabs-editor/id1138809362)

Create, edit, and save professional-looking guitar, bass, and ukulele tabs. Preview and play your compositions, and export them as PDF or MIDI files. Ideal for musicians of all levels to capture and organize musical ideas.

**Highlights:** Interactive tablature interface, Special tab editing keyboard, Insert chords with a slide, Export tabs to PDF, Export song to MIDI, Supports bass and ukulele tabs, Preview and play tabs

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Guitar Tabs X Pro - monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Guitar Tabs X Pro - yearly | $5.99 | per year |
| Guitar Tabs X PRO features | $11.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy and intuitive user interface
- 🎵 Quick playback feature for tabs
- 🎸 Support for various guitar tunings
- ⚡ Fast tab creation process
- 💰 Free version available with basic features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent data loss and file deletion bugs
- 🐛 Save functionality unreliable
- 📝 No support for chord notation above tabs
- 🔤 Small font sizes in printouts
- ⚙️ Limited tuning options for bass

**Reported bugs**

- Songs automatically deleted when creating new tabs
- Multiple songs overwritten to same filename
- File save not confirmed properly
- App freezes with 'stop playback to edit' message
- Playback stops at high tempos (150+ BPM)

**Requested features**

- Capo/Capodastre functionality
- Hammer-on and pull-off notations
- Custom tuning editor for any string configuration
- 7-string and 8-string guitar support
- 5-string bass support with more tuning options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tabs & Notes free?

Tabs & Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Guitar Tabs X free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Tabs & Notes or Guitar Tabs X?

Tabs & Notes is rated higher. Tabs & Notes averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Guitar Tabs X averages 4.1 from 358 ratings.

### Do Tabs & Notes or Guitar Tabs X have ads?

Tabs & Notes shows ads; Guitar Tabs X does not.

### Which is updated more often, Tabs & Notes or Guitar Tabs X?

Tabs & Notes ships an update every 5 months, and Guitar Tabs X every 3 months. Most recently, Tabs & Notes was updated on October 13, 2026 and Guitar Tabs X on October 21, 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.*