Comparison

Fret Drill vs Fretionary

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

Fretionary

This app transforms your device into an interactive guitar fretboard, visualizing scales, chords, and progressions. It offers color-coded displays and real audio playback to aid music theory learning.

Highlights
  • Interactive fretboard visualization
  • 14 scales and modes
  • 25 chord types
  • CAGED system shapes
  • Chord progression builder
  • Color-coded by function
Features
Read full description

Fretionary turns your entire fretboard into a visual theory map. Stop hunting for scale shapes on YouTube. Stop forgetting which chord is which. Fretionary puts every scale, chord, and progression you need right on an interactive fretboard — color-coded, labeled, and playable with real guitar audio. FEATURES • 14 scales & modes — Major, Minor, Pentatonic, Blues, Dorian, Lydian, and more • 36 chord types with fingering diagrams — Triads, 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, Sus, Add, and more • CAGED system — all 5 shapes color-coded across the neck, with reference chord diagrams • 64 chord progressions — across Pop, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Latin, Motown, Gospel, Classical, Reggae, and more • Progressions builder — Common, Diatonic, or build your own from scratch • Practice drills — Name the Note, Find the Note, String Drill (Beginner to Advanced) • Identify — reverse chord lookup: tap any notes on the fretboard, get the chord name • Progress tracking — daily streak plus scales explored, chords learned, and progressions played • Interactive fretboard up to 24 frets — tap positions directly, focus on any range • Color-coded by function — roots, 3rds, 5ths, and extensions instantly visible • 9 alternate tunings — Standard, Drop D, Drop C, DADGAD, Open D/G/E, Eb Standard, and more • Real guitar audio — sample-based playback for every scale, chord, and progression • Built-in metronome (free) — BPM 40–240, six time signatures, tap-tempo • iPad optimized — full-screen fretboard with side-by-side controls FRETIONARY PRO Unlock all scales, chords, progressions, tunings, and practice modes. • Monthly: $7.99/month • Lifetime: $44.99 one time Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://fretionary.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Fret Drill4 screens
Fretionary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Fret Drill at 5.0 against Fretionary's 4.5. Fret Drill also leads on ads (none vs shown). Fretionary's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (28 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 and Fretionary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fret Drill holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fretionary has 28 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fret Drill ships an update every 2 months, Fretionary every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Fret Drill versus Fretionary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFret DrillFretionary
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.5 (28 ratings)
Positive reviews—77.8% of reviews
Number of ratings128 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB58 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrii SievrikovBrandon Sumner

Customer experience

Fret Drill

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Fretionary

All ratings28 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Fret Drill

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Plan7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Yearly Plan$29.991 Year
3 purchases

Fretionary

Subscriptions2
  • Fretionary Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Fretionary Pro Annual$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Fretionary Pro Lifetime$44.99

Questions

Is Fret Drill free?
Fret Drill is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Fretionary free?
Fretionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fret Drill or Fretionary?
Fret Drill is rated higher. Fret Drill averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Fretionary averages 4.5 from 28 ratings.
Do Fret Drill or Fretionary have ads?
Fretionary shows ads; Fret Drill does not.
Which is updated more often, Fret Drill or Fretionary?
Fret Drill ships an update every 2 months, and Fretionary every 4 days. Most recently, Fret Drill was updated on October 25, 2026 and Fretionary on October 25, 2026.

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