You want to learn guitar, but the path feels foggy. I get it. The internet throws a hurricane of apps at you – some fun, some confusing, some that promise miracles. In this post, I clear the storm. I’ll show you exactly which apps do what, and how you can use them without wasting time.
You’ll find complete learning platforms if you want step-by-step lessons and songs. You’ll get tools for finding tabs and learning real songs faster. You’ll see tuning and tone apps that make your guitar sound right, theory and ear training apps that make music make sense, and practice tools that keep you on track. I won’t hype anything. I’ll focus on what each app actually offers, in simple language you can use today.
Read this if you want a clean map: which app to open when you want to learn a riff, fix your timing, tune in drop D, explore amps, or finally understand chords and scales. By the end, you’ll have a toolkit you can trust—and a plan you can start in the next five minutes.
Complete Learning Platforms
Fender Play
Fender Play gives you step-by-step video lessons that follow clear paths for acoustic, electric, and even bass. I like how it organizes content by style and skill level, so you can choose rock, blues, folk, or country and get a logical sequence. The short lessons keep momentum, and the practice routines suggest what to do next.
You can learn famous song riffs and full songs, with chord charts and tabs on-screen. It also includes technique tips, tone basics, and bite-sized theory. Progress tracking, streaks, and quick quizzes help you stay consistent. It works on mobile and desktop for easy practice anywhere.
GuitarTricks
GuitarTricks offers a huge library with over 11,000 lessons and 1,000+ songs. The Core Learning System guides you from absolute beginner to intermediate through structured, genre-focused courses. I like the clear camera work, split-screen views for both hands, and built-in tabs that sync with the video. Songs cover many artists and include step-by-step breakdowns.
You also get style tracks for blues, rock, country, metal, and more, plus technique and theory sections. The search and filtering make it easy to find exactly what you need, and progress tracking helps you pick up right where you left off.
Yousician
Yousician turns practice into a game and uses your device’s microphone to give real-time feedback on timing and notes. You play along with on-screen exercises, riffs, and songs, and it scores your accuracy as you go. I like the structured levels that unlock progressively, which keeps your goals clear.
The lesson flow mixes technique drills, chords, scales, and simple theory. You can slow down tough parts and loop sections for focused practice. Weekly challenges, goals, and streaks boost consistency. It supports acoustic and electric, works with standard tuning, and runs on phones, tablets, and computers for quick sessions.
Apps for Learning Songs and Tablature
Ultimate Guitar
I use Ultimate Guitar when I want quick access to chords and tabs for almost any song. The platform hosts a massive user-submitted library with multiple versions of each tab, ratings, and comments to help you find the most accurate take.
The mobile app offers autoscroll, transpose, and capo tools, which saves time during practice. I like filtering by difficulty, tuning, and type (chords, tab, pro). The “Pro” versions include official tabs with playback, which helps you hear parts in context. You can bookmark favorites, build setlists, and switch between instruments like guitar, bass, or ukulele.
Songsterr
When I need clear, playable tabs with audio, I open Songsterr. Each tab syncs with clean playback, so you can hear exactly how a part fits. I slow the speed down without changing pitch, loop tricky measures, and isolate instruments to focus on guitar lines.
The interface is simple, and the catalog covers a wide range of genres. I also appreciate the consistent formatting, which reduces confusion from messy user uploads. You can switch between standard notation and tab, track your progress through songs, and practice rhythms more accurately thanks to the built-in metronome feel of the player.
Chordify
Chordify helps me figure out chords fast from any song. I load a track from YouTube or my files, and it generates chord charts aligned to the timeline. This is great for learning progressions, transposing to a comfortable key, and playing along without hunting down tabs. I edit chords if I hear a better voicing and save versions for later. The interface highlights chord changes in real time, which trains your timing. I use it to explore unfamiliar genres and to practice strumming patterns over accurate changes. It works on desktop and mobile, and supports guitar, piano, and ukulele.
