Guitar Pro
Guitar Pro is a proprietary multitrack tablature and music score editor developed by French company Arobas Music since 1997. It supports guitar, bass, drums, piano, and other instruments with both standard notation and tablature editing, a built-in sound engine, practice tools, and a virtual pedalboard. Guitar Pro uses a proprietary .gp file format that has become a de facto standard for online tablature sharing. The software is sold as a one-time purchase ($69.95) with paid major version upgrades. Arobas Music is a small private company of approximately 14 employees based in Lille, France. The software has been downloaded over 15 million times worldwide.
Score generated by AI agents based on publicly cited evidence and reviewed by the project maintainer. Not independently validated.
Score History
Timeline events are AI-curated from public reporting. Score trajectory is derived from documented events.
Arobas Music was founded by David Gros and Franck Duhamel in Lille, France. Guitar Pro 1 through 4 were basic tablature editors for Windows with MIDI playback. The .gp3/.gp4 formats began spreading through online tab-sharing communities in the late 1990s, establishing early format lock-in. As a small shareware product with no free alternatives, the paid software model carried modest monetization friction, but the company was founder-owned with no external pressures.
Guitar Pro 5 introduced the Realistic Sound Engine, a major leap from MIDI playback to sampled instruments. The .gp5 format became the de facto standard for online tablature sharing as sites like Ultimate Guitar and GProTab grew rapidly. Format lock-in deepened as musicians accumulated large .gp5 libraries. The 2006 MPA campaign against free tab sites indirectly benefited Guitar Pro's licensed content approach. Arobas Music remained a small, privately funded French company with steady development.
Guitar Pro 6 was a ground-up rewrite with a new XML-based .gpx format, redesigned interface, improved RSE, and Linux support. The format change again broke forward compatibility, locking GP6 users into the new ecosystem. Arobas Music launched the mySongBook licensed tab catalog and the iOS mobile app (viewer only, no editing). The mySongBook credit-per-tab model introduced a second revenue stream alongside one-time software sales. TuxGuitar emerged as a viable free open-source alternative, increasing competitive pressure.
Guitar Pro 7 modernized the interface, added 14 amps and 40 effects pedals, MP3/FLAC/OGG export, and a polyphonic tuner. However, it dropped Linux support established in GP6, forcing Linux users to switch tools or use Wine. Another new .gp format broke forward compatibility for the third consecutive major version. The free GP7.5 update in 2019 added major features at no cost, partially offsetting upgrade friction. mySongBook transitioned from per-tab credits to subscriptions, introducing a minor monetization layer shift.
Guitar Pro 8 continued the additive feature trajectory with audio import, virtual pedalboard, and free point updates like 8.1's SVG export. The .gp format ecosystem lock-in has fully matured — over 70,000 tabs on GProTab alone, plus vast archives on Ultimate Guitar and other sites. Third-party tools like TuxGuitar and alphaTab read older GP formats but struggle with newer versions. Arobas Music remains a founder-owned 14-person company in Lille with no external investor pressure, steady pricing ($69.95 full, $34.95 upgrade), and GDPR-compliant data practices.
Alternatives
Free, open-source music notation software supporting both standard notation and tablature. Full-featured score editor with a large community and plugin ecosystem. Handles all instruments, not just guitar. Can import GP format files. The strongest free alternative for notation, though its guitar-specific workflow is less polished than Guitar Pro's.
Free, open-source tablature editor that directly targets Guitar Pro's use case. Reads GP3, GP4, GP5 format files and supports multi-track editing. Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The UI is basic and lacks Guitar Pro's sound engine quality and practice tools, but covers the core tab editing workflow at zero cost.
Professional notation software by Avid, used in academic and professional music contexts. Far more powerful for orchestral and ensemble scoring but significantly more expensive (subscription-based). Overkill for casual tablature editing but a strong choice for users who need professional-grade notation beyond guitar tabs.
