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.
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.
- 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
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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.
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.
- Spaced repetition learning
- Adaptive practice sessions
- Five mastery stages
- Customizable fret range and strings
- Offline functionality
- No ads or accounts
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | FretBuzz Chords | Essential Guitar Note Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 31 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Altug Basaran | Antair Corporation |
Customer experience
FretBuzz Chords
Essential Guitar Note Trainer
In-app purchases
FretBuzz Chords
No in-app purchases
Essential Guitar Note Trainer
- Full Access$1.991 Month
Questions
Is FretBuzz Chords free?
Is Essential Guitar Note Trainer free?
Which has better reviews, FretBuzz Chords or Essential Guitar Note Trainer?
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Which is updated more often, FretBuzz Chords or Essential Guitar Note Trainer?
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