Comparison

Tunefox 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

Tunefox

Master bluegrass music with this comprehensive learning platform. Explore various instruments and styles, customize arrangements, and utilize practice tools to develop your musical skills and creativity.

Highlights
  • Skill slider for progressive arrangement enhancement
  • Switchable licks for authentic vocabulary
  • Vary slider for fill-in note customization
  • Tempo adjustments and backing tracks
  • Looping and measure selection
  • Speed-up, hide notes, and memory-train tools
Features
Read full description

Tunefox: Your Ultimate Bluegrass Learning Tool Tunefox is your go-to web and app-based learning platform, meticulously crafted to empower you in mastering bluegrass songs and licks for flatpicking and fingerstyle guitar, mandolin, banjo, clawhammer banjo, and bass. With revolutionary tools like the skill slider and switchable licks, Tunefox elevates your musical journey. Experience Versatility: Explore a wide range of musical styles for each instrument. For mandolin and guitar, immerse yourself in stylized arrangements spanning Bluegrass, Fingerstyle, Crosspicking, Jazz, Classical, and more. Banjo enthusiasts can delve into the major styles of 3-finger picking - Scruggs, melodic, backup, single-string and more. Spark the Flame of Your Creativity: Switchable licks in every song provide authentic bluegrass vocabulary and fresh perspectives for tune interpretation. Expand your improvisational prowess by mastering a diverse array of licks. Limitless Customization: Tailor your songs to your liking with our unparalleled customization options. Use the skill slider to progressively enhance your arrangements, just like adding bricks to a foundation. The vary slider empowers you to choose fill-in notes to complement your core arrangement. Spice up your playing with a variety of licks, effortlessly blending styles and techniques. Special Practice Tools: Tunefox offers all the essential practice tools you need, including tempo adjustments, backing tracks, chords, and looping/measure selection. Additionally, our app provides access to special tools like speed-up, hide notes, and memory-train. Real Musician Development: Our mission is to nurture your journey from a learner to a true musician. At Tunefox, we believe in helping you understand the essence of bluegrass music, enabling you to grasp its vocabulary and seamlessly incorporate it into songs you know and love. Dive into the world of bluegrass with Tunefox - it's where you turn your musical aspirations into reality. ---------------------------------------------------------- "Tunefox is a superior way to learn songs and licks in the privacy of your own home. A clear method of teaching all styles of bluegrass banjo; enough to keep you busy for years." - Steve Martin (Actor/Comedian/Musician) "It's a great jumping off point for making up my own licks." - Graham Sharp (Steep Canyon Rangers) "Tunefox is the best digital learning tool for banjo I've ever encountered. The interface is intuitive, and the content is musical and well thought out. Everyone learning bluegrass banjo should get this app." - Wes Corbett (Molly Tuttle Band) ---------------------------------------------------------- Try Tunefox out with a free 7-day trial and then become a member to get access to: - Unlimited access to all instruments, songs and licks - Tunefox on your computer, iPhone or iPad - Revolutionary practice tools like Lick Switcher or Skill Slider - New songs and licks added every month ---------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe for One Month - All Instruments for $14.99 Subscribe for One Year - All Instruments for $99.99 Lifetime Subscription - All Instruments for $299.99 - Your payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase
 - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period
 - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal 
- Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase https://www.tunefox.com/terms-of-service https://www.tunefox.com/privacy-policy

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

Tunefox4 screens
Strum Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

Tunefox and Strum Machine both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 89% of Strum Machine's written reviews are positive against 69% of Tunefox's. Strum Machine also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 weeks) and chart position (#171 vs unranked). Tunefox's advantage is ratings volume (856 vs 120). On price, rating, 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

Both are free to download. Tunefox sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Tunefox against 4.7 for Strum Machine. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tunefox has 856 ratings behind it against 120, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of Tunefox's written reviews are positive against 89% of Strum Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tunefox ships an update every 6 weeks, Strum Machine fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Tunefox versus Strum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTunefoxStrum Machine
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (856 ratings)4.7 (120 ratings) — better
Positive reviews68.8% of reviews88.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings856 — better120
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#171 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size488 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTunefox s.r.o.Luke Abbott LLC

Customer experience

Tunefox

All ratings834 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral2.2%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews80 reviews
Positive68.8%
Neutral8.8%
Negative22.5%

Strum Machine

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

Bugs and requests

Tunefox

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login and account issues
  • Blank lesson pages
  • Playback issues (jumping to first note, cutting out)
  • Compatibility problems on older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • More song variety and genre options
  • Ability to export arrangements as PDF
  • Sync progress across devices
  • Improved metronome and backing track volume balance
  • More frequent content updates

Strum Machine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Tunefox

Subscriptions10
  • TuneFox Membership$9.991 Month
  • One month - one instrument$9.991 Month
  • One Month All Instruments$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • 1 Month$14.991 Month
  • One Month7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • TuneFox Membership$19.993 Months
  • Three Months - All Instruments$19.993 Months
  • 3 Months$24.993 Months
  • Thee Months1 Month trial$29.993 Months
  • One Year7 Days trial$99.991 Year
1 purchases

Strum Machine

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Tunefox free?
Tunefox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Strum Machine free?
Strum Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tunefox or Strum Machine?
Strum Machine is rated higher. Tunefox averages 4.6 out of 5 from 856 ratings, while Strum Machine averages 4.7 from 120 ratings.
Do Tunefox or Strum Machine have ads?
Neither Tunefox nor Strum Machine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tunefox or Strum Machine?
Tunefox ships an update every 6 weeks, and Strum Machine fortnightly. Most recently, Tunefox was updated on October 26, 2026 and Strum Machine on October 27, 2026.

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