# Guitar Machines! vs OpenString

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Guitar Machines! at none against OpenString's 1. Guitar Machines! also leads on ratings volume (43 vs 1). OpenString's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. OpenString sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Guitar Machines! asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Guitar Machines! against 5.0 for OpenString. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Guitar Machines! has 43 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

Guitar Machines! ships an update every 3 weeks, OpenString daily. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Guitar Machines! | OpenString |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (43 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-machines/id6757989929/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openstring-tuner-and-chords/id6811273833/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **43** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 32 MB | 47 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Quinn Fetrow](https://appshunter.io/developer/1870110908) | [Techguyver Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796192098) |

## What reviewers say

### Guitar Machines!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guitar-machines/id6757989929)

Learn fundamental guitar theory with four interactive "machines." Visualize notes, scales, and arpeggios on the fretboard, and even see song progressions. Designed to help you master guitar playing.

**Highlights:** Note learning on fretboard, Customizable scale learning, Arpeggio visualization, Song progression analysis, Music theory education

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### OpenString

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openstring-tuner-and-chords/id6811273833)

This app provides essential tools for guitarists, including a tuner, metronome, chord handbook, and a personal songbook. It offers all features upfront with no subscriptions or in-app purchases, allowing users to manage their own song charts and practice effectively offline.

**Highlights:** Guitar tuner, Metronome with tempo and meter settings, Chord handbook with fingerings and voicings, Personal songbook for lyrics and chords, Key transposition and capo preference, Scale and shape finder

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OpenString Pro | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Guitar Machines! free?

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

### Is OpenString free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Guitar Machines! or OpenString?

OpenString is rated higher. Guitar Machines! averages 5.0 out of 5 from 43 ratings, while OpenString averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Guitar Machines! or OpenString have ads?

Neither Guitar Machines! nor OpenString shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Guitar Machines! or OpenString?

Guitar Machines! ships an update every 3 weeks, and OpenString daily. Most recently, Guitar Machines! was updated on October 31, 2026 and OpenString on October 24, 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.*