Koto Tuner vs Uraha
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Koto Tuner
Easily tune your 13-string koto with a simple interface and noise filtering. Visual indicators show pitch accuracy for each string, guiding you to precise tuning. Supports multiple tuning modes and adjustable A4 frequency.
- Noise filtering for accurate tuning
- Visual pitch indicators
- Calibrate piano sound
- A4 frequency adjustment
- 18 tuning modes
- Precision tuning scale
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[Koto Tuner] The simple user interface with noise filtering can help you tuning the 13 strings without any setting while activating the APP. When you pull the Koto string, the pitch will be shown on the panel for the individual string by indicating signal high or low. [Function Description] ▪ Calibrate Piano Sound : Click on an open string then calibrate the sound with your Koto. ▪ A4 Frequency adjustment: choose 428~452 frequencies for A4 string. ▪ Total 18 kinds of tuning modes are available. ▪ The scale for precision tuning is 5 cents for every sub-bit. The blue line represents the open strings start from. The green arrow means pitch is accurate and it will turn white once the pitch difference exceeds more than a sub-bit. ▪ The complete function, will visually tell you the pitch is good or not by lighting green or white. Users can easily adjust the string by the lighting arrow shown on the scale. We welcome you to feedback us for any questions, suggestions and comments regarding this APP.
Uraha
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Why a shamisen-dedicated tuner? The shamisen's distinctive tone — shaped by its percussive attack, rapid decay, rich harmonic overtones, and the characteristic sawari buzz — makes it notoriously difficult for general-purpose digital tuners to detect accurately. Uraha is purpose-built and optimized specifically for the shamisen. Why choose Uraha? ■ Record Your Own Shamisen — Recorded No two shamisen sound alike. Record your instrument at its perfectly tuned pitch, then play that recording back before every performance to tune your strings to it — not a generic reference pitch, but the character of your own instrument. Hear each take before you keep it, add a quick memo, and swipe away any you no longer need. Found in no other shamisen tuner app. ■ [New in Version 4.5] Now on Apple Watch Play reference tones from your wrist, through the watch's own speaker. Turn the Digital Crown to move between 壱, 弍 and 参, and tap to play or stop. The base tone and tuning follow your iPhone, or you can choose them on the watch itself. ■ The Whole Tuning on One Screen Choose your key and tuning from two pickers, then work across the three strings side by side. Each string shows its note, its octave and its exact frequency, and keeps a check mark once you have held it in tune — so you can see at a glance how far through the instrument you are. Hold a string in tune for a second and Uraha advances to the next one on its own. ■ A Tuner That Measures the Right String The needle now reads against the string you selected, not simply the nearest note. Play the wrong string, or catch an overtone instead of the fundamental, and Uraha tells you so rather than reporting a confident match. ■ Ear Tuning with Authentic Shamisen Tone Uraha plays a synthesized tone that closely recreates the resonance and timbre of a real shamisen, so you can tune by ear the way musicians have for centuries. One tap sounds a string; hold to repeat it. Fine-tune the timbre to match your own instrument and preference. ■ Digital Tuner Optimized for Shamisen Calibrated specifically for the shamisen's pitch range and harmonic structure, Uraha detects the fundamental pitch far more reliably than conventional chromatic tuners — use it alongside ear tuning for precision you can see and hear. ■ Instrument-Type Presets Fine-tune the synthesized tone for Tsugaru shamisen, nagauta, jiuta, and more, then save up to three configurations as presets — ideal if you own multiple instruments or switch between genres. ■ Full Support for All Three Traditional Tunings Hon-choshi, Ni-agari, and San-sagari — accurate reference pitches for every standard shamisen tuning, one tap away. ■ Saved Tunings with Memos Save a key and tuning together with a note — the song, the piece, the player — and call it straight back from the saved list. Ideal for teachers tracking students' setups or performers managing multiple pieces. ■ Accessible by Design Every primary control — record, play, save, tune — includes VoiceOver labels, and the app fully supports both Light and Dark Mode. ■ Upgrading from Version 3.0 In version 4.0 the key list was reordered to start at 一本 (A) and climb one semitone at a time to 十二本, the order of a pitch pipe. As a result, 一本, 二本 and 三本 now sound an octave lower than they did in 3.0, and saved tunings at those three keys play an octave lower with them. Recordings still play exactly as recorded, but a recording labelled 一本, 二本 or 三本 now sits an octave above that key. All other keys are unchanged. Who is Uraha for? Anyone who has struggled to tune a shamisen with a standard tuner; players of Tsugaru shamisen, nagauta, jiuta, or other specific styles; those who play multiple instruments or switch between genres; performers who need to match pitch with others in an ensemble; and anyone who needs reliable, repeatable tuning at rehearsal or on stage. A tuner built for the shamisen, by a shamisen player. Uraha supports your performance.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Uraha at none against Koto Tuner's 1. Uraha also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). Koto Tuner's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 26.1). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Koto Tuner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Uraha asks for nothing beyond the download.
Koto Tuner ships an update every 5 weeks, Uraha weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Koto Tuner | Uraha |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 20.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 26.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hsing-Fu Hsueh | 株式会社OHANA |
In-app purchases
Koto Tuner
- All Function&No Ad$1.99
Uraha
No in-app purchases







