Comparison

Maestro vs Tenuto

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

Head to head
About

Maestro

This app offers a visually engaging metronome designed for musicians and conductors. It provides animated beat patterns that mimic traditional conducting gestures, helping users maintain tempo and understand musical phrasing without relying solely on auditory cues. Practice with or without sound, and gain a deeper understanding of rhythmic structure.

Highlights
  • Animated beat patterns
  • Conductor's Point of View
  • Performer's Point of View
  • Adjustable tempo (16-256 bpm)
  • 48 beat patterns
  • Optional beat subdivisions
  • Pick-up beats
Features
Read full description

A musically visual metronome that inspires musical expression rather than mechanical execution. When practicing with this metronome, the animated beat patterns will reinforce the peripheral vision used when following a conductor. Be able to practice without the click, while keeping to a strict tempo. Always know where you are INSIDE the beat with the traditional musical beat patterns developed over ages of musical performance practice, not an arbitrary circle or side to side motion for all meters and styles. This metronome is an invaluable learning tool for conductors when using the Conductor's Point of View. All the conducting patterns are based on Max Rudolf's "Grammar of Conducting" and my professional conducting experience of 20+ years. Instructions: Double tap to start. Swipe horizontally or pinch to stop. Long Press triggers Tap Tempo, tap anywhere more than twice to set the tempo. Then wait and it will start conducting. Apple Watch Support: On the Apple Watch, view animations from 1 through 12 beats (time signatures). Adjust the tempo with the crown or by sliding on the animating pattern or the setting tempo bar. Features: • Adjust the tempo, 16 to 256 bpm, by dragging up/down anywhere, using the + and - buttons, or by tapping it via Tap Tempo • 48 different beat patterns (meters): 1 through 12(3+3+3+3) • Staccato, Neutral, Legato, and Reduced (see below) pattern styles • Patterns are displayed from the Performer's or Conductor's Point of View • Optional 2, 3, or 4 subdivisions of the beat • Set 0, 1, or 2 'pick-up' beats (get playing quicker) Preferences: • Choose from 16 pairs of 'tick and 'tock' sounds • Customizable colors of the baton, pattern and texts • Customizable transparencies of the beat pattern and background image A note about pattern variations and reductions: A 5/4 bar can be divided either 3+2 or 2+3 depending on the music. The 'Reduced' style: At faster tempos, a legato 3 pattern turns into a one pattern while still clicking the three beats. A 6(2+2+2) changes into 3 while a 6(3+3) changes into 2 while still clicking 6 beats. The Automatic Reduction setting automatically adjusts the pattern when the tempo reaches a level that requires it. Switching the Reduced Pattern switch on, forces the reduced pattern at all tempos. Conductor's Point of View - automatically flips the beat pattern for conductors to learn and practice the patterns. This mode shows you the path the tip of your baton should take while conducting. Performer’s Point of View - the conductor’s beat pattern as seen from the ensemble musicians. Recommended view while practicing your instrument. Supports all orientations for easier use while plugged in.

About

Tenuto

Enhance your musicality with a comprehensive suite of 24 customizable theory exercises and six essential musical calculators. Practice note and chord identification, ear training, and construct musical elements. Tools include accidentals, intervals, scales, chords, analysis symbols, and twelve-tone matrices.

Highlights
  • 24 customizable theory exercises
  • Note and chord identification
  • Ear training for intervals and scales
  • Musical construction exercises
  • Accidental calculator
  • Interval calculator
  • Chord calculator
Read full description

