# Tabs & Notes vs Guitar Notebook

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Guitar Notebook at 80% against Tabs & Notes's 40%. Guitar Notebook also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). Tabs & Notes's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.6) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.6). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tabs & Notes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Guitar Notebook sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Tabs & Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Guitar Notebook has 29 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 80% of Guitar Notebook'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 Notebook every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tabs & Notes | Guitar Notebook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabs-and-notes/id587927619/reviews)** | [4.6 (29 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-notebook/id1558957561/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **29** |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 17 MB | 107 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Oliver Buecker](https://appshunter.io/developer/587927622) | [SonaMetro LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1558957563) |

## 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 Notebook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-notebook/id1558957561)

Organize all your musical creations in one place. Add chords, lyrics, and audio recordings. Import songs from photos using AI. Streamline your songwriting with customizable organization and sharing options.

**Highlights:** Add chords and notes, Record audio and lyrics, Import songs from photos with AI, Organize songs with labels and tags, Print and share songs as PDFs, Customizable page styles, Offline access and cloud sync

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Guitar Notebook Pro - 1 Year | $4.99 | per year |
| Guitar Notebook Pro | $19.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tabs & Notes free?

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

### Is Guitar Notebook free?

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

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

Tabs & Notes is rated higher. Tabs & Notes averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Guitar Notebook averages 4.6 from 29 ratings.

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

Tabs & Notes shows ads; Guitar Notebook does not.

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

Tabs & Notes ships an update every 5 months, and Guitar Notebook every 3 weeks. Most recently, Tabs & Notes was updated on October 13, 2026 and Guitar Notebook on October 11, 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.*