Tunebook vs DroPilot Modes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tunebook
This app is a viewer for music written in the ABC format, a text-based notation popular for folk music. It allows users to import tunes from the web, organize them into collections, search by title, key, or time signature, and view them in musical notation. Users can also play the tunes with various voices.
- ABC music format viewer
- Import tunes from websites
- Search tunes by title, key, time signature
- Display musical notation
- Play tunes with various voices
- Organize tunes into tunebooks
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Tunebook is now identical to the Tunebook for iPad application - don't buy both! I keep both on the App Store because it's not possible to provide an upgrade path to a single app without forcing some users to pay twice. Tunebook is a viewer for music expressed in the ABC format. ABC is a simple text-based notation for music and many thousands of tunes are freely available in this format on the Web. ABC is also supported by many music applications. See http://abc.sourceforge.net/ for more details on the ABC format. The format is primarily geared towards traditional folk music where tunes fit on a single page. Tunebook allows you to import files in the ABC format from websites into its database. You can then list the tunes, search for tunes by words in the title, by key and by time signature. Selecting a tune will display it in musical notation and allow you to play it in a variety of voices. You can also create tunebooks to organize your tune collection. Tunebook is based on the well-known abc2ps and abc2midi applications, and licensed under the GPL. The source code is available from http://www.jhlabs.com/tunebook.
DroPilot Modes
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DroPilot Modes helps you understand and practice guitar modes in a visual, clear and musical way. Choose a root note and a mode, and the app shows which notes you can play, how they are laid out on the fretboard and which chord type fits the sound best. Ideal for guitarists who want modes to stop being abstract diagrams and start recognizing their character: Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, melodic minor and more. WHAT'S INCLUDED • Major scale modes: Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian • Melodic minor family for jazz, fusion and modern sounds • 7 positions per mode to practice each scale across the fretboard • Notes, intervals or characteristic note view (Color mode) • Related chord and suggested progressions for each mode • Player with vamp, progression, tempo, loop and metronome • Interval jumps and note highlighting to train your ear • Favorites to save your practice setups • Built-in guitar tuner (4 and 6 strings) • Chord diagrams and shape dictionary • Right- and left-handed display HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick a family (major scale or melodic minor), root note and mode. 2. Explore the fretboard in 7 positions with notes or intervals. 3. Hear the mode in context: vamp or suggested progression. 4. Adjust tempo, loop and patterns; save what works in favorites. DroPilot Pro (one-time purchase, no subscription) unlocks all modes, 4th–7th positions, full progressions, advanced interval patterns and player loop. Developed by Zipizapp.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tunebook at none against DroPilot Modes's 1. Tunebook also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). DroPilot Modes's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. DroPilot Modes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tunebook asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tunebook ships an update every 2 months, DroPilot Modes every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tunebook | DroPilot Modes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (6 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 69 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JH Labs | Pablo Niveiro |
In-app purchases
Tunebook
No in-app purchases
DroPilot Modes
- DroPilot Modes Pro$6.99
Questions
Is Tunebook free?
Is DroPilot Modes free?
Do Tunebook or DroPilot Modes have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tunebook or DroPilot Modes?
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