Comparison

Fretionary vs Chord Trees

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

Chord Trees

Features
Read full description

Chord Trees is an interactive harmony practice tool by Nathaniel School of Music for musicians who want to see, hear, and understand how chords connect. Build chord trees from notes, explore diatonic harmony, compare piano inversions and guitar fingerings, and loop arpeggios with real instrument sounds. The app is designed for students, songwriters, producers, and teachers who want a visual way to internalize chord progressions. FEATURES * Interactive chord tree visualization * Piano chord inversions and keyboard layouts * Guitar chord fingerings and voicing options * Diatonic mode with major-scale harmony and modes * Arpeggio loop playback for ear training * Instrument combinations including piano, guitar, strings, brass, synth, harp, and marimba * Beginner, intermediate, and advanced learning modes * Works without an account BY NATHANIEL SCHOOL OF MUSIC Built for practical music learning, chord fluency, and composition practice.

Screenshots

Fretionary4 screens
Chord Trees4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chord Trees at none against Fretionary's 3. Chord Trees also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement 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. Chord Trees asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fretionary ships an update every 4 days, Chord Trees every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Fretionary versus Chord Trees: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFretionaryChord Trees
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (25 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews77.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings25 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size57 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBrandon SumnerJason Zachariah

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
None

Chord Trees

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fretionary free?
Fretionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chord Trees free?
Chord Trees is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fretionary or Chord Trees have ads?
Fretionary shows ads; Chord Trees does not.
Which is updated more often, Fretionary or Chord Trees?
Fretionary ships an update every 4 days, and Chord Trees every 5 days. Most recently, Fretionary was updated on October 9, 2026 and Chord Trees on October 7, 2026.

Other comparisons