GuitarChords vs Fretboard King
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GuitarChords
Learn 16 essential guitar chords with interactive charts and audio playback. This app helps you discover chord combinations for songwriting and provides clear instructions on how to play each chord. It's designed to enhance your guitar playing and creative process.
- 16 basic guitar chords
- Interactive chord charts
- Audio playback for chords
- Chord combination discovery
- Songwriting assistance
- Learn and Listen modes
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GuitarChords features 16 basic chords to help boost your learning and creativity when playing guitar. Use GuitarChords to help you write songs. Listen to a list of 16 basic chords to find a combination you like. Once you've found all the chords you like, learn how to play them with beautiful chord charts. Tips: • In the chord selection menu, press the Learn button at the bottom of the screen to toggle between 'Learn' and 'Listen' modes. • Tap chord charts to hear what your selected chord sounds like. The guitar chords featured in this app are commonly used in many of today's popular music. Find the chords needed for your song, then learn to play them with GuitarChords. Note: GuitarChords currently features iAds, but a planned update is coming which will allow users to remove ads with a small purchase.
Fretboard King
Master every note on the guitar fretboard with quick, interactive drills. This app provides instant feedback and personalized insights to help you learn scales, chords, and improvisation skills efficiently. It offers various modes to suit your learning pace and focus.
- 10-note learning sessions
- One-tap answering with instant feedback
- Misses highlight correct positions
- Timed and untimed modes
- Drill specific strings
- Octave challenge
- Offline functionality
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Learn every note on the fretboard - the skill that unlocks solos and ups your level. Fretboard King drills you in fast sessions. The app names a note and a string, G on the A string. Tap where it is on the neck, or play it on your guitar and the app listens. You know instantly if you're right, and if you miss, the correct fret lights up. Round by round, you learn every note on every string. Includes learning hub for new learners. Core value: you learn every note on the guitar neck, so scales, chords and solos start to make sense. -Note-find drill. The app names a note and a string, and you tap where it is. You build instant recall of every note on the neck. - Rounds of 6, 12 or 24 notes. A round fits a spare minute or a long practice session. - Timed or untimed. Learn at your own pace, then push for speed. - String and fret filters. You drill exactly the part of the neck you want. - Octave game. Find one note on every string. You connect notes across the whole neck instead of learning them string by string. - Focus sessions. One tap drills your weakest string. Practice goes where you need it most. - Mic note detection. Play the note and the app checks it. Audio stays on your phone and is never recorded. You practise on the actual instrument, not just a screen. - Listening card. It shows the note you're playing in real time. You know right away whether you hit the right note. - Octave quiz on the guitar. Play a note, then its octave. Octave shapes end up in your hands. - Built-in tuner. An in-tune guitar means the app reads your notes correctly, with no separate tuner app needed. - 4 guided lessons: Open String Mastery, Landmark Frets, Standard Octaves, The B-String Shift. You get a step-by-step method, not just repetition. - Fretboard Explorer. Tap a note and see it everywhere on the neck. You see the patterns across the whole neck at a glance. - Progress sheet: accuracy trend, per-string bars, trickiest note, best streak, answer speed. You see exactly where you're improving and what to work on. - Daily Note: one question a day, with a link straight into a round. Keeps the habit going in a few seconds a day. - Progress nudge. It fires only when your accuracy has actually improved. It encourages you with real progress, not reminders for their own sake. IT WORKS Our data proves, players average 55% in their first round and increase in only a few sessions to above 80%. No sign-up, no account. You're practising within seconds of opening the app. No monthly fees. It's free and supported by ads, and heavy practice days can unlock ad-free overtime by watching one video. You can try the whole app before spending anything. Works offline. You can practice anywhere, even on the bus. Advanced players score 100%. Keep drilling until you do. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://fretboardking.com/privacy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GuitarChords at none against Fretboard King's 1. GuitarChords also leads on iOS requirement (7.0 vs 15.1). Fretboard King's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Fretboard King sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. GuitarChords asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for GuitarChords against 5.0 for Fretboard King. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 4 respectively.
GuitarChords ships an update every 2 months, Fretboard King every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GuitarChords | Fretboard King |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Seitz Jr | Paul McCarthy |
Customer experience
GuitarChords
Fretboard King
In-app purchases
GuitarChords
No in-app purchases
Fretboard King
- Fretboard King Pro7 Days trial$1.991 Month
Questions
Is GuitarChords free?
Is Fretboard King free?
Which has better reviews, GuitarChords or Fretboard King?
Do GuitarChords or Fretboard King have ads?
Which is updated more often, GuitarChords or Fretboard King?
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