Comparison

FretBuzz Chords vs Essential Guitar Note Trainer

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

Head to head
About

FretBuzz Chords

Learn jazz guitar chords and their inversions with detailed diagrams and interactive practice tools. Explore various chord types, string combinations, and understand chord structures for effective practice.

Highlights
  • Jazz guitar chord learning
  • Chord inversions
  • Diatonic and spread triads
  • Quartals and shells
  • Drop 2 & 3 chords
  • Rootless voicings
  • Interactive chord diagrams
  • Play-along metronome
Features
Read full description

FretBuzz is an application for learning jazz guitar chords and their inversions. It covers: - Triads - Diatonic Triads - Spread Triads - Quartals: Three note chords by fourths, p4 p4, p4 #4, #4 p4. - Four Note Diatonic Quartals - Shells (Freddie Green Chords) - Drop 2 Chords - Diatonic Drop 2 Chords - Drop 3 Chords - Diatonic Drop 3 Chords - Drop 2 & 4 Chords - Rootless Voicings (Bill Evan's A and B Form piano voicings adapted for guitar.) All possible inversions of a chord is covered. Triads have three inversions, seventh chords have four inversions, etc. All possible string combinations of a chord is covered. Triads can be played on string sets 6-5-4, 5-4-3, 4-3-2 and 3-2-1. Drop 3 chords can be played on string sets 6-4-3-2 and 5-3-2-1, etc. This is not a "One Million Three Hundred And Sixty Six Chords For Guitar" application. And also this application does not have any open string chords. Rather this application covers the basic building blocks of jazz guitar chord vocabulary. Two chord diagrams are shown for each chord. The above chord diagram shows the chord notes while the below diagram shows the degrees within the chord. This way you can form an understanding of the structure of each chord you practice and you can use this understanding to create other chords. The play button plays the inversions in succession - in a loop with a metronome beat - and switches the tabs/inversions accordingly so that you can practice along the app. In this mode you do not have to change the tabs/inversions manually. You can also set the tempo of the play along. The tempo can be adjusted as low as 40 bpm, especially useful when learning new chords/shapes. Tapping on a chord diagram plays the entire chord. Tapping on a degree/chord note plays the individual degree/note. I made this so that I can practice when I am away from my guitar, and also for making sure I am not playing wrong notes when practicing. There is also a mini tutorial on how to create altered chords from basic chord shapes. You can resize the chord diagrams for your device. There is also a left handed option in the settings.

About

Essential Guitar Note Trainer

Master the guitar fretboard with focused, adaptive practice sessions. Learn every note on every string using spaced repetition to build lasting recall. Track your progress through five mastery stages and customize your learning experience.

Highlights
  • Spaced repetition learning
  • Adaptive practice sessions
  • Five mastery stages
  • Customizable fret range and strings
  • Offline functionality
  • No ads or accounts
Features
Read full description

Stop guessing where the notes live. Essential Guitar Note Trainer turns the fretboard into something you actually know — not something you have to think about. Short, focused sessions teach you every note on every string with spaced repetition, the same memory technique used by serious language learners. Open the app, tap START, and a single note appears. Find it on the fretboard. The app remembers what you got right, what you guessed, and what's slipping — and brings each note back exactly when you need to see it again. WHAT YOU GET • A guided path through all 6 strings in standard tuning • Spaced repetition that adapts to how well you actually know each note • Five mastery stages — New, Learning, Building, Strong, Mastered — so you can see your progress instead of guessing at it • A full fretboard map that fills in as you learn • Short, long, or continuous practice rounds — fit it into a coffee break or a longer session MAKE IT YOURS • Pick your fret range (5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, or all 24) • Choose which strings to drill • Filter to naturals only, or pick your own notes • Labels in sharps, flats, both, or random — train the way you think • Choose an optional Time Pressure - count down or count up. HONEST AND SIMPLE • Start free with every note up to the 3rd fret. Subscribe to unlock the entire fretboard and learn the notes everywhere — cancel anytime. • No ads. No accounts. No data harvesting. • Works offline. • Your progress stays on your device. Built for guitarists at every level — from people picking up the instrument for the first time to players who've been winging it for years and finally want to stop. Practice ten minutes a day and the fretboard becomes a map you can read. Terms of Use (EULA): https://antair.com/essential-guitar-note-trainer-terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy: https://antair.com/essential-guitar-note-trainer-privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

FretBuzz Chords4 screens
Essential Guitar Note Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Essential Guitar Note Trainer at Free against FretBuzz Chords's $4.99. Essential Guitar Note Trainer also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 31 months). FretBuzz Chords's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

Essential Guitar Note Trainer is free to download; FretBuzz Chords costs $4.99 up front. Essential Guitar Note Trainer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. FretBuzz Chords asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for FretBuzz Chords against 5.0 for Essential Guitar Note Trainer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FretBuzz Chords ships an update every 31 months, Essential Guitar Note Trainer monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
FretBuzz Chords versus Essential Guitar Note Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFretBuzz ChordsEssential Guitar Note Trainer
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 31 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAltug BasaranAntair Corporation

Customer experience

FretBuzz Chords

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Essential Guitar Note Trainer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

FretBuzz Chords

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Essential Guitar Note Trainer

Subscriptions1
  • Full Access$1.991 Month

Questions

Is FretBuzz Chords free?
FretBuzz Chords costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Essential Guitar Note Trainer free?
Essential Guitar Note Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FretBuzz Chords or Essential Guitar Note Trainer?
FretBuzz Chords and Essential Guitar Note Trainer are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do FretBuzz Chords or Essential Guitar Note Trainer have ads?
Neither FretBuzz Chords nor Essential Guitar Note Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FretBuzz Chords or Essential Guitar Note Trainer?
FretBuzz Chords ships an update every 31 months, and Essential Guitar Note Trainer monthly. Most recently, FretBuzz Chords was updated on September 29, 2026 and Essential Guitar Note Trainer on October 2, 2026.

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