Tenuto is a collection of 24 highly-customizable exercises designed to enhance your musicality. From recognizing chords on a keyboard to identifying intervals by ear, it has an exercise for you. Tenuto also includes six musical calculators for accidentals, intervals, scales, chords, analysis symbols, and twelve-tone matrices. A short description of the exercises and calculators follows. –––––– • Note Identification • Key Signature Identification • Interval Identification • Scale Identification • Chord Identification Tap the button corresponding to the written staff line. For example: if shown a C, E, and G with a sharp; tap the "Augmented Triad" button. –––––– • Note Construction • Key Signature Construction • Interval Construction • Scale Construction • Chord Construction Construct the specified label by moving notes and/or adding accidentals. For example: if shown a C and an "Augmented 4th" label, move the second note to F and add a sharp. –––––– • Keyboard Reverse Identification Tap the piano key corresponding to the written note on the staff. While similar to Note Identification, this exercise uses a piano keyboard rather than note name buttons. • Keyboard Note Identification • Keyboard Interval Identification • Keyboard Scale Identification • Keyboard Chord Identification Tap the button corresponding to the highlighted piano key(s). If the C and G keys are highlighted, tap the "P5" (Perfect 5th) button. –––––– • Fretboard Note Identification • Fretboard Interval Identification • Fretboard Scale Identification • Fretboard Chord Identification Tap the button corresponding to the marked fretboard position(s). If the 2nd fret of the D string is marked, tap the "E" button. –––––– • Keyboard Ear Training • Note Ear Training Listen to the played reference and question notes. Select the piano key or note button corresponding to the question note. • Interval Ear Training • Scale Ear Training • Chord Ear Training Tap the button corresponding to the played notes. If E and F are played, tap the "Minor 2nd" button. –––––– • Accidental Calculator Display the accidental for a note and key. • Interval Calculator Display the interval for a note, type, and key. • Chord Calculator Display the scale for a tonic and scale type. • Chord Calculator Display the chord for a note, type, and key. • Analysis Calculator Display the chord for a symbol and key. • Matrix Calculator Display the twelve-tone matrix for a specified tone row.

Screenshots

Maestro4 screens
Tenuto4 screens

Verdict

The call

Maestro and Tenuto both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of Tenuto's written reviews are positive against 77% of Maestro's. Tenuto also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (667 vs 57). Maestro's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On rating, ads, in-app purchases 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

Maestro costs $2.99 and Tenuto $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Maestro against 4.7 for Tenuto. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tenuto has 667 ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Maestro's written reviews are positive against 94% of Tenuto's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Maestro ships an update every 10 months, Tenuto every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Maestro versus Tenuto: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaestroTenuto
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (57 ratings) — better4.7 (667 ratings)
Positive reviews76.7% of reviews94.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings57667 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#7 — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.8 — better
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB11 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPatrick Q. Kellymusictheory.net

Customer experience

Maestro

All ratings57 ratings
Positive94.7%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive76.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative20.0%

Tenuto

All ratings652 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews354 reviews
Positive94.1%
Neutral3.1%
Negative2.8%

Bugs and requests

Maestro

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tenuto

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sound cuts out
  • Unresponsive at times
  • Freezes up
  • Doesn't work well for guitar
  • Incorrect chord/key associations

Requested features

20 requests
  • Cadences and inversions for ear training
  • Chord progressions for ear training
  • Melodic and harmonic minor modes for scale recognition
  • 6th, 9th, 11th and 13th chord extensions for chord recognition
  • Melodic dictation
Show 15 more
  • Rhythm exercises
  • Fretboard reverse identification
  • Chord inversions for chord identification
  • Scales written on staff using various clefs
  • Rhythm, melodic, and harmonic dictation exercises
  • Part writing exercises
  • Exercises for form, cadences, etc.
  • MIDI support
  • Autoplay function
  • Ability to input notes/chords on fretboard
  • Chord progression ear training
  • Inversion options for chord and interval identification
  • Melodic and harmonic minor scale identification
  • Extended chord identification
  • Rhythmic dictation

In-app purchases

None

Maestro

No in-app purchases

None

Tenuto

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Maestro free?
Maestro costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tenuto free?
Tenuto costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Maestro or Tenuto?
Maestro is rated higher. Maestro averages 4.8 out of 5 from 57 ratings, while Tenuto averages 4.7 from 667 ratings.
Do Maestro or Tenuto have ads?
Neither Maestro nor Tenuto shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Maestro or Tenuto?
Maestro ships an update every 10 months, and Tenuto every 3 months. Most recently, Maestro was updated on October 31, 2026 and Tenuto on November 1, 2026.

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