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A free Guitar Pro alternative that runs in your browser
Guitar Pro is the standard desktop program for tab, and a paid one. SimpleNotation covers the everyday part of the job for free: write tab and notation side by side, play it back, open the .gp files you already have, and print or share. Nothing to install and no account to start. Here is an honest comparison.
Guitar Pro, by Arobas Music, is a paid tab and notation editor for Windows and macOS, with companion mobile apps. It has its own sound engine and a catalogue of licensed tabs sold separately.
SimpleNotation and Guitar Pro compared
| SimpleNotation | Guitar Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free: writing, playback, import and export, no watermark, no limits on scores | Paid licence per major version |
| Where it runs | Any modern browser on Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iPad and Android; nothing to install | Installed on Windows and macOS; separate mobile apps |
| Account | Not needed to write, play and export; a free guest or account to save online and share links | A licence key; an account for the tab catalogue |
| Notation and tab together | Yes, two linked staves per fretted instrument; either can be hidden | Yes |
| Keyboard note entry | Yes: A–G pitches, intervals, fret numbers, one key per technique; presets modelled on Finale, Guitar Pro and Sibelius | Yes |
| Playback | Synthesized instruments (guitars, bass, piano, organ, strings, winds, brass, mallets, voices, drums), metronome, count-in, loop, tempo without pitch change | Its own sound engine with realistic instrument sounds and effects |
| Guitar Pro files | Opens .gp3, .gp4, .gp5, .gpx and .gp; writes .gp | Opens every version; saves the current .gp format |
| MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, audio | Imports MusicXML and MIDI; exports MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, PNG, text tab, WAV and MP3 | Imports and exports MusicXML and MIDI; exports PDF and audio |
| Sharing | Link to a private, unlisted or public score; viewers listen, print and copy it without an account | Files you send; the mobile apps open them |
Rows about Guitar Pro are based on the vendor’s public product pages, October 2026. Guitar Pro is a trademark of its owner. If something here is out of date, tell us.
When Guitar Pro is the better choice
- You want realistic playback: Guitar Pro’s sound engine and effects are built for that, and SimpleNotation’s synthesized instruments are built to be clear, not to replace an amp.
- You want a licensed tab catalogue inside the program.
- You work offline, on long sessions, with every engraving option a desktop program offers.
When SimpleNotation is the better choice
- You write down lessons, riffs and exercises and want them printed or on a tablet without buying a program.
- You need to open a Guitar Pro file on a machine that does not have Guitar Pro: a Chromebook, a school computer, a phone.
- You want to send a tab as a link that plays in the browser, with no file to install anything for.
- You want a converter: Guitar Pro to MusicXML, to PDF, to MIDI or to text tab, with nothing uploaded.
Moving your files
Your Guitar Pro files open here as they are: every version from .gp3 to .gp, with tracks, tunings, bends, slides, harmonics, chord diagrams, lyrics, repeats and sections. What is not read: whammy-bar dives and volume changes during a song, and the RSE sounds. Going back, SimpleNotation saves .gp files that Guitar Pro 7 and 8 open; Guitar Pro 6 and older cannot read that format. The details are on importing and exporting Guitar Pro.
Questions
Is there a free version of Guitar Pro?
Guitar Pro is sold as a licence; check the vendor for its current trial terms. SimpleNotation is free without a trial period, and it opens Guitar Pro files.
Can SimpleNotation open my Guitar Pro files?
Yes: .gp3, .gp4, .gp5, .gpx and .gp files open in the browser, with tab, notation, techniques and playback. Nothing is uploaded.
Can I save back to Guitar Pro?
Yes. Export a .gp file, which opens in Guitar Pro 7 and 8, MuseScore and Songsterr.
Does it sound like Guitar Pro?
No. Playback uses synthesized instruments that are clear and in tune but not modelled amps. The notes, rhythms and techniques play correctly.
Does it work offline?
No. The editor loads from the web, so it needs a connection to open; an unsaved draft is kept in the browser between visits. Guitar Pro is an installed program and works without one.