Fortamento vs MeanTones
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Fortamento
Overcome writer's block with instant musical inspiration. This app generates chord progressions and melodies, allowing for manual editing and MIDI export to your favorite music software. Perfect for musicians, songwriters, and producers looking to kickstart new projects or finish existing ones.
- Generate chord progressions and melodies
- Manual editing of tunes
- MIDI file export
- Tempo and key control
- Save tunes within the app
- Various instrument sounds
- Audiobus integration
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Ever got stuck writing a song, wishing for a spark of inspiration to start a new song or perhaps to come up with a bridge to finish that old project? " You'll be amazed at how good Fortamento's song ideas are " -- Cult of Mac Magazine " ... a refreshing alternative to the more beat-focused musical sketch pads ... “ -- Computer Music Magazine " This is exactly what I was hoping for! Thank you so much for all your work on this app—it’s the perfect songwriter’s tool!" -- Br. Gregory Marshall, O.S.B. " I wish it was a 5 dollar app " -- Jakob Haq Get instant musical ideas at a push of a button with Fortamento - a simple and effective music idea creator, capable of generating 4 bars of chord progression and melody, with the option to edit the idea and save the result. To make life easier, there’s an option to export the tunes as MIDI files for further work in your favorite Digital Audio Workstation software or MIDI sequencer. Fortamento is a great addition to the workflow of musicians, songwriters and producers to overcome the occasional writer’s block. Key features: - MIDI file export - Tempo / key control - Manual editing of generated tunes (chords and melody) - Save tunes within the app - Various instrument sounds - MIDI output - Audiobus integration Let us assist you - contact us at team@fortamento.com for any bug reports or feature requests.
MeanTones
Explore the historical meantone tuning system used in Renaissance music. Learn about its principles, compare intervals to equal temperament, and test your knowledge with an interactive game.
- Meantone tuning system explanation
- Interactive piano and organ
- Interval comparison charts
- Background information on tuning
- Historical timeline
- Meantone knowledge game
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Why is that wolf lurking in the clavichord? Because it skulks along with the meantone tuning system, used by most keyboards of the 16th and 17th centuries. What is quarter-comma meantone temperament and how does it work? Which problem does it solve, and which problem does it create? MeanTones answers your questions with some math, some music, and lots of fun. Choose a note and an interval to play on the Piano, or switch to the Cheesy Organ if you’re brave. Either way, you’ll hear the interval in meantone, and you’ll see a complete chart of the numbers comparing it to the same interval in equal temperament. The Background Information explains the meantone tuning system in detail, and the Timeline puts it all in perspective. Press “Play Game” to put your knowledge to the test. You see and hear an interval, and quick — is it a wolf? If you’re right, you add a new layer of bricks to your house. But if you’re wrong, the wolf will huff and puff and blow your house down!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Fortamento at 89% against MeanTones's 0%. Fortamento also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (110 vs 4). MeanTones's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Fortamento costs $4.99 and MeanTones $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Fortamento holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fortamento has 110 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Fortamento's written reviews are positive against 0% of MeanTones's.
Fortamento ships an update every 8 months, MeanTones every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Fortamento | MeanTones |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.8 (110 ratings) — better | 4.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.9% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 110 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months — better | Every 24 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yuri Laskin | Lucy Hudson |
Customer experience
Fortamento
MeanTones
In-app purchases
Fortamento
No in-app purchases
MeanTones
No in-app purchases









