Comparison

A440 Tuner vs SideBand

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

Head to head
About

A440 Tuner

This app provides a reference Concert A (440Hz) pitch for musicians who tune by ear. It offers a choice between a real oboe recording or a synthesizer oboe sound.

Highlights
  • Concert A (440Hz) reference pitch
  • Oboe sound options (real recording or synth)
  • Ear training tool
  • Simple interface
Features
Read full description

A440 Tuner is a simple app for musicians who prefer to tune by ear to a reference Concert A (440Hz). Choose between a recording of a real oboe or a synthesizer oboe. This app is not a meter or strobe or chromatic tuner - it simply produces the Concert A reference pitch. While this may seem limited from the viewpoint of one who usually tunes by meter, it fits the needs precisely for musicians who are trained to tune their instruments by ear from a reference pitch. The oboe was chosen for this app because in an orchestra setting it is typically the oboe that gives the reference pitch at the beginning of rehearsals and concerts.

About

SideBand

This app helps musicians learn songs by ear. It allows users to slow down music, loop sections, and change the key to match their voice or instrument. Import music from various sources like the Music app or iCloud.

Highlights
  • Adjust tempo
  • Transpose key
  • Change tuning
  • Loop sections
  • Import unprotected music
  • Supports iPhone and iPad
Features
Read full description

Learn tunes by ear - slow down and loop sections of a tune. Change the key to fit your voice or instrument. Import any unprotected music from the Music app, from the iCloud Files application or drag tunes from your desktop. Support for all iPhone screen sizes as well as iPad. Use slide-over while listening to your Music files to quickly import on iPad Use split screen to listen while viewing music • Adjust tempo - change the speed from half-speed to double speed • Transpose - change the key by semi-tones up to an octave higher or lower • Change the tuning - Adjust the pitch of an out-of-tune recording • Import from any other app that can export an audio file - wav, mp3 and AAC files are supported.

Screenshots

A440 Tuner1 screens
SideBand4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: A440 Tuner at Free against SideBand's $2.99. A440 Tuner also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). SideBand's advantage is rating (4.0 vs 2.9) and review sentiment (80% vs 67%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

A440 Tuner is free to download; SideBand costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SideBand holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of A440 Tuner's written reviews are positive against 80% of SideBand's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A440 Tuner ships an update every 39 months, SideBand every 22 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
A440 Tuner versus SideBand: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA440 TunerSideBand
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating2.9 (8 ratings)4.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings8 — better5
Update frequencyEvery 39 monthsEvery 22 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWeird Kid Software LLCWil Macaulay

Customer experience

A440 Tuner

All ratings8 ratings
Positive37.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral14.3%
Negative19.0%

SideBand

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

None

A440 Tuner

No in-app purchases

None

SideBand

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is A440 Tuner free?
A440 Tuner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SideBand free?
SideBand costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, A440 Tuner or SideBand?
SideBand is rated higher. A440 Tuner averages 2.9 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while SideBand averages 4.0 from 5 ratings.
Do A440 Tuner or SideBand have ads?
Neither A440 Tuner nor SideBand shows ads.
Which is updated more often, A440 Tuner or SideBand?
A440 Tuner ships an update every 39 months, and SideBand every 22 months. Most recently, A440 Tuner was updated on October 14, 2026 and SideBand on October 15, 2026.

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