Dimensional Breakdown
Summaries below were written by AI agents based on the cited evidence. They are editorial interpretations, not independent research findings.
Dimension History
Timeline (20 events)
Arobas Music Founded in Lille, France
David Gros and Franck Duhamel, two guitar enthusiasts, founded Arobas Music in Lille, France. They released Guitar Pro 1, a basic tablature editor for Windows using the proprietary .gtp format. The company was self-funded with no external investment.
Guitar Pro 5 Introduces Realistic Sound Engine
Guitar Pro 5 launched with the Realistic Sound Engine (RSE), replacing basic MIDI playback with sampled instruments for more realistic audio rendering. This was a major feature addition that significantly improved the software's value for musicians practicing along with their tabs. The macOS version followed in July 2006.
MPA Launches Legal Campaign Against Tablature Websites
The Music Publishers' Association (MPA) announced an active campaign to pursue tablature websites for copyright infringement, sending DMCA takedown notices and cease-and-desist letters to ISPs hosting free tab sites. MPA president Lauren Keiser stated the goal was for tab site operators to face fines and imprisonment. This drove demand toward legal alternatives like Guitar Pro's licensed mySongBook catalog.
Guitar Pro 6 Released as Complete Redesign
Guitar Pro 6 was a ground-up rewrite with a new interface, redesigned ergonomics, and an entirely new XML-based file format (.gpx). The new version introduced multiple document tabs, 4-voice editing, an improved RSE with sampled instruments, and for the first time, Linux support (32-bit Ubuntu). The format change meant .gpx files could not be opened in previous versions.
GP6 Introduces New .gpx Format Breaking Forward Compatibility
Guitar Pro 6 switched to a new XML-based .gpx file format with proprietary dictionary compression, replacing the older binary .gp5 format. Files created in GP6 could not be opened in GP5 or earlier, and there was no export path back to older formats. Users who upgraded were locked into the new version, and anyone receiving a .gpx file needed GP6 to open it.
Guitar Pro Mobile App Launches on iOS
Arobas Music released the first portable version of Guitar Pro on the App Store for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad running iOS 3.0 or later. The mobile app was a read-only viewer and player — it could not edit full Guitar Pro files. Only a basic single-track NotePad feature allowed limited tab creation.
Guitar Pro 7 Beta Unveiled at NAMM 2017
Arobas Music showcased a beta version of Guitar Pro 7 at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. The preview demonstrated a modernized interface, improved sound management, and new editing features including tablature support for non-guitar instruments. The presentation generated significant interest in the upcoming major release.
Guitar Pro 7 Launches, Drops Linux Support
Guitar Pro 7 was released with a completely redesigned interface, new sound engine with 14 guitar and bass amps, 40 effects pedals, polyphonic tuner, and MP3/FLAC/OGG export. However, the update dropped Linux support that had been available since GP6 in 2010. Arobas Music stated they do not plan to release a Linux-compatible version, forcing Linux users to either run GP7 via Wine or switch to TuxGuitar.
GP7 Introduces Unified .gp Format, Again Breaking Forward Compatibility
Guitar Pro 7 introduced yet another new file format (.gp), replacing the GP6 .gpx format. As with every major format change, files created in GP7 could not be opened in GP6 or earlier versions, continuing the pattern of forward incompatibility that drives upgrade pressure for users sharing files with collaborators.
Guitar Pro 7.5 Free Update Adds Major Features
Guitar Pro 7.5 was unveiled at NAMM 2019 and released as a free update for all GP7 users. It added improved MIDI import, single-click score editing, 9- and 10-string guitar tablature support, drums view with component visualization, and improved soundbanks for strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. This was a substantial feature addition at no extra cost.
Guitar Pro 7.5.3 Update with Bug Fixes and Improvements
Guitar Pro 7.5.3 was released with numerous corrections and improvements, demonstrating the company's commitment to maintaining and refining point releases between major versions at no additional charge to users.
