Comparison

K3 Tones vs Microtonal Lab

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

Head to head
About

K3 Tones

Features
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A fun and free tone generation app. Choose Prime numbers, Healing frequencies; Earth Pulse derivatives, Schumann resonance (audible), and make your own Custom tones. Load and Save from Files (including Cloud). Choose the number of channels to generate tones with, from Mono (1 channel) all the way up to Atmos 9.1.6 (16 channels), with cool waveform graphs (pinch-able) to show each category of tone being generated, and a summary waveform graph for the entire mess that you have created! Three selectable Phase Adjustments can also be applied (None, Tri-Phase, and Five-Phase). And don't worry that you can't get a 16-channel amplifier and speaker setup connected to your Apple Device - you can click on the "Mix Spatial" button and get Spatial Audio output generated (best listened through Air Pods).

About

Microtonal Lab

Explore music beyond the traditional 12-note scale with this comprehensive microtonal studio. Create custom scales, play a microtonal keyboard, sequence patterns, and perform live with a launchpad. Export your creations as MIDI files for further production.

Highlights
  • Harmonic Galaxy visualizer
  • Microtonal keyboard with custom scales
  • 32-step sequencer with FX
  • Launchpad for live performance
  • Extensive world scale library
  • Multiple tuning systems support
  • MIDI export for DAWs
Features
Read full description

Microtonal Lab is a complete microtonal music studio for iOS. Break free from the 12-note octave and explore the infinite space between the notes. AUv3 PLUGIN Use MicrotonalLab as a plugin inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Drambo, and any AUv3-compatible host. The full step sequencer, tuning system, and SF2 instruments are available directly in your DAW. Record sequences as MIDI regions with automatic tempo sync. HARMONIC GALAXY Discover musical intervals as a visual universe. Every dot is an interval above the root — its size shows consonance, its color shows its position in the octave, and its number shows the exact distance in cents. Pinch to zoom and new microtones emerge from the depths. Build custom scales by tapping intervals and save them to your library. MICROTONAL KEYBOARD A fully playable keyboard with exact microtonal tuning. Choose from piano, strings, marimba, vibes, bass, pad, flute, or synthesized waveforms. Activate any scale from the library and the keyboard reconfigures to show precisely those notes. Supports glide between notes for expressive playing. STEP SEQUENCER A 16-step sequencer with microtonal note assignment per step, velocity, gate, and swing control. Syncs to the host tempo in AUv3 mode. LAUNCHPAD A grid-based launchpad for live performance. Rows correspond to scale degrees, columns to time — tap to toggle notes and play your patterns in real time. SCALE LIBRARY Browse world scales from dozens of musical traditions, including Arabic maqam, Indian ragas, Persian dastgah, Javanese gamelan, and many more. Preview any scale, then activate it across all views with one tap. TUNING SYSTEMS Switch between 12-TET, 19-TET, 24-TET, 31-TET, and 53-TET. Full access to all scale degrees in the sequencer for every tuning system. MIDI EXPORT Export your sequences to standard MIDI files with full microtonal pitch bend on each channel. Import directly into any DAW for further production. FX Filter (low-pass with cutoff and resonance), reverb (from small room to cathedral), and delay — all controllable via XY pads in real time during playback. Microtonal Lab is built for composers, sound designers, music theorists, and anyone curious about the music that lives between the keys.

Screenshots

K3 Tones3 screens
Microtonal Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: K3 Tones at Free against Microtonal Lab's $6.99. Microtonal Lab's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

K3 Tones is free to download; Microtonal Lab costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

K3 Tones ships an update every 8 months, Microtonal Lab every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
K3 Tones versus Microtonal Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterK3 TonesMicrotonal Lab
PriceFree — better$6.99
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB90 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerkadosh3, llcMartin Adler

In-app purchases

None

K3 Tones

No in-app purchases

None

Microtonal Lab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is K3 Tones free?
K3 Tones is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Microtonal Lab free?
Microtonal Lab costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do K3 Tones or Microtonal Lab have ads?
Neither K3 Tones nor Microtonal Lab shows ads.
Which is updated more often, K3 Tones or Microtonal Lab?
K3 Tones ships an update every 8 months, and Microtonal Lab every 2 months. Most recently, K3 Tones was updated on October 20, 2026 and Microtonal Lab on October 13, 2026.

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