Comparison

iStroboSoft vs AmpliTube TONEX

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

Head to head
About

iStroboSoft

This application provides highly accurate tuning for musical instruments, offering professional-grade precision with a real-time strobe display. It supports various tuning modes, temperaments, and input methods, making it suitable for both acoustic and electric instruments.

Highlights
  • 1/10th cent accuracy
  • Real-time strobe display
  • Guided Mode Tuning
  • 12 Temperaments with adjustable root
  • Assisted Low Note Detection
  • Drop/Capo mode
  • Adjustable Concert A
Features
Read full description

Usage questions? ***Please contact us before posting an issue in the reviews.*** Peterson Support at info@strobosoft.com or call 708.388.3311 M-F 8am-5pm (CST) TRUSTED BY PROFESSIONALS FOR OVER 70 YEARS. ---iStroboSoft for iOS--- Peterson Strobe Tuners' popular StroboSoft tuning application for iPhone and iPad. iStroboSoft™ offers the unmatched accuracy of a mechanical strobe tuner for the highest degree of precision available in a software tuning application. Plug in and tune your electrics and acoustics quickly and easily with 1/10th cent accuracy. Peterson Tuners has offered tuning solutions for over 70 years and is the only company specializing in hardware and software tuning products for all levels of musicians. FEATURES: • Stand-by mode to reduce battery usage or freeze the display. • Guided Mode Tuning offers an alternate strobe display that slows the strobe bands one-by-one as you come closer to tune. • Speed control for strobe display; dampen the response for a longer note display. • 12 Temperaments with adjustable root control. • Display all sharps note display. • Assisted Low Note Detection (ALND) helps capture very low frequencies. • Mains hum filter option reduces the chances of the tuner latching on to 50 or 60Hz cycle hum when using a direct line-in connection or while using the app during device charging. • Smooth, real-time strobe display allows you to achieve an unmatched level of accuracy. • Note/Octave window displays the correct note and octave for the note being tuned. • Cents display allows you to see how far out of tune your note is in cent values. • Tune in auto or manual mode. • Toggle the display to show: cents, Hz, MIDI note value for the note being tuned. • Glowing flat/sharp indicators assist when tuning a note very far from the target position. • Noise filter: Use the noise filter when utilizing an external mic or clip-on tuning device to help reduce the effect of extraneous environmental noise during tuning. • Input boost: The input boost will raise all input frequencies by +24dB. • Calibration mode: iStroboSoft can be calibrated to an external source guaranteeing 1/10th cent accuracy. • Drop/Capo mode: iStroboSoft will auto-transpose notes up or down to one full octave. • Adjustable Concert A: Change the Concert A reference of the tuner to accommodate tuning to a fixed instrument, such as a piano, or tune instruments that do not utilize the typical Western A440 reference. • Full screen mode permits the strobe display to be maximized on screen to allow better viewing from a distance. • Change strobe display colors to accommodate different lighting environments or set a preferred user color for those with limited color palette recognition. Use the built-in mic on your device for tuning or connect directly via the headphone jack using an approved adaptor cable or interface. Devices without a headphone jack can connect a pickup or mic using the lightning-to-audio adaptor. Support via email at: info@strobosoft.com or call 708.388.3311 M-F 8am-5pm (CST)

About

AmpliTube TONEX

This app uses AI to recreate the sound of guitar and bass amps and effects. Play, practice, and record anywhere with hyper-realistic gear models. Access a vast library of tones and shape your sound with powerful editing tools.

Highlights
  • AI Machine Modeling™ Tone Models
  • Standalone app and AUv3 plug-in
  • Tone Model library browsing and downloading
  • Preset editing and saving
  • Built-in tone shaping tools (compressor, EQ, reverb)
  • VIR™ cabinet technology
  • Cross-platform tone model syncing
Read full description

AI Machine Modeled tones player on the go • Play, practice and record anywhere with your TONEX Tone Models on iPhone and iPad • Standalone universal app and plug-in compatible with AUv3 host apps • Enjoy the exact same tone and sound-shaping tools as on Mac/PC • Browse, search and download additional Tone Models from TONEX in ToneNET • Edit and save presets on your iPhone or iPad • Free to download with 20 premium must-have and 20 à-la-carte Tone Models • Connect to one of our iRig interfaces for the ultimate mobile experience Your dream rig always with you TONEX lets you experience breakthrough AI Machine Modeling™ Tone Models anywhere. Play, practice and record on the go using the most authentic and hyper-realistic gear models ever made. This free app lets you access your Premium Tone Model library anywhere with seamless sync, for a limitless supply of inspiration. More tone, more playing, more fun! TONEX puts the world’s most iconic guitar and bass gear right in your pocket with realism like you never imagined. Plug into the experience TONEX offers the most hyper-realistic guitar and bass tones ever thanks to IK’s advanced AI Machine Modeling™. Feel the warmth and dynamic response of real amps and pedals right on your iPhone or iPad as never before. Connect one of our mobile interfaces to practice and jam along with your favorite songs or record guitar and bass tracks with ease when inspiration strikes. Standalone or inside your favorite recording apps TONEX works as a standalone iPhone and iPad app, but also supports AUv3 to work as a plug-in inside top AU host apps like GarageBand, Cubasis 3, Auria Pro and many more. Powerful tone shaping Tweak your tone to perfection using a built-in compressor, pre- and post-amp EQ, noise gate and beautiful stereo reverbs using IK’s latest award-winning algorithms. Built-in VIR™ cabinet technology lets you place and adjust microphones with stunning accuracy, and all your edits with TONEX can be saved as presets. A limitless library of gear and tone Explore user-created Tone Models in the new TONEX section of ToneNET, IK’s online tone-sharing platform. You can instantly search, filter, demo and download a massive range of Premium and user-generated Tone Models. Any user or paid Tone Model you download is yours to keep forever and use with TONEX app, TONEX Mac/PC and inside AmpliTube 5 with seamless integration of Premium Tone Models between all your devices. For subscriptions, user or paid Tone Models work exclusively with TONEX app while your subscription is active. Access your real gear anywhere Since TONEX works across all platforms, you can easily use TONEX Mac/PC to model your own gear and bring it anywhere. Model your own gear, post Tone Models on ToneNET and then download them to your mobile device. Tweak settings on a plane, jam in a hotel room, record at a remote studio, the TONEX brings your signature sound along for the experience with the same ultra-accurate Tone Models as the desktop version. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.ikmultimedia.com/privacy

