Comparison

12 vs Mandolin Tuner

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

Head to head
About

12

This application provides a straightforward tool for tuning 12-string guitars to the standard eEaAdDgGBBEE tuning. It guides users by playing the correct notes for each string, allowing them to adjust their tuning pegs accordingly. The app also offers functionality for tuning standard 6-string guitars.

Highlights
  • 12-string guitar tuning
  • Standard eEaAdDgGBBEE tuning
  • Plays reference notes for each string
  • Supports 6-string guitar tuning
  • Easy-to-use interface
Features
Read full description

Simple 12-string guitar tuner to tune up your 12-string guitar. This is for the standard eEaAdDgGBBEE 12 String Guitar tuning. Tuning your guitar can be a difficult task for you if you are just beginning guitar. The good news is, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. A nicely tuned guitar can make your music sound a lot better and help you greatly while you're are just getting the hang of finger placement for notes. A 12 string guitar is split up into 6 pairs of 2 strings. The thicker string of the pair is tuned to the same note and octave as a regular 6 string guitar. The thinner string, on the pair of strings 3-6, is tuned one octave higher than it's pair. On the first and second pairs, the notes are the same octave and each string in the pair should sound exactly the same to it's other string in the pair. This is eEaAdDgGBBEE tuning. The lowercase letters means that it is one octave higher then it's counterpart. Touch the note for the string you want to tune and then turn the tuning pegs on your guitar and match it up with the note that is being played. Tip: Make several passes tuning each of the strings. For example you might have noticed that if you have tuned all the strings once, and then back to the first one you tuned, it might be off a little bit. This is because you are increasing or decreasing the tension on each of the strings as you tune it and the instrument's body might bend ever so slightly due to this difference in tension. This causes the other strings to slightly change in pitch. So make sure you keep on checking and tuning the strings until all are in tune, so make several passes. Also you can use this simple tuner for your standard 6-String Guitar, it is the same tuning, only the strings on the 6-String Guitar are EADGBBEE, which is right part of this 12-String Guitar Tuner. So use just right part of this tuner to tune up your 6-String Guitar. Any questions using the App? Write support@tuneinstrument.com and we we'll get back to you promptly. If you need to tune other music instruments simply have a look into our other applications: Violin Tuner Simple, Cello Tuner Simple, Banjo Tuner Simple, Mandolin Tuner Simple, Double Bass Tuner Simple, Viola Tuner Simple, Guitar Tuner Simple, Ukulele Tuner Simple, Bass Tuner Simple. Follow us on Twitter: @TuneInstrument Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/Tuneinstrument Follow us on Google+: Tuneinstrument Subscribe to YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/TuneInstrument Sign up for newsletter and or visit us: www.tuneinstrument.com

About

Mandolin Tuner

This app provides a professional and precise way to tune your mandolin. It offers real sound samples to help you match the correct pitch and an automatic mode for faster tuning. Customize your tuning experience with various settings and enjoy offline functionality.

Highlights
  • Professional precision tuning algorithm
  • Tune with real sound samples
  • Automatic note detection
  • Multiple tuning variations
  • Dark mode
  • Left-handed mode
Features
Read full description

Free mandolin tuner. No Ads. No purchases. No Registration. Works offline. Many features. Professional Mandolin Tuner We created a unique algorithm designed for the mandolin to achieve the best quality of mandolin tuning. Because of this, our mandolin tuner allows you to tune with very high professional precision. You'll get rich and accurate tones. Mandolin Tuner with Real Sounds Another feature of this mandolin tuner is the ability to tune a mandolin with the help of sounds. 1) Tap on the mandolin note to hear a tuned sound. 2) Try to match the sound with your mandolin. You can train your musical ear by matching the sound with your mandolin. Fast Mandolin Tuner Tune the mandolin faster with the automatic mode. You can play any note, and we will properly detect it to give you hints on how to tune a mandolin. Mandolin Tuner with Many Settings In this mandolin tuner, you'll find many settings, such as: - different mandolin tuning variations - dark mode - notation language - reference frequency - left-handed mode - additional information And much more! With this mandolin tuner, you'll get regular updates. We constantly monitor the quality and create improvements, so you have the best mandolin tuner app. Do you have questions or improvements for our mandolin tuner? Please send us a message at support@liketones.com Thanks for tuning your mandolin with our app! liketones.com

Screenshots

124 screens
Mandolin Tuner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mandolin Tuner at 96% against 12's 27%. Mandolin Tuner also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (4.9 vs 3.5). 12's advantage is iOS requirement (5.1.1 vs 14.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Mandolin Tuner is free to download; 12 costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mandolin Tuner holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mandolin Tuner has 1.2K ratings behind it against 44, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of 12's written reviews are positive against 96% of Mandolin Tuner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

12 ships an update every 3 months, Mandolin Tuner every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
12 versus Mandolin Tuner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter12Mandolin Tuner
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.5 (44 ratings)4.9 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.1% of reviews96.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings441.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS5.1.1 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPavel NikitenkoVladislav Sonkin

Customer experience

12

All ratings44 ratings
Positive59.1%
Neutral4.5%
Negative36.4%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive27.1%
Neutral1.4%
Negative71.4%

Mandolin Tuner

All ratings1,132 ratings
Positive98.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.9%
Written reviews179 reviews
Positive96.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.9%

User reviews

12

From 44 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to follow
  • 👍 Quick and easy tuning
  • 👍 User-friendly mode
  • 👍 On target with tuning
  • 👍 Great for 12-string guitars

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crushing constantly
  • 🐛 Does not work on iPad Pro
  • 🐛 Useless product
  • 🐛 No microphone
  • 🐛 Not a tuner, just plays tone

Mandolin Tuner

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Works great
  • 🚀 Accurate
  • 🚀 Precise
  • 🚀 Versatile

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Displays incorrect string names

Bugs and requests

12

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Crushing constantly
  • Does not work on iPad Pro
  • No microphone functionality
  • App crashes on opening
  • App quits when opened
Show 5 more
  • Note getting stuck
  • Update broke the app
  • Loads picture then crashