onibakuGuitar play-along apps you can pay for once
The apps that listen through the mic are largely subscriptions with their own libraries. The one-off tab players mostly don't listen. Here's the picture from the UK App Store on 5 November 2026. We couldn't check Google Play the same way, so Android versions may differ.
| App | How you pay | Listens through the mic | Your own files |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yousician | Subscription | Yes | No, its own library |
| Simply Guitar | Subscription | Yes | No, its own library |
| Fender Play | Subscription | Yes | No, its own library |
| Rocksmith+ | Subscription | Yes, phone mic or cable | No, its own library |
| Guitar Pro app | One-off, £6.99 | No | Yes, Guitar Pro's formats |
| Tab PlayAlong | Free, with a $4.99 unlock | Not stated | Yes, Guitar Pro's formats. Last updated in 2019 |
| Tabfall (ours) | One-off, £12.99. Three pieces and one import free | Yes, phone mic only | Yes: Guitar Pro 3-5, 7 and 8, MusicXML, MIDI |
What to check before you pay
- Try it on your own guitar first. What a phone mic picks up depends on your guitar, your room and your phone, so a free tier with the full listening matters more than any feature list.
- See if it shows its working. When an app marks a note wrong, can you tell what it thought you played? If it can't show you, you can't tell a bad note from a bad mic.
- Check the tuner's manners. Reviewers of several apps report tuners that kept saying "higher" until a string snapped. A good tuner says when a string looks wrong and doesn't urge you on.
- Backing and speakers. Backing from the phone speaker can reach the mic. Headphones help with any app that listens.
- Where your tabs come from. Import only files you have the right to use.
Tabfall, in short
Falling tab for a real guitar, with The Ear showing what it heard, live. It's offline, with no account and no ads, and the sound stays on your phone unless you choose to send it. We won't quote an accuracy figure until we've measured one on real phones. More about Tabfall.
Yousician, Simply Guitar, Fender Play, Rocksmith+, Guitar Pro and Tab PlayAlong are trademarks of their owners. Tabfall is independent and isn't affiliated with any of them. Facts about other apps checked 5 November 2026 from their App Store listings and help pages; tell us at admin@onibaku.co.uk if something has changed.