Best Guitar Learning App – Finding The Right App For You

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The best guitar learning app is one that keeps you growing with your instrument! Let’s see what some of the best apps look like!

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In this free lesson you will learn…

• 7 easy-to-use apps to help you step up your guitar playing
• The pros & cons of each
• How to find the app that’s right for you
• How to know if an app isn’t right for you

Let’s Find The Best Guitar Learning App For You!

Thanks to technology, learning guitar is easier than ever before.

In the past, anyone who wanted to learn songs had to do it by ear, order guitar magazines, or buy tab books.

• Now, with just the tap of a few buttons on your phone, you have an endless supply of guitar learning tools.
• While there are countless websites and YouTube channels with advice, having an app that’s easy to access any time (even on the go), is a must for a lot of guitar players.
• For that reason, we’ve decided to do an overview of some of the biggest and best apps on the current market. Check out our list for finding the best guitar learning app for you below!

With all of this in mind, we didn’t pick a top #1 best guitar learning app, because everyone’s learning style and needs are different.

Some players just want tabs, some are mastering chords, some need in-app tuning and metronomes.

Instead, we picked ones that are the best for each type of feature and each section explains what makes that app different and how to know if it’s a good fit for you.

The Best Guitar Learning App – What To Look For

Depending on your guitar goals and preferences, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind when you’re looking for the best guitar learning app.

These things include:

• Learning style – each app either offers tabs, chords, classical music, or a different format entirely.

Depending on what you prefer to use, make sure you find one that caters to that.

Some apps do offer a variety of sheet music, but most of them don’t.

• Compatibility – not every app will work with every device and system.

Each app listed below is marked for which type of device it can be used with.

• Number of song and learning options – every app differs in the amount of songs, lessons, and features they offer to users.

• Price – some apps are free to use and others want you to pay for either the app upfront or through a subscription.
• Songwriting – if you want to begin writing your own songs, you’ll want to make sure you have the best guitar learning app that caters to this goal.
• Feedback – some apps will tell you when you’re on track and when you’re off the beat. This will help you learn the rhythm without having to record yourself and play it back due to the real-time feedback. The best guitar learning app is one that helps keep you evolving!

Best Guitar Learning App I – ChordBank

Works on what systems: iOS 9.0 or later and Android 4.4 and up

Cost: Free with optional in-app purchases

Who this app is perfect for & what makes it different:

If you’re still working on mastering the chords, or you need an app where you can hear the different chords and scales, ChordBankcould be the best guitar learning app for you.

This app is not for you if:

If you’re simply trying to learn tabs, this might not be a good app for you. As with the name of this app, it’s mostly chord-based so if you want another style of sheet music, this app might not be a good fit. It also does require an in-app purchase to unlock all the features.

Pros:

• On the iOS version it will tell you which chords sound nice together
• Built-in guitar lessons
• Audio samples of each chords
• Learn chord progressions quickly and easily

Cons:

• Need to pay for additional chord diagrams if you want more than the basic chords
• Some of the better features are also behind a paywall
• Android doesn’t have as many functions as the iOS versions

Download on Apple

Download on Android

Best Guitar Learning App II – Ultimate Guitar: Chords & Tabs

Works on what systems: iOS 9.3 or later & Android 4.4 or later

Cost: Free with monthly and yearly membership fee options

Who this app is perfect for & what makes it different:

As the name of the app implies, this is an app that is centered around tab-based learning.

This is the best guitar learning app for you if you want to be able to put the songs you want to learn into playlists and have then ready at your fingertips for easy playing.

One of the best parts of the Ultimate Guitar app is that you’re able to search through songs based on how hard or easy they are so you can find songs perfect for your skill level.

Even for harder songs, there is a “simplify” button you can hit to make it easier.

This app is not for you if:

If you have no interest in learning tabs and instead want to focus on chords or writing your own songs, this is not the best guitar learning app for you.

Pros:

• Over one million free tabs to read
• Can access favorite tabs even when you’re offline
• Speed up or slow down songs to learn at your own pace
• Search for songs by difficulty level
• A metronome built-in so you know you’re hitting the notes on time

Cons:

• Costs money to get most of the features
• In-app ads

Download on Apple

Download on Android

Best Guitar Learning App III – GuitarTuna

Works on what systems: iOS 9.0 and later & Android 4.4 and later

Cost: Free with app upgrades inside the app

Who this app is perfect for & what makes it different: While this app doesn’t offer a lot of lessons or tabs, it is one of the best tuners in the app store.

• Using professional-grade accuracy, the app lets you know with a beep sound when you’ve tuned the note to the right pitch.
• Having a precise tuner is important, and that’s why this makes our list for the best guitar learning app.
• Having a tuner that works even in noisy areas for quick tuning is a huge help for anyone learning guitar.

This app is not for you if:

If you already have a tuner, this app won’t give you much help outside of that.

Pros:

• Best guitar learning app for tuning your guitar with professional-grade accuracy
• 6 chord-learning games in the app
• 4 songs to learn
• Works in noisy areas
• Can tune other instruments
• Has a metronome for learning rhythm

Cons:

• Limited options when it comes to learning more songs
• Mostly for tuning
• Tuning capabilities for additional instruments requires an upgrade to the full version

Download on Apple

Download on Android

Best Guitar Learning App IV – GuitarTapp PRO

Works on what systems: iOS 5.1.1 or later & Android 2.1 and up

Cost: $2.99

Who this app is perfect for and what makes it different:

One of the features that sets GuitarTapp Pro apart from other guitar learning apps is the fact that it has an auto-scrolling feature that makes following along even easier.

