Comparison

K3 Tones vs PanStrobe

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

PanStrobe

Features
Read full description

PanStrobe is a harmonic strobe tuner built for handpan makers, tuners and players. A handpan note is not one frequency — it is a fundamental with an octave and a compound fifth tuned above it. PanStrobe shows all of them at once as true strobe motion: each ring is one partial, position is phase, and drift speed is exactly how far off you are. When a ring stands still, that partial is in tune. TUNE BY SIGHT • Half-circle strobe disc or horizontal strobe rows — one band per partial • True strobe physics: left = flat, right = sharp, stillness = in tune • Live cents readouts with glitch rejection — and no averaging: the wobble you see is real signal • Strobe divisors (Ć·2, Ć·3, Ć·5) slow the pattern for far-off notes HEAR THE WHOLE NOTE • Real-time spectrum with a piano-key axis and labelled peaks • Waterfall view: watch each strike's harmonics evolve over time • Automatic note detection, or lock to the note you are working on BUILT FOR THE WORKSHOP • Chromatic notes with octave control, adjustable A4 reference, global cents offset • Band editor with multi-partial templates (1:2:3 and more) • Pitch pipe on every band — double-tap a strobe for a reference tone • Dark, glare-free UI designed for metal shops • Works fully offline — audio never leaves your device, no account, no tracking FREE TRIAL, FAIR PRICING Every install starts with a full-featured 8-day trial. After that, the free tier stays a single-band chromatic strobe tuner. PanStrobe Pro adds what the app is really for — every partial of a note at once, the spectrum analyser, the band editor and the pitch pipe — monthly, or yearly at about 20% less. Made by Panlab — we build and tune handpans in Hong Kong. This is the tuner we use ourselves. Privacy Policy: https://panstrobe.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

K3 Tones3 screens
PanStrobe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: K3 Tones at none against PanStrobe's 2. PanStrobe's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 8 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. PanStrobe sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. K3 Tones asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

K3 Tones ships an update every 8 months, PanStrobe weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
K3 Tones versus PanStrobe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterK3 TonesPanStrobe
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerkadosh3, llcPanlab Limited

In-app purchases

None

K3 Tones

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

PanStrobe

Subscriptions2
  • PanStrobe Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • PanStrobe Pro Yearly$76.991 Year

Questions

Is K3 Tones free?
K3 Tones is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PanStrobe free?
PanStrobe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do K3 Tones or PanStrobe have ads?
Neither K3 Tones nor PanStrobe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, K3 Tones or PanStrobe?
K3 Tones ships an update every 8 months, and PanStrobe weekly. Most recently, K3 Tones was updated on November 12, 2026 and PanStrobe on November 10, 2026.

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