Comparison

Fretionary vs Mind the Guitar

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

Head to head
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/

About

Mind the Guitar

Learn music theory and improve your guitar playing with interactive lessons and exercises. Develop your musical understanding anytime, anywhere, with tools like a tuner, metronome, and circle of fifths.

Highlights
  • Music theory lessons
  • Interactive exercises
  • Visual explanations
  • Free tuner and metronome
  • Circle of fifths tool
  • Progress tracking
  • Scale and chord pattern unlocks
Features
Read full description

Even in the most skillful hands, the guitar cannot express what the mind does not understand. That is why Mind the Guitar helps guitarists understand music theory so they can express themselves more freely. To develop your musical mind, you do not always need a guitar in your hands. The app gives you exercises, visual explanations, and learning tools broken down into short, repeatable segments that you can practice whenever you have a few spare minutes — on the bus, on the train, during a lunch break, or anywhere else. WHAT YOU CAN PRACTICE Mind the Guitar includes lessons about notes, intervals, scales, modes, chords, progressions, voice leading, functional harmony, and staff notation. INCLUDED LEARNING AIDS Mind the Guitar includes a free tuner, metronome, and interactive circle of fifths. You can also unlock access to scale patterns for hundreds of scales and modes, thousands of chord shapes, and interactive visualizations for intervals, the circle of thirds, and modes. TRACK YOUR STATISTICS Mind the Guitar helps you track your statistics, so you can see your strengths and weaknesses as you learn. FREE AND PLUS CONTENT The App offers free lessons and learning aids for beginner chapters. Mind the Guitar Plus unlocks full access to over 40 lessons, over 90 exercises, and all 10 learning aids. Terms of Use (EULA): https://mindtheguitar.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://mindtheguitar.com/privacy

Screenshots

Fretionary4 screens
Mind the Guitar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Mind the Guitar at 5.0 against Fretionary's 4.5. Mind the Guitar also leads on ads (none vs shown). Fretionary's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks) and ratings volume (29 vs 1). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Fretionary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Mind the Guitar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mind the Guitar holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fretionary has 29 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fretionary ships an update every 4 days, Mind the Guitar every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Fretionary versus Mind the Guitar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFretionaryMind the Guitar
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (29 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings29 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB80 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrandon SumnerMichal Gajek

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Fretionary

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

Mind the Guitar

Subscriptions2
  • Mind the Guitar Plus (Monthly)7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Mind the Guitar Plus (Yearly)7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Fretionary free?
Fretionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mind the Guitar free?
Mind the Guitar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Fretionary or Mind the Guitar?
Mind the Guitar is rated higher. Fretionary averages 4.5 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Mind the Guitar averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Fretionary or Mind the Guitar have ads?
Fretionary shows ads; Mind the Guitar does not.
Which is updated more often, Fretionary or Mind the Guitar?
Fretionary ships an update every 4 days, and Mind the Guitar every 3 weeks. Most recently, Fretionary was updated on November 5, 2026 and Mind the Guitar on October 31, 2026.

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