Clone Hero is what most people mean when they say “Frets on Fire but modern”. It is a free, community-made rhythm game inspired by Guitar Hero, it reads the same chart formats, and unlike Frets on Fire it is actively maintained. This comparison is not close on maintenance — it is close on charm.
Head to head
- Maintenance: Frets on Fire stopped in 2008; Clone Hero is maintained and runs cleanly on current Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.
- Controllers: Clone Hero supports guitar controllers, gamepads, MIDI drums and keyboards out of the box, with a proper controller mapper. Vanilla Frets on Fire has generic joystick/keyboard support only.
- Songs: both read community charts; Clone Hero’s community libraries (such as Chorus Encore) are far larger and easier to browse today.
- Online play: Clone Hero v1 supports online multiplayer and public servers. Vanilla Frets on Fire does not offer a comparable modern online mode.
- Feel: Frets on Fire is the original inverted-keyboard game with a deliberately retro presentation. Clone Hero feels like Guitar Hero itself.
Verdict
Play Frets on Fire if you want the 2008 original, its history, or a preservation project. Play Clone Hero (free, from clonehero.net — beware copycat download sites) if you want to actually play rhythm games every week in 2026. Most readers of this site should end up on Clone Hero, and this site says so plainly. See also Frets on Fire vs YARG and best guitar controllers.
Browse the full hub. Related guides: frets on fire vs yarg, fofix vs clone hero, best free rhythm games pc.