Comparison

Fretzel vs Guitar Tab Notes

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

Head to head
About

Fretzel

Features
Read full description

Learn the notes on a guitar fretboard. See the note and tap the correct string and fret - simple! A quick way to transition from tablature to treble clef staff.

About

Guitar Tab Notes

Features
Read full description

Guitar Tab Notes is a fast sketchpad for guitar players. When a riff or a chord shape shows up, open the app and get it down before it slips away. Instead of finger numbers or fret numbers, every position on the fretboard is shown as the actual note it plays (C, C#, D and so on). You read the sounds, not the shapes, so an idea still makes sense days later and is easy to move around in your head. WHY GUITARISTS USE IT - Capture ideas fast. Tap the fretboard and the note appears. Nothing in the way. - Think in any tuning. Standard, drop, open, or completely custom alt tunings that you type in and save. Every note name updates instantly across all of your chords. - Made for sketches, not for perfection. Group ideas into projects, drop in quick section labels like verse or chorus, and reorder everything by dragging. - Hear it back. Tap play to strum a chord and check an idea on the spot. - Color your voicings. Highlight alternate notes in four accent colors (turquoise, violet, amber, coral) right on the diagram. Colors can even share one spot with the main note: the dot splits into colored sections. - Capo aware. Set a capo and the fretboard and note names follow along. EVERYWHERE YOU WRITE Guitar Tab Notes runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and your whole sketchbook syncs automatically through your private iCloud. Start a riff on the couch with your phone, then finish the arrangement on iPad or Mac later. Nothing to set up and no account to create. EXPORT AND SHARE Send a single chord as an image, or a whole song as plain text or as a print-ready PDF: clean black-on-white A4 pages with your section labels, automatic page breaks and a choice of 2, 3 or 4 chords per row. On Mac, exports go through the standard Save dialog. Simple on purpose and quick by design. Keep the guitar in your hands and let the ideas land.

Screenshots

Fretzel2 screens
Guitar Tab Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

Fretzel and Guitar Tab Notes are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters โ€” price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them โ€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Fretzel versus Guitar Tab Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFretzelGuitar Tab Notes
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyโ€”Every 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac โ€” better
Requires iOS16.6 โ€” better17.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size4 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJussi KuosaUnited App Sp. z o.o.

In-app purchases

None

Fretzel

No in-app purchases

None

Guitar Tab Notes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fretzel free?
Fretzel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Guitar Tab Notes free?
Guitar Tab Notes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fretzel or Guitar Tab Notes have ads?
Neither Fretzel nor Guitar Tab Notes shows ads.

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