Comparison

Fret Drill vs Essential Guitar Note 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

Essential Guitar Note Trainer

Master the guitar fretboard with focused, adaptive practice sessions. Learn every note on every string using spaced repetition to build lasting recall. Track your progress through five mastery stages and customize your learning experience.

Highlights
  • Spaced repetition learning
  • Adaptive practice sessions
  • Five mastery stages
  • Customizable fret range and strings
  • Offline functionality
  • No ads or accounts
Features
Read full description

Stop guessing where the notes live. Essential Guitar Note Trainer turns the fretboard into something you actually know — not something you have to think about. Short, focused sessions teach you every note on every string with spaced repetition, the same memory technique used by serious language learners. Open the app, tap START, and a single note appears. Find it on the fretboard. The app remembers what you got right, what you guessed, and what's slipping — and brings each note back exactly when you need to see it again. WHAT YOU GET • A guided path through all 6 strings in standard tuning • Spaced repetition that adapts to how well you actually know each note • Five mastery stages — New, Learning, Building, Strong, Mastered — so you can see your progress instead of guessing at it • A full fretboard map that fills in as you learn • Short, long, or continuous practice rounds — fit it into a coffee break or a longer session MAKE IT YOURS • Pick your fret range (5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, or all 24) • Choose which strings to drill • Filter to naturals only, or pick your own notes • Labels in sharps, flats, both, or random — train the way you think • Choose an optional Time Pressure - count down or count up. HONEST AND SIMPLE • Start free with every note up to the 3rd fret. Subscribe to unlock the entire fretboard and learn the notes everywhere — cancel anytime. • No ads. No accounts. No data harvesting. • Works offline. • Your progress stays on your device. Built for guitarists at every level — from people picking up the instrument for the first time to players who've been winging it for years and finally want to stop. Practice ten minutes a day and the fretboard becomes a map you can read. Terms of Use (EULA): https://antair.com/essential-guitar-note-trainer-terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy: https://antair.com/essential-guitar-note-trainer-privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

Fret Drill4 screens
Essential Guitar Note Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Essential Guitar Note Trainer at 3 against Fret Drill's 1. Essential Guitar Note Trainer also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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 Essential Guitar Note Trainer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Fret Drill against 5.0 for Essential Guitar Note Trainer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fret Drill ships an update every 2 months, Essential Guitar Note Trainer monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Fret Drill versus Essential Guitar Note Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFret DrillEssential Guitar Note Trainer
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAndrii SievrikovAntair Corporation

Customer experience

Fret Drill

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

Essential Guitar Note Trainer

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

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Fret Drill

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

Essential Guitar Note Trainer

Subscriptions1
  • Full Access$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Fret Drill free?
Fret Drill is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Essential Guitar Note Trainer free?
Essential Guitar Note Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fret Drill or Essential Guitar Note Trainer?
Fret Drill and Essential Guitar Note Trainer are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Fret Drill or Essential Guitar Note Trainer have ads?
Neither Fret Drill nor Essential Guitar Note Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fret Drill or Essential Guitar Note Trainer?
Fret Drill ships an update every 2 months, and Essential Guitar Note Trainer monthly. Most recently, Fret Drill was updated on October 10, 2026 and Essential Guitar Note Trainer on October 18, 2026.

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