# FretSketch vs Guitar Handbook

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Guitar Handbook at none against FretSketch's 2. FretSketch's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (18.4 vs 26.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. FretSketch sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Guitar Handbook asks for nothing beyond the download.

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

FretSketch ships an update weekly, Guitar Handbook every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | FretSketch | Guitar Handbook |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretsketch/id6752662475/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-handbook/id6761429110/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 25 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.4** | 26.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hive 604 Software Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1840439052) | [Stephen Comstock](https://appshunter.io/developer/1833578382) |

## What reviewers say

### FretSketch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fretsketch/id6752662475)

This app serves as a portable chord dictionary for guitar, standard ukulele, and baritone ukulele. It offers over 500 chords with fingering details and audio playback, organized by harmonic family or root.

**Highlights:** Chord reference for guitar, ukulele, baritone ukulele, Over 500 chords, Organized by harmonic family and root, Exact fingering and alternatives, Audio playback of chords, Free to download

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Monthly Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Full Yearly Subscription | $9.99 | per year |


### Guitar Handbook

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-handbook/id6761429110)

Master the guitar fretboard by learning note locations, chord shapes, and scale patterns. This app helps you solo in any key and improve your musical understanding.

**Highlights:** Fretboard note identification, Open chord fingerings, Pentatonic scale patterns, Diatonic scale patterns, Soloing in any key

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is FretSketch free?

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

### Is Guitar Handbook free?

Guitar Handbook is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, FretSketch or Guitar Handbook?

FretSketch and Guitar Handbook are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do FretSketch or Guitar Handbook have ads?

Neither FretSketch nor Guitar Handbook shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, FretSketch or Guitar Handbook?

FretSketch ships an update weekly, and Guitar Handbook every 2 months. Most recently, FretSketch was updated on November 5, 2026 and Guitar Handbook on October 31, 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.*