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Fat Tones Alternatives: 3 Fretboard Trainers Worth Trying
Guitar

Fat Tones Alternatives: 3 Fretboard Trainers Worth Trying

By Udit M.·

The short answer: Fat Tones is a friendly, gamified iOS-only app that stops at note names and basic pentatonic shapes. Gitori is the best alternative if you liked the game-like feel but want it on any device and want it to keep teaching — with a 7-day free trial, running in any browser, continuing into scale degrees, triads, and arpeggios. FretGenius is the closest match if you want an equally simple note-only habit on Android too, and Fretonomy is the pick if you want a bigger toolbox.

Why look for a Fat Tones alternative

Fat Tones does a good job making note-finding feel like a game rather than a chore, with drag-and-drop exercises and an arcade "Note Blaster" mode. The usual reasons to look further:

  • iOS only. No Android, no browser, no desktop version.
  • It doesn't go past note names and basic pentatonic shapes. There's no path into degrees, triads, or arpeggios once you've learned the neck.
  • It's aimed squarely at beginners, so there's nowhere to grow within the app itself.

See the full Fat Tones vs Gitori comparison for details.

1. Gitori — best overall alternative

Gitori also gamifies note-finding, then keeps going: fretboard notes → scale degrees → triads → seventh chords → arpeggios → modes and the circle of fifths, for guitar, bass, and keyboard.

  • Cross-platform — a web app first, so Android, Windows, Mac, and Chromebook are all covered, plus mobile apps.
  • Live instrument detection, answering quizzes by playing your actual guitar.
  • Spaced review built in, so what you miss keeps coming back until it's automatic.
  • 7-day free trial, no App Store purchase needed to try it.

The honest trade-off: Fat Tones' drag-and-drop and arcade-shooter presentation is a genuinely low-pressure, playful way in for absolute beginners who find flashcards boring — Gitori's games are structured more like short courses than an arcade.

2. FretGenius

If you want to stay purely focused on note names but need Android support Fat Tones doesn't offer, FretGenius covers iOS and Android with a structured "Note Path," heatmaps showing weak zones, and microphone note detection on its PRO tier — all with a "2 minutes a day" framing.

Like Fat Tones, it stops at note names; there's no theory or chord content beyond that.

3. Fretonomy

If you want more variety than pentatonic-shape drills once you've got the basics down, Fretonomy covers nine instruments, 30+ mini-games, a tuner, a metronome, and real-time audio detection, with some depth into intervals and the circle of fifths.

It's mobile-only like Fat Tones, and per-instrument pricing applies after the first few frets.

Which alternative should you pick?

  • Want the same playful feel but on any device, with somewhere to grow? Gitori.
  • Want to stay purely note-focused but need Android? FretGenius.
  • Want a bigger toolbox and more instruments once you've outgrown the basics? Fretonomy.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Fat Tones alternative for Android?

Yes. Fat Tones is iOS only. Gitori runs in any browser (Android included) plus has native mobile apps, and FretGenius and Fretonomy both support Android natively.

What should I use after I outgrow Fat Tones?

Once you can reliably name notes and basic pentatonic shapes, Gitori is the natural next step — it starts at the same note-finding level and continues into scale degrees, triads, chords, and arpeggios, so the skills you built in Fat Tones keep compounding instead of hitting a ceiling.

What's the difference between Fat Tones and Gitori?

Fat Tones is a gamified iOS app for beginners built around drag-and-drop note games and an arcade mode, stopping at note names and basic pentatonic shapes. Gitori is a cross-platform trainer (7-day free trial, then subscription) that also gamifies note-finding, then continues into scale degrees, triads, chords, and arpeggios. See Fat Tones vs Gitori for the full comparison.

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