Comparison

GuitarPal vs Makes Progress

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

Head to head
About

GuitarPal

Features
Read full description

Guitar practice can easily become unfocused: you pick up your guitar, play whatever comes to mind, and lose track of what you intended to work on. GuitarPal helps you turn those moments into structured practice sessions. Plan what to work on, stay focused while you play, and track your progress over time—all without unnecessary distractions. PRACTICE YOUR WAY • Start a free or timed practice session • Begin instantly or set a specific duration • Adjust your practice settings at any time STAY FOCUSED • Use the built-in metronome • Practice with optional backing tracks • Organize multiple exercises into a clear sequence • Add notes and reminders to each exercise TRACK YOUR PROGRESS • Log your practice automatically • Review your total practice time and practice days • Follow your streaks and build a more consistent routine BUILT FOR GUITAR PLAYERS GuitarPal is for players who want more structure without more complexity—whether you are building a new practice habit or improving an existing routine. It is not a course library or content platform. It is a focused, reliable companion that helps you make each practice session count. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Makes Progress

Features
Read full description

Practice makes progress. Now you can simplify your practice sessions with the app that combines everything you need to practice your instrument or practice with the band: - Metronome - Sheet music viewing - Song playback - Timer (count up or down) - Target tempos - Success tracking of your target tempos and overall session Great for the self-taught musician who has various sources of practice material in the form of songs, PDF documents, images, web based charts and learning services. You can bring all these together into a practice plan and easily use the all. Timer: You can set how long you intend to practice an item and have the timer count up from 0 or count down to 0. Metronome: Set your tempo, time signature and subdivision. Sheets and Web: Both the Sheet music viewer and Web viewer store your pan and zoom customizations in how you want to see their content so that you don't have to keep redoing them in every practice. The for PDF files you can also set the page you want to start at when you practice. Music: You can use songs you've purchased in Music, an Apple Music subscription or import music files to play along with. Once you've added a song you can set the Start and End points so you can play along to the whole thing or just focus on the part you're working on. You can also adjust the playback speed of the song for purchased and imported songs (not supported for Apple Music songs). Note: You can make a note on your session so that you don't need to remember what you want to focus on next time. Enjoy and improve. App EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

GuitarPal4 screens
Makes Progress4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GuitarPal at none against Makes Progress's 1. On price, update cadence, 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

Both are free to download. Makes Progress sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. GuitarPal asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

GuitarPal ships an update fortnightly, Makes Progress weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 5 level
GuitarPal versus Makes Progress: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGuitarPalMakes Progress
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS18.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer文海 赵Hammer of the Gods Software

In-app purchases

None

GuitarPal

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Makes Progress

Subscriptions1
  • Makes Progress - Full (Annual)$4.991 Year

Questions

Is GuitarPal free?
GuitarPal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Makes Progress free?
Makes Progress is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do GuitarPal or Makes Progress have ads?
Neither GuitarPal nor Makes Progress shows ads.
Which is updated more often, GuitarPal or Makes Progress?
GuitarPal ships an update fortnightly, and Makes Progress weekly. Most recently, GuitarPal was updated on October 2, 2026 and Makes Progress on September 28, 2026.

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