Guitar Pro review
A one-time-purchase notation editor built around tablature, playback, and practice.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Guitar Pro is notation and tablature software for guitarists, bassists, composers, transcribers, teachers, and other instrumentalists. Its central strength is working with multitrack scores that combine standard notation and tablature, with options for rhythmic, numbered, and slash notation. Guitarists who want to create or read tab while hearing a score played back are the clearest fit; it also has tools for users working with other instruments, including chord, scale, tuning, fretboard, keyboard, and drum views.
The Guitar Pro 8 desktop license costs $69.95 as a one-time payment, and the vendor offers a seven-day demo rather than a free plan. The plan includes notation and tablature editing, MIDI and MusicXML import and export, playback, a metronome, looping, and a speed trainer on Windows and macOS. Separate Guitar Pro mobile applications are available for iOS and Android, so buyers should distinguish those apps from the desktop license when considering how they will work across devices.
For score exchange and practice, MIDI and MusicXML workflows help connect Guitar Pro with files from other notation environments, while audio-track import and synchronization can support work alongside recorded audio. Export options include PDF, PNG, audio, and other score formats. Practice features such as looping, tempo controls, and speed training make it suited to studying passages as well as writing them. Choose it if tablature, multitrack editing, and playback are central to your workflow; it is less suited to someone seeking a free desktop option or a license that includes mobile apps.
Guitar Pro pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Edits multitrack standard notation and tablature
- Supports MIDI and MusicXML import and export
- Includes looping, tempo controls, and a speed trainer
- Where it doesn't
- Desktop license covers Windows and macOS only
- Mobile apps are separate from the desktop license
- No free plan; the demo lasts seven days
Guitar Pro fact sheet, pricing and score →
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