Screenshots

iStroboSoft4 screens
AmpliTube TONEX4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: iStroboSoft at 76% against AmpliTube TONEX's 25%. iStroboSoft also leads on rating (4.3 vs 2.5) and ratings volume (298 vs 10). AmpliTube TONEX's advantage is price (Free vs $9.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

AmpliTube TONEX is free to download; iStroboSoft costs $9.99 up front. iStroboSoft sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and AmpliTube TONEX sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iStroboSoft holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iStroboSoft has 298 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of iStroboSoft's written reviews are positive against 25% of AmpliTube TONEX's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iStroboSoft ships an update fortnightly, AmpliTube TONEX every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
iStroboSoft versus AmpliTube TONEX: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriStroboSoftAmpliTube TONEX
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (298 ratings) — better2.5 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews — better24.7% of reviews
Number of ratings298 — better10
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#21 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB565 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPeterson TunersIK Multimedia US, LLC

Customer experience

iStroboSoft

All ratings298 ratings
Positive81.5%
Neutral4.4%
Negative14.1%
Written reviews365 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral6.6%
Negative17.5%

AmpliTube TONEX

All ratings6 ratings
Positive16.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews215 reviews
Positive24.7%
Neutral11.6%
Negative63.7%

User reviews

iStroboSoft

From 298 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Extremely accurate
  • 🔒 Reliable and stable
  • 👍 Fantastic for instrument setup and intonation
  • 👍 Portable and convenient
  • 👍 Excellent value for the price

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with iOS updates
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for additional features
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance, jumps between notes
  • 🐛 Struggles with low and high notes
  • 🐛 Microphone input not always reliable

AmpliTube TONEX

From 10 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎸 Excellent guitar tones
  • 🔊 Authentic amp modeling
  • 🚀 Responsive and low-latency
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔌 Connectivity problems with audio interfaces
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🚫 Limited functionality compared to desktop version

Bugs and requests

iStroboSoft

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App freezes or crashes on certain iOS versions
  • Incorrect note detection on some instruments
  • Display issues with newer iPhone/iPad models

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for more sweetened tunings and temperaments
  • Improve display visibility and layout for newer devices
  • Integrate with audio apps and allow routing through other apps
  • Add Apple Watch app for quick tuning access
  • Improve noise filtering and input sensitivity

AmpliTube TONEX

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes when connecting to ToneNet
  • Inability to save settings and presets
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to import and manage custom presets
  • Inclusion of more effects like delay and modulation
  • MIDI support for remote control
  • Improved integration with DAWs and other apps

In-app purchases

10 purchases

iStroboSoft

One-time10
  • Extended Frequency Modes$4.99
  • Bluegrass Sweeteners$5.99
  • Buzz Feiten Pack$5.99
Show 7 more
  • Guitar & Bass Sweeteners$5.99
  • Orchestral Sweeteners$5.99
  • Tuning Tools$9.99
  • Steel Guitar Sweeteners$14.99
  • Harmonic Tuning$19.99
  • Keyboard Sweeteners$19.99
  • Full Discounted Upgrade Pack$59.99
8 purchases

AmpliTube TONEX

Subscriptions1
  • TONEX MAX Monthly (iOS only)$9.991 Month
One-time7
  • TONEX Clean$19.99
  • TONEX Drive$19.99
  • TONEX Metal$19.99
Show 4 more
  • TONEX Lead$19.99
  • TONEX SE$59.99
  • TONEX$149.99
  • TONEX MAX$249.99

Questions

Is iStroboSoft free?
iStroboSoft costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is AmpliTube TONEX free?
AmpliTube TONEX is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, iStroboSoft or AmpliTube TONEX?
iStroboSoft is rated higher. iStroboSoft averages 4.3 out of 5 from 298 ratings, while AmpliTube TONEX averages 2.5 from 10 ratings.
Do iStroboSoft or AmpliTube TONEX have ads?
Neither iStroboSoft nor AmpliTube TONEX shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iStroboSoft or AmpliTube TONEX?
iStroboSoft ships an update fortnightly, and AmpliTube TONEX every 2 months. Most recently, iStroboSoft was updated on November 9, 2026 and AmpliTube TONEX on November 5, 2026.

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