Free Guitar Tab Makers Compared: Tools for Writing Your Own Tabs
You can write your riff as a tab in different ways: in a browser, in a program on your computer or as plain text. Each way has its strengths. Below are the types of free tools, the criteria for comparing them and a picker for your task.
Three kinds of free tab makers
An online tab builder works in the browser: nothing to install, the project is available from any device and the sound plays right away. Guitar tab software for the computer, often with a free version, gives you full notation and more settings, but you have to install it. Plain text tabs are lines of dashes and numbers that you can type in any editor and paste anywhere.
What to compare
These questions help you compare any free guitar tab software:
- Can you hear your tab: is there playback and how close is it to a guitar.
- Does the editor support slides, bends, hammer-ons, muting and vibrato.
- Can you export the result: an image, a file, a printout.
- Can you share a link and open the tab on another device.
- How long it takes to write the first two bars.
- What limits the free version has: number of projects, export, ads.
Pick a type of editor
Tick what matters for your task and you will see which type fits best.
A free guitar tab creator in the browser: what to expect
A good online tab editor lets you put a note on a string and fret, hear the result at once and save the project. In Riffonic you put notes, chords and drums on a timeline, the tabs are built automatically and the project opens from any device. Free plans more often limit the number of saved projects and export, so check what exactly before you invest time in a big project.
A checklist for an online tab builder
Before you choose, write the same short riff in two tools and answer these questions:
- Did you manage to write the riff in 10 minutes without instructions?
- Does the result sound like what you hear in your head?
- Will the project open tomorrow on another device?
- Can you take your work with you if you leave the service?
Plain text tabs for quick notes
For a quick idea plain text is enough: six lines, each with dashes and fret numbers. The downside is that there is no sound and the rhythm is not visible. When the idea becomes a riff, move it to an editor. Start with the first riff builder, and see how to read what you wrote in the tab reading guide.
Try it in practice
Open Riffonic