iStroboSoft vs D'Tools
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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)
D'Tools
This app is a comprehensive toolkit for guitarists, offering features like a chord library, scale explorer, digital tuner, and metronome. It provides professional-grade utilities to help players of all levels improve their technique and explore musical possibilities.
- Chord library with 7,000+ chords
- Scale and arpeggio explorer
- Professional-grade digital tuner
- Hyper-accurate digital metronome
- Chord finder by fret selection
- Lefty mode for chords
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Newly updated to support the latest iPhones and iOS 12, D'Tools (formerly Guitar Tools) is the ultimate hand-held utility kit for guitar players of any style or skill level, brought to you by D'Addario & Company, Inc., the world's largest designer, manufacturer and distributor of musical instrument accessories. Enjoy the full functionality of the Chordmaster and Scale Wizard apps, the core features of ProTune and ProTempo. Developed exclusively for iOS by the minds at Audiofile Engineering, D'Tools packs a wealth of easy-to-use, professional-grade guitar utilities into one elegant application for your iPhone or iPod touch. FEATURES: CHORDS Explore a library of more than 7,000 guitar chords by simply tapping and strumming the touch screen. View chords in every position up and down the guitar neck and hear each one played back in pristine audio. There's even a "lefty" mode for the oft-neglected southpaw. CHORD FINDER You know how to play it, but what do you call it? Select frets and finger positions to discover the proper name for your chord. SCALES Improve your technique by choosing from thousands of scales, modes and arpeggios to practice. Try multiple positions and alternate tunings to boost your versatility. Use "big stretches" for unique, challenging fingerings. TUNER Keep your instrument in tune with a professional-grade digital tuner, powered by Audiofile Engineering's precise AETune™ pitch detection technology. Choose between strobe or needle interface and access dozens of presets. METRONOME Keep in time with a hyper-accurate and visually stunning digital metronome. Set tempos numerically or by tapping the touch screen. Choose from multiple sounds and time signatures. --- D'Tools was developed by Audiofile Engineering, a leading developer of audio software for OS X and iOS.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: D'Tools at Free against iStroboSoft's $9.99. iStroboSoft's advantage is rating (4.3 vs 3.6) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). 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
D'Tools is free to download; iStroboSoft costs $9.99 up front. iStroboSoft sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and D'Tools sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
iStroboSoft holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: iStroboSoft has 298 ratings behind it against 30, 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 49% of D'Tools's.
iStroboSoft ships an update fortnightly, D'Tools every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iStroboSoft | D'Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.3 (298 ratings) — better | 3.6 (30 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.0% of reviews — better | 49.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 298 — better | 30 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #30 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 31 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Peterson Tuners | D'Addario & Company, Inc. |
Customer experience
iStroboSoft
D'Tools
User reviews
iStroboSoft
From 298 App Store ratingsWhat 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
D'Tools
From 30 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎸 Comprehensive all-in-one guitar tool (tuner, metronome, chord finder, scales)
- 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
- 💰 Free or affordable pricing
- 🎯 Accurate tuner (when working properly)
- 📚 Extensive chord and scale library
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes, especially with chord finder
- 🔊 Audio/sound issues after app closure or phone reboot
- 📱 Microphone access problems on newer iOS versions
- 🎵 Tuner accuracy issues (reads sharp or flat)
- ⚠️ Poor app support and unresponsive developers
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
D'Tools
Reported bugs
14 issues- Chord finder crashes app repeatedly
- Tuner stops working after iOS updates
- Microphone access not granted or requested properly
- Audio/sound stops working after app closure
- Metronome has no sound intermittently
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- App crashes when accessing 'Find Stores' or 'Find Teachers' features
- Chord finder displays 'no chord' for valid chords
- Tuner reads notes sharp or flat (off by semitones)
- App crashes after receiving phone calls
- Chord finder cannot recognize bar chords
- Cannot select open strings in chord finder
- App requires internet connection to function
- Incompatibility with iOS 7, 8, 11, and 12.5.7
- Tuner frequency range too limited (doesn't go below A1)
Requested features
13 requests- Mute button for metronome
- Bluetooth audio output for metronome
- Dark mode/dark background for tuner visibility
- Ability to change tuning in chord dictionary
- Auto-play feature for continuous chord/scale playback
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- Poly-rhythm metronome
- 3 notes per string scale display option
- Bass-specific scale options
- Ability to play pitch reference tone (440Hz, etc.)
- Support for alternate tunings
- Background metronome playback during multitasking
- Restore previous purchases button
- Microphone access request on app launch
In-app purchases
iStroboSoft
- Extended Frequency Modes$4.99
- Bluegrass Sweeteners$5.99
- Buzz Feiten Pack$5.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Guitar & Bass Sweeteners$5.99
- Orchestral Sweeteners$5.99
- World Sweetener Pack$9.99
- Tuning Tools$9.99
- Steel Guitar Sweeteners$14.99
- Harmonic Tuning$19.99
- Keyboard Sweeteners$19.99
- Full Discounted Upgrade Pack$59.99
D'Tools
- Buzz Feiten Tuning System$19.99









