Comparison

FingerFiddle vs Strum Machine

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

Head to head
About

FingerFiddle

Transform your device into a realistic string instrument. Control notes with your fingers and shape sound with bow-like movements. Experience the full expressive range of violin family instruments anytime, anywhere.

Highlights
  • Realistic bow and fingerboard control
  • Expressive sound shaping
  • Pizzicato playing mode
  • Customizable fingerboard
  • Inter-App Audio/Audiobus support
  • Multiple violin family instruments
Read full description

Turn your iPad into an instrument of the violin family and play just like on a real instrument ! FingerFiddle introduces a new and highly sensitive musical experience with your IOS device. Your actions on the screen are turned naturally into an exceptionally realistic and responsive sound, whatever you do. Place your fingers on the fingerboard to change notes. Move your other hand on the screen to rub the strings with the bow and shape the sound continuously in real-time. Pluck the screen to play pizzicato. FingerFiddle responds accurately to your movements and lets you play with the full palette of violin expression, just like with a real instrument. FingerFiddle is a musical instrument that you can bring with you everywhere to play, practice, have fun and perform with others. It includes a full collection of fine-tuned instruments from the violin family (violin, viola, cello and double bass). The basic version comes with a cello, and other instruments are available to try and purchase. Wherever you are, at any time, pick one of the instruments and play music for real with FingerFiddle. Who is it for? Anyone interested in music playing can find something in FingerFiddle: - For the beginner, FingerFiddle is an affordable way to experience and enjoy fiddle playing, alone or in group. Play, practice to improve your playing, try different instruments and maybe, eventually, buy a real instrument… - For advanced players, FingerFiddle is a new instrument to discover and have fun with. Use it in your musical productions and live performances, when jamming with others, or just to sketch ideas. - In all cases, FingerFiddle is a musical instrument that is always right at your fingertips, whenever you feel the need to play music. Features: - Natural mapping between movement and sound: your finger is the bow ! - Outstanding sound rendering for a realistic output - Pitch is controlled with a fingerboard on the screen to allow fiddle-specific playing techniques (vibrato, glissando, chords) - The fingerboard is customizable: set its width and the space between notes for a comfortable playing - A specific area is dedicated to pizzicato playing - Inter-App Audio / Audiobus support (generator) - Very low memory requirement: no samples library is used - Inter App Audio and Audiobus support - The basic version includes the Cello from the Classic Collection. Other instruments are available as In App purchases (Violin, Viola, Double Bass, normal or with mutes)

About

Strum Machine

Generate realistic backing tracks for practice with real instrument audio. Customize chord progressions, keys, and tempo. Features a large song library, song editor, and band customization options. Works offline and syncs across devices.

Highlights
  • Realistic instrument audio backing tracks
  • Customizable chord progressions, keys, and tempo
  • Extensive song library
  • Simple song editor
  • Band and instrument customization
  • Cross-platform syncing and offline mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Elevate your music practice with customizable backing tracks generated with audio from real instruments (guitar, mandolin, and standup bass). Strum Machine can play any chord progression, in any key, at any speed. It's the only backing-track app built specifically for players of bluegrass, old-time, fiddle tunes, and other such genres. (Although it works pretty good for some jazz/swing now, too!) Why musicians of all levels love Strum Machine: • Realistic Sound: Backing tracks are assembled in real time from studio-quality instrument recordings. • Quick Adjustments: Instantly adjust the speed/tempo, change the key, loop part of a song, etc. • Auto-Speedup: Gradually increase the BPM at the end of every repetition for training purposes. • Chord Reference: Clean, beautiful chord charts, which can be displayed in letters or numbers (i.e. "1-4-5"). • Extensive Library: Over 1,300 songs (mostly from bluegrass and old-time) ready to go, with thousands more posted on the community forum. • Simple Song Editor: Add your own songs (or edit existing ones) in minutes. Almost every chord you can play on a guitar is available for use. • Customize the Band: Choose from a variety of built-in band styles, then optionally customize each instrument individually – adjust the strumming pattern, add automatic bass runs, and more. • Organize & Share: Create song lists for practicing or even performing, and share them with your friends or on the community forum. • Cross-Platform: Sync your custom songs, lists, and preferences with any device you use Strum Machine on: phone, tablet, or computer. (It works offline, too!) • Responsive Support: If you run into any problems or have questions, write us an email or post a message on the forum and someone will get back to you within a few days! Strum Machine is under active development and we're always working on ways to make the app even more useful to our users... while keeping it uncluttered and intuitive first and foremost. Discover how Strum Machine can improve your music practice today! Download Strum Machine and play a handful of demo songs instantly, without signing up. For the full experience, including access to all built-in songs and the ability to create your own, start a free trial. Terms of Use: https://strummachine.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://strummachine.com/privacy

Screenshots

FingerFiddle4 screens
Strum Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Strum Machine at Free against FingerFiddle's $2.99. Strum Machine also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). FingerFiddle's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.4). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Strum Machine is free to download; FingerFiddle costs $2.99 up front. FingerFiddle sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Strum Machine sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Strum Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 120 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of FingerFiddle's written reviews are positive against 89% of Strum Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FingerFiddle ships an update every 3 months, Strum Machine fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
FingerFiddle versus Strum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFingerFiddleStrum Machine
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (52 ratings)4.7 (120 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.6% of reviews88.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings52120 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#158 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatthias DemoucronLuke Abbott LLC

Customer experience

FingerFiddle

All ratings52 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral1.9%
Negative13.5%
Written reviews76 reviews
Positive81.6%
Neutral2.6%
Negative15.8%

Strum Machine

All ratings118 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral3.2%
Negative8.1%

Bugs and requests

FingerFiddle

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently (especially after iOS 11.2)
  • 3D bow and vibrato not working for some users
  • Mutes when starting recording in GarageBand
  • Vibrato function not activable for some users

Requested features

15 requests
  • Recording capability
  • Metronome
  • MIDI IN/OUT support
  • AUv3 support for DAWs
  • Support for Apple Pencil 2 pressure
Show 10 more
  • Fretless option
  • More instrument variety (guitars, woodwinds, brass, percussion, Indian Sarangi, Viola da Gamba)
  • Five-string bass option
  • Oversampling for improved sound quality
  • Customizable fingerboard pitch settings
  • Auto-vibrato mode
  • String ensemble sounds
  • Vertical bow movement option
  • More realistic fingerboard layout
  • Ability to choose pitch with a keyboard

Strum Machine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

FingerFiddle

One-time9
  • Violin (Classic Collection)$2.99
  • Viola (Classic Collection)$2.99
  • Violin (Con Sordino Collection)$2.99
Show 6 more
  • Double Bass (Classic Collection)$2.99
  • Viola (Con Sordino Collection)$2.99
  • Cello (Con Sordino Collection)$2.99
  • Double Bass (Con Sordino Collection)$2.99
  • Classic Collection$8.99
  • Con Sordino Collection$8.99
1 purchases

Strum Machine

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is FingerFiddle free?
FingerFiddle costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Strum Machine free?
Strum Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FingerFiddle or Strum Machine?
Strum Machine is rated higher. FingerFiddle averages 4.4 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Strum Machine averages 4.7 from 120 ratings.
Do FingerFiddle or Strum Machine have ads?
Neither FingerFiddle nor Strum Machine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FingerFiddle or Strum Machine?
FingerFiddle ships an update every 3 months, and Strum Machine fortnightly. Most recently, FingerFiddle was updated on October 24, 2026 and Strum Machine on October 24, 2026.

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