• Instead of playing a few lines and then having to scroll to the next set of tabs, you simply just keep playing.
• It also automatically fits the charts to the size of your screen, no matter what device you use.

This is the best guitar learning app if you’re focused on learning songs and singing along!

This app is not for you if:

If all you need are simple tabs, there are other apps out there that provide more free tabs than this one.

Pros:

• Upfront cost, but cheaper than a lot of apps after you consider the cost of other app subscriptions
• On-board chord dictionary to view alternate chord finger placement
• 500,000 guitar tabs
• Gives you the power to save and edit tabs to your liking

Cons:

• Some devices have issues with font size, so check the reviews on the device you plan to download it to before purchasing

Download on Apple

Download on Android

Best Guitar Learning App V – Yousician

Works on what systems: iOS 9.0 or later & Android 4.4 and up

Cost: Free with in-app purchases

Who this app is perfect for and what makes it different:

Yousician offers a truly unique form of learning how to play guitar.

If you were a fan of Guitar Hero and you also are looking for the best guitar learning app, this one is a perfect combination between the two.

This app is not for you if:

Although this format of learning is exciting and feels similar to a video game, if that’s not your style of learning this might not be a good way for you to learn how to play the guitar.

This is the best guitar learning app for beginners who want a fun experience learning to play guitar, but it doesn’t help you to break away from it afterward to venture out on your own.

Pros:

• Get immediate feedback for your playing skills
• No additional equipment or setup required since it listens to your notes through the microphone on your device
• Has additional challenges where you compete against other users to keep it exciting and challenging as you learn
• Easily the best guitar learning app for game-based education

Cons:

• The subscription is costly at $19.99/month or $119.99/year
• Only 1,500 songs to play

Download on Apple

Download on Android

Best Guitar Learning App VI – Guitar Lessons By Guitar Tricks

Works on what systems: iOS 8 or later & Android 4.1 and up

Cost: Free with in-app purchases

Who this app is perfect for and what makes it different:

Similar to some of the other apps, Guitar Lessons has a subscription model as well.

The free version also offers some of the lessons, but to access all of them you must upgrade to a subscription.

If you’re looking for something to commit to, this is the best guitar learning app for you!

This app is not for you if:

While this app offers some of the most in-depth tutorials and lessons compared to some of the others, it’s not everyone’s learning style.

• If you don’t want to learn the fundamentals of different types of music (blues, rock, etc) and simply want to learn your favorite songs, an app with tabs might be a better fit.
• If you also have spotty internet connection or want to practice when you’re offline, keep in mind that unlike some other apps, this one does not give you the ability to download the videos, lessons, or tabs.
• You cannot access all of the features this app provides in offline mode.
• This is not the best guitar learning app for you if you don’t plan on using your internet connection.

Pros:

• Good for every skill level, from beginner to advanced
• Over 11,000+ lessons
• Clear-cut lessons to show you when and how you’re progressing
• Has some lessons to teach you how the greatest guitarists play
• Their own “Core Learning System” for teaching guitar
• Constantly updated lessons to keep your skills fresh

Cons:

• No ability to download lessons to your phone for offline mode
• Can only mark lessons as “completed” through the web browser

Download on Apple

Download on Android

Best Guitar Learning App VII – iReal Pro

Works on what systems: iOS 11.4 or later and Android (the version of Android depends on what device you plan to use)

Cost: $13.99

Who this app is perfect for and what makes it different:

As opposed to other apps, iReal Pro wasn’t made with the main goal of teaching you how to play guitar.

• Instead, it creates the sound of a band so you can have accompanying sounds as you practice.
• Depending on what type of guitar music you want to learn, having a band in your pocket can help you practice. This app also allows you to create chord charts to refer back to.

This is the best guitar learning app for Jazz guitar players especially, as you have access to countless chord charts for Jazz standards within the app! Super convenient!

This app is not for you if:

If you are looking for lessons on playing guitar or want specific tabs, this probably isn’t the best guitar learning app for you.

Pros:

• Piano, guitar, bass, and drum accompaniments
• Create your own chord chart
• Create a background band to follow along while you play
• Over 50 accompaniment styles
• Create playlists of your songs
• Export charts and audio of songs you create
• Access to countless chord charts

Cons:

• Will not teach you how to play the guitar
• Although it tells you the chord positioning for a specific note, it will show them all in their letter format instead of tabs when you’re playing
• May not be the best guitar learning app for absolute beginner guitarists

Download on Apple

Download on Android

The Best Guitar Learning App Is The One That’s Right For You!

Finding an app that suits your learning style may seem difficult, but it’s simply a matter of narrowing down your options and experimenting!

You may find that there isn’t just one best guitar learning app for you, and that’s okay! Just make sure you make enough space on your phone first!

Keep learning, and keep playing!

Recommended resources:

Here’s some more National Guitar Academy lessons you may enjoy:

• Barre Chords: The Ultimate Guide
• Basic Guitar Lessons: 6 Tips Every Guitarist Must Know
• 10 Easy Songs On Guitar
• 3 Easy Guitar Lessons For Beginners
• 5 Guitar Songs For Beginners