Comparison

Fret Drill vs Calvin Chess Trainer

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

Head to head
About

Fret Drill

Learn guitar notes by playing your actual instrument. The app listens via your microphone and provides instant feedback, guiding you from basic exercises to mastering the entire fretboard. Turn memorization into muscle memory with focused daily practice.

Highlights
  • Practice with your real guitar
  • Instant microphone note detection
  • Step-by-step lessons
  • Smart practice repeating weak spots
  • Progress tracking
  • Customizable lessons
Read full description

Stop hunting for notes. Build real fretboard muscle memory. Fret Drill helps you learn guitar notes by playing your actual guitar. The app shows you a note and a string. You play it. Fret Drill listens through your microphone and tells you when you got it right. Start simple with one string and a few notes. Then work up to all strings, all notes, and the full fretboard. The more you practice, the faster your fingers know where to go. Perfect for guitarists who want to: - Learn every note on the fretboard - Build faster note recall - Stop guessing during solos and practice - Improve confidence while improvising - Turn fretboard memorization into muscle memory Features: - Practice with your real guitar - Instant microphone note detection - Switching between different audio inputs - Simple step-by-step lessons - Smart practice that repeats weak spots - Progress tracking for each lesson - Helpful fret hints when you need them - Custom lessons for specific strings, notes, frets, and tunings A few focused minutes a day can make the fretboard feel much less random. Fret Drill turns guitar note memorization into simple, active practice. This app is provided under Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Calvin Chess Trainer

Features
Read full description

Calvin Chess Trainer drills the skills that puzzles take for granted: seeing the whole board, and reading and finding squares and moves without thinking. Daily warm-up Five quick timed drills, about five minutes: find the checks, spot the loose pieces, find the forks, name squares from Black's side, then a mate in one. Vision • Find Checks: every check in a real game position • Find Captures: every capture on the board • Hanging Pieces: every undefended piece • Forks & Skewers: the squares that hit two targets • Knight Sight: every square a knight reaches • Knight Flight: the fewest moves to the target • Pawn Attack: slip past a wall of pawns • Mate in 1: 400 positions, one move to mate Notation • Squares: find the square, fast, from White's side or Black's • Files & Ranks: name every file and rank • Read Moves: read a move, then play it • Piece Letters: K, Q, R, B and N at a glance • Piece Values: which side comes out ahead? Opening Explorer Play through the openings with book moves, Stockfish hints and an evaluation bar. Practice your way • Practice at your own pace, or race the clock in timed rounds • Every drill remembers its setup, and Continue picks up where you left off • Results show the answers you missed • Personal bests, saved on your device • Squares and pieces spoken aloud as you play • Works offline No ads, no in-app purchases and no account. From Internut Education.

Screenshots

Fret Drill4 screens
Calvin Chess Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Calvin Chess Trainer at none against Fret Drill's 2. Calvin Chess Trainer also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On price and ads 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. Fret Drill sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Calvin Chess Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fret Drill ships an update every 2 months, Calvin Chess Trainer every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Fret Drill versus Calvin Chess Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFret DrillCalvin Chess Trainer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB170 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrii SievrikovDAVID MARKLE

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Fret Drill

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Plan7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Yearly Plan$29.991 Year
None

Calvin Chess Trainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fret Drill free?
Fret Drill is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Calvin Chess Trainer free?
Calvin Chess Trainer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fret Drill or Calvin Chess Trainer have ads?
Neither Fret Drill nor Calvin Chess Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fret Drill or Calvin Chess Trainer?
Fret Drill ships an update every 2 months, and Calvin Chess Trainer every 5 days. Most recently, Fret Drill was updated on October 24, 2026 and Calvin Chess Trainer on October 19, 2026.

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