Comparison

Cleartune 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

Cleartune

This app provides precise chromatic tuning for a wide range of instruments using your device's microphone. It features a unique note wheel interface and a responsive fine-tuning meter for accurate pitch detection. Advanced options include custom temperaments, transposition, and adjustable calibration for professional use.

Highlights
  • Chromatic instrument tuning
  • Note wheel interface
  • Responsive fine-tuning meter
  • Support for custom temperaments
  • Transposition support
  • Pitch pipe/tone generator
  • High accuracy (±0.01 semitone)
Features
Read full description

"My most indispensable app is my guitar tuner, Cleartune. None of the old visual or analog tuners are as precise. I've even taken it on stage with me!" - Rosanne Cash "Cleartune and Clockwork are my most used apps." - Ezra Oklan (Nicole Atkins, Norah Jones, Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Matt Beck (Matchbox 20), Chico Hamilton, Arnie Lawrence) "I've been having trouble with interference on stage with other tuners for the iPhone. Used Cleartune last night before a gig and had no problems with stage noise. Excellent tuner for bass." - Rob Calder (Kanye West, Angus and Julia Stone, The Break and Repair Method, Ghostface Killah) Used in the making of the Gorillaz album "The Fall" Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cleartune ----------------------------------- • Featured in Electronic Musician, Matchbox Mag, Making Music Mag, Premiere Guitar, MacWorld, Apple Staff Picks, Worship Leader Mag, Acoustic Guitar • Spotted in use backstage by The Black Keys, C.W. Stone King (www.va.ryanpolei.com), Grammy Nominee Sones de México (gearwire.com) ----------------------------------- Cleartune is a chromatic instrument tuner and pitch pipe that allows you to quickly and accurately tune your instrument using the built-in mic in your device. Cleartune features a unique "note wheel" interface allowing you to quickly find your pitch, paired with a highly responsive fine-tuning meter for the perfect tune. With support for custom temperaments, transposition, notations such as solfège, and adjustable calibration, Cleartune packs more power than most pro tuners, yet is simple enough for everyone to use. Cleartune can tune acoustic or electric guitar, bass, bowed strings, woodwinds, brass, piano, tympani and any other instrument that can sustain a tone. Most electronic tuners cannot properly tune a violin. With a built in temperament for violin family instruments, Cleartune will have the 5ths singing perfectly. Features: - Note Wheel Display - Ultra responsive 25 cent range fine tuning display - Needle Damping option - Accuracy ±0.01 semitone (±1 cent) - Selectable Temperaments - Selectable Notations (such as Solfège) - User-defined temperament and notations - Support for transposing instruments - Automatic reference note calibration - Adjustable A4 calibration in 0.1 Hz increment - Pitch Pipe/Tone generator - Selectable tone waveform - Automatic or manual note selection

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

Cleartune2 screens
Strum Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Strum Machine at Free against Cleartune's $3.99. Strum Machine also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.7) and review sentiment (89% vs 60%). Cleartune's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (884 vs 120). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Strum Machine is free to download; Cleartune costs $3.99 up front. Strum Machine sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Cleartune asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Strum Machine holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cleartune has 884 ratings behind it against 120, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Cleartune's written reviews are positive against 89% of Strum Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cleartune ships an update every 2 months, Strum Machine fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Cleartune versus Strum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCleartuneStrum Machine
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating3.7 (884 ratings)4.7 (120 ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.9% of reviews88.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings884 — better120
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#16 — better#158
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBitcount ltd.Luke Abbott LLC

Customer experience

Cleartune

All ratings880 ratings
Positive63.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative27.8%
Written reviews920 reviews
Positive59.9%
Neutral9.2%
Negative30.9%

Strum Machine

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

Bugs and requests

Cleartune

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Incompatible with newer iOS versions
  • Needle movement is erratic or jumpy
  • Pitch pipe feature not working

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add Apple Watch support
  • Improve noise cancellation and sensitivity
  • Restore previous functionality (e.g. locked pitch wheel)

Strum Machine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Cleartune

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Strum Machine

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Cleartune free?
Cleartune costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Strum Machine free?
Strum Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cleartune or Strum Machine?
Strum Machine is rated higher. Cleartune averages 3.7 out of 5 from 884 ratings, while Strum Machine averages 4.7 from 120 ratings.
Do Cleartune or Strum Machine have ads?
Neither Cleartune nor Strum Machine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cleartune or Strum Machine?
Cleartune ships an update every 2 months, and Strum Machine fortnightly. Most recently, Cleartune was updated on October 23, 2026 and Strum Machine on October 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Cleartune or Strum Machine?
Cleartune currently peaks at #16 in the App Store charts, and Strum Machine at #158. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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