Comparison

FretMachine vs PocketTone

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

Head to head
About

FretMachine

This app allows musicians to sketch guitar parts by placing chords on a fretboard and creating strumming patterns. It offers an intuitive alternative to traditional tab workflows, enabling users to build chord progressions and export ideas as MIDI files for DAWs.

Highlights
  • Fretboard chord input
  • Strumming pattern sequencer
  • Chord library with advanced chords
  • Real-time chord analysis
  • MIDI export for DAWs
  • Timeline arrangement
Read full description

Place chords on the fretboard. Sketch guitar parts with strumming patterns. FretMachine is a guitar chord and strumming sequencer for musicians, producers, songwriters, and DAW users. Unlike traditional tab-based workflows, FretMachine provides a more intuitive way to create guitar parts. Place chords on a fretboard-style interface, create strumming patterns in the rhythm sequencer, and arrange your ideas on the timeline. When you place notes on the fretboard, FretMachine analyzes the shape in real time and shows you the chord name. You can also choose chords directly from the chord library and quickly build chord progressions. Once your chords are ready, create strumming patterns on the rhythm grid, arrange them on the timeline, and export your ideas as MIDI files for further production in your DAW. KEY FEATURES • Strum-Based Sequencing Create guitar ideas around chords and strumming rhythms instead of entering notes one by one. • Pattern-Based Sequencer Arrange strumming and rhythm patterns freely on the timeline to structure your song ideas. • Chord Library Supports Basic Triads, 7th chords, tension chords such as 9th/11th/13th, sus/add chords, Altered chords, and a variety of guitar voicings. • Reverse Chord Finder Place notes on the fretboard and see the chord name analyzed in real time. • Fretboard Input Enter and sequence chord shapes while viewing a visual guitar fretboard interface. • Rhythm & Strumming Pattern Editor Design strumming rhythms on a grid using downstrokes and upstrokes. • MIDI Export Export completed guitar parts as MIDI files and bring them into your DAW. FretMachine helps you quickly build guitar-focused ideas, from chord sketches to pattern-based song drafts.

About

PocketTone

This app recreates the experience of a hand-drawn, retro pocket synthesizer. It features a vintage LCD display, slide switches, and chunky buttons, allowing users to play various retro voices, program custom sounds, and jam along to built-in rhythms. Users can also record and share their musical creations.

Highlights
  • Five retro voices (Piano, Flute, Violin, Fantasy, Guitar)
  • Program custom synth voices
  • Ten built-in rhythms
  • Sound shaping controls (octave, volume, balance)
  • Tape-style Delay and lo-fi Crush effects
  • Record and share audio
  • Melody memory (Auto-Play, One-Key play)
Features
Read full description

PocketTone is a hand-drawn, retro pocket synthesizer you can play anywhere. Tap the keys and a tiny lo-fi synth comes to life — complete with a green LCD, slide switches and chunky buttons, all lovingly hand-drawn. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Play five retro voices — Piano, Flute, Violin, Fantasy and Guitar. • Program your own voice the way the original did it — an eight-digit code typed on the calculator keys: waveform, envelope, vibrato, tremolo. • Jam over ten built-in rhythms — March, Rock, Bossa, Samba and more. • Shape the sound with octave, volume and a melody/rhythm balance. • Add tape-style Delay and lo-fi Crush effects. • Record what you play and share the audio with anyone. • Use the melody memory — Auto-Play, One-Key play and a built-in demo tune. • Flip to calculator mode… then play the keypad as a melody. The classic pocket-toy party trick, faithfully recreated. POCKETTONE PRO A single one-time purchase unlocks everything: all voices, all rhythms, recording & sharing, the melody memory, and the effects. No subscription — yours forever. Made as a love letter to the pocket musical toys of the 80s.

Screenshots

FretMachine4 screens
PocketTone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: FretMachine at 5.0 against PocketTone's 2.0. FretMachine also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. FretMachine sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PocketTone sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

FretMachine holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FretMachine ships an update daily, PocketTone every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
FretMachine versus PocketTone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFretMachinePocketTone
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size227 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKyuhwa ChoiChih Han Lin

Customer experience

FretMachine

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

PocketTone

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

FretMachine

One-time1
  • Pro Unlock$4.99
1 purchases

PocketTone

One-time1
  • PocketTone Pro$3.99

Questions

Is FretMachine free?
FretMachine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PocketTone free?
PocketTone is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FretMachine or PocketTone?
FretMachine is rated higher. FretMachine averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while PocketTone averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do FretMachine or PocketTone have ads?
Neither FretMachine nor PocketTone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FretMachine or PocketTone?
FretMachine ships an update daily, and PocketTone every 2 months. Most recently, FretMachine was updated on November 5, 2026 and PocketTone on October 31, 2026.

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