# Staff Notebooks vs TabMaker

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Staff Notebooks at 67% against TabMaker's 0%. Staff Notebooks also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). TabMaker's advantage is iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Staff Notebooks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and TabMaker sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Staff Notebooks ships an update every 5 days, TabMaker fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and August 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Staff Notebooks | TabMaker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (43 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staff-notebooks/id6469093353/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **43** | — |
| Positive reviews | **66.7% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 20 MB | 83 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jumpei Adachi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1516414955) | [Mateusz Kulinski](https://appshunter.io/developer/1769245329) |

## What reviewers say

### Staff Notebooks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staff-notebooks/id6469093353)

This application provides a digital space for composing and notating music. It allows users to write down musical ideas and create scores directly on their devices. Ideal for musicians and composers, it offers a convenient way to manage musical compositions.

**Highlights:** Digital music sheet notation, Handwritten music composition, Score creation, Convenient music management, Mobile composition tool

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Paid Version | $4.99 | one-time |


### TabMaker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tabmaker-guitar-tab-editor/id6744612705)

Create, play, and share guitar, bass, and ukulele tabs. Features AI-powered guitar-to-tab conversion, cloud saving, and community tabs. Export to PDF, MP3, or text, and print directly from your device.

**Highlights:** AI Guitar to Tabs, Export to PDF/MP3/TEXT, Cloud Tab Saving, Playback with Built-in Instruments, Share Tabs via Link, Community Tabs Access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly subscription | $1.49 | per 7 days |
| Monthly subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Annual subscription | $34.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Staff Notebooks free?

Staff Notebooks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is TabMaker free?

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

### Do Staff Notebooks or TabMaker have ads?

TabMaker shows ads; Staff Notebooks does not.

### Which is updated more often, Staff Notebooks or TabMaker?

Staff Notebooks ships an update every 5 days, and TabMaker fortnightly. Most recently, Staff Notebooks was updated on September 24, 2026 and TabMaker on August 10, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*