Guitar Pro 7.5.5 Released During COVID Guitar Boom
Guitar Pro 7.5.5 was released during a period when guitar and music software sales surged due to COVID-19 lockdowns. Guitar sales industry-wide increased 15% from 2019 to 2020, and music instruction apps saw massive user growth. The update included interface improvements and bug fixes.
Guitar Pro 8 Released with Audio Import and Apple Silicon Support
Guitar Pro 8 launched with several significant new features: audio file import with time-stretching for transcription workflows, a virtual pedalboard with drag-and-drop stompboxes, a command palette for quick feature access, improved soundbank accuracy, and native Apple Silicon support. Priced at $69.95 full or $34.95 upgrade, it received positive reviews from Guitar World, Guitar Gear Finder, and Gearnews.
Guitar Pro 8.1 Adds SVG Export and Jianpu Notation
The free 8.1 update added SVG vector export for content creators and teachers, Jianpu (numbered musical notation) support expanding the product's reach in Asian markets, a free mySongBook scores category, improved soundbank accuracy, and chord transposition with names and fingerings. This was a substantial free update continuing the additive feature pattern.
Finale Notation Software Discontinued
MakeMusic announced the discontinuation of Finale, one of the oldest and most established notation software programs. Arobas Music responded with a crossgrade offer giving Finale users 20% off Guitar Pro 8 using code WELCOME, and published a blog post positioning Guitar Pro as one of six Finale alternatives. The move represented standard competitive marketing in response to a market opportunity.
GProTab Hosts Over 70,000 Free Guitar Pro Tab Files
GProTab.net, one of the largest free Guitar Pro tab sharing sites, grew to host over 70,000 compositions available for download without registration. Combined with tab archives on Ultimate Guitar, GtpTabs, and GuitarProTabs.org, the .gp format ecosystem represents by far the largest corpus of tablature files online, reinforcing Guitar Pro's de facto standard status.
mySongBook Credit System Discontinued in Favor of Subscriptions
Arobas Music discontinued the ability to purchase new mySongBook credits, moving exclusively to subscription-based access for the tab catalog. The legacy per-tab credit system had allowed users to buy individual scores; now subscriptions (from $2.99/month to annual plans) are the sole access model. Previously purchased credits remain usable until exhausted. Subscriptions do not auto-renew.
Soundslice Offers Free Web-Based Guitar Pro File Viewer
Soundslice provides a free online viewer supporting Guitar Pro versions 3 through 8, allowing users to upload and play GP files in any web browser without installing software. Files are viewable for 10 minutes on the free tier. This represents a significant reduction in lock-in for users who need to view GP files but don't want to purchase Guitar Pro.
New Guitar Pro Mobile App Prototype Shown at NAMM 2025
Arobas Music unveiled a prototype of the redesigned Guitar Pro mobile app at NAMM Show 2025. The new app featured a completely redesigned interface with the same sound and visual rendering as Guitar Pro 8 desktop. The app remained a reader/player rather than a full editor. The release date was not announced.
Guitar Pro Mobile App Demo at NAMM 2026
Arobas Music demonstrated a more advanced prototype of the upcoming mobile app at NAMM Show 2026, featuring audio speed adjustment and improved interface. The team gathered user feedback but still did not commit to a release date. The app continues the reader/player approach rather than full editing.
Evidence (27 citations)
D1: User Value Erosion
D2: Business Customer Exploitation
D3: Shareholder Extraction
D4: Lock-in & Switching Costs
D5: Twiddling & Algorithmic Opacity
D6: Dark Patterns
D7: Advertising & Monetization Pressure
D8: Competitive Conduct
D9: Labor & Governance
D10: Regulatory & Legal Posture
Scoring Log (5 entries)
Stripped for Phase 2 re-enrichment
Corrected price ($75 to $69.95), fixed MusicXML erroneously listed as export format (import only), updated mySongBook pricing, corrected evidence dates, fixed employee count
Added 9 missing dimension narratives (d1, d2, d3, d5, d6, d7, d8, d9, d10)