Comparison

TN vs Year One

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

TN

Read full description

TN-DR is a simple drum machine. ◆It's really easy to use. ◆Exact beats, and of course you can use it instead of a metronome. ◆The rhythm pattern that you made, you can send to your friend by AirDrop or email. ◆And also the data is a common use with TN-1G(guitar tuner), TN-1B(bass tuner) and Maelz DX Pro(metronome), you can share the rhythm pattern with the guitarist and bassist of your band. ◆Unlike drum machine features in TN-1G,B, this app can play in the background. ◆You can import/export rhythm pattern to TN-1G,B,Maelz DX Pro in your iPhone, and can be shared.

About

Year One

Experience music in a new dimension with augmented reality. Move around your space to uncover hidden sounds, build melodies, and create unique listening experiences by interacting with spatial audio arrangements.

Highlights
  • Spatial album listening
  • Augmented reality soundscapes
  • Interactive music exploration
  • Build melodies and chords
  • Dynamic audio effects
  • Create unique listening experiences
Read full description

Hear different lyrics in the corners of your room; build melodies as you walk around your couch; hear hidden parts and build your own chords just by walking through the space around you. Year One is the first spatial album, utilizing the possibilities of augmented reality technology, by D.C. group and label TCW. Upon launching the Year One app, the different sounds and instruments of the songs will populate and begin moving through the space around you. Your movement, tracked by your smartphone, will affect which sounds you hear and change how individual effects are applied to them, making for a different listening experience each time. This final release of the album contains all eight spatial arrangements from TCW, Wall of Trophies, and N.E. Hertzberg. TCW has released a how-to guide for any musician to build their own similar app independently. Alongside the guide, TCW has begun cataloging spatial composition techniques for other musicians to use and contribute to. This guide and techniques can all be found on tcwav.com. TCW released their first spatial album, Inauguration, in early 2017 using smartphone GPS positional tracking, and released a similar guide for building spatial applications. Contact the group at tcw@tcwav.com Headphones required for proper audio spatialization.

Screenshots

TN1 screens
Year One4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Year One at none against TN's 1. Year One also leads on ads (none vs shown). TN's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. TN sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Year One asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TN ships an update every 5 months, Year One every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on March 7, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
TN versus Year One: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTNYear One
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.3 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 7 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB407 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlowbend.jpTCW

In-app purchases

1 purchases

TN

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
None

Year One

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TN free?
TN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Year One free?
Year One is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do TN or Year One have ads?
TN shows ads; Year One does not.
Which is updated more often, TN or Year One?
TN ships an update every 5 months, and Year One every 7 months. Most recently, TN was updated on March 7, 2026 and Year One on June 1, 2026.

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