Guitar Pro
Guitar Pro is my go-to for professional tablature editing and playback. I write and read tabs with precise rhythm notation, multiple tracks, and advanced techniques like bends, slides, and harmonics. The RSE (Realistic Sound Engine) makes practice more musical, and I can slow down, loop, and solo tracks to analyze parts. I import and export GP files, MIDI, and MusicXML, which is useful for collaborating. The software includes scale and chord libraries, fretboard and keyboard views, and tools like a metronome and speed trainer. If you want clean, printable sheets and detailed arrangements, this app delivers.
Tuning and Tone Apps
GuitarTuna
I recommend GuitarTuna if you want a fast, friendly tuner that just works. It uses your phone’s microphone to detect pitch and gives clear visual guidance, so you know whether to tune up or down. You can switch between standard tuning and many alternates like Drop D, Open G, and DADGAD.
It includes a metronome, chord library, and basic ear training games that help you recognize chords and improve timing. The interface feels clean and responsive, which reduces frustration when you’re new to tuning. It’s a great everyday tool to get your guitar in tune in seconds.
Fender Tune
Fender Tune focuses on accuracy and simplicity. I like its clean display with precise needle movement that helps you land right on pitch. You can pick from standard, drop, and open tunings, or use the auto mode to tune string by string without touching anything on the screen.
It also offers a manual mode with reference tones if you want to practice tuning by ear. The app includes setup tips and bite-size guides that explain how to tune safely and avoid string breaks. If you want trustworthy tuning with minimal distractions, this is a strong choice.
Music Theory and Ear Training Apps
Perfect Ear
Perfect Ear helps you train your ears and understand the building blocks of music. I use it to practice interval recognition, chord quality identification, and scale degrees with bite-sized drills. You can set custom practice routines, track your accuracy, and slowly increase difficulty.
The app also covers rhythm training with clapping exercises, sight-reading for rhythms, and melodic dictation where you tap out notes you hear. It includes theory lessons on scales, modes, and chords, and you can create your own exercises if you want to target weak spots. Audio feedback is clear, and the daily streaks keep you consistent.
ChordBank
ChordBank gives you a deep chord library with clear finger positions and optional alternatives up and down the neck. You can view multiple voicings for the same chord, see which fingers to use, and hear how each shape sounds. I rely on the built-in tools like chord search by note, left-handed mode, and chord progression helpers.
The app often shows fretboard diagrams with muted strings marked, and it provides tips to avoid buzzing and improve transitions. If you’re writing songs, you can test voicings in different keys quickly and save progressions to revisit during practice.
Practice Tools and Metronomes
Pro Metronome
I use Pro Metronome when I want precise control over rhythm. You can set simple or complex time signatures, choose subdivisions, and program polyrhythms to practice cross-rhythms and accents. It offers visual, audio, and vibration cues, which helps when you practice without looking at the screen.
The setlist feature lets you save tempos for different songs, and you can create tempo ramps for gradual speed changes. I like the tap tempo for quick setup and the ability to mute accents to test inner timing. It’s reliable on stage and in the practice room.
Time Guru
Time Guru helps you build real timing independence. You set a tempo, then the app randomly mutes clicks according to a pattern you choose. When the click drops out, you learn to feel the beat instead of chasing it.
You can control how often it mutes, the subdivision, and the time signature. It also supports odd meters and has a humanized feel option so the click isn’t overly robotic. I use it to check if my groove stays steady across riffs, chord changes, and tricky picking patterns.
Amazing Slow Downer
When I need to learn a solo or a complex riff by ear, I open Amazing Slow Downer. It lets you slow down any song without changing the pitch, so bends and vibrato sound natural even at low speeds. You can set precise loop points, shift pitch by cents or semitones, and adjust EQ to bring the guitar forward in the mix.
It loads tracks from local files or streaming services that support it, and it remembers your loops. I use it to isolate licks, repeat them at 60–80% speed, and then step up the tempo.
Your Pocket Toolkit for Learning Guitar
I walked you through a complete toolkit of guitar apps that make learning clearer and less scary. I grouped them by purpose so you can pick what fits your practice.
I wrote this to help you see which apps cover lessons, songs, tuning, theory, tone, and practice, so you can build a setup that keeps you moving. Which apps have helped you most, or what would you add to this list? Tell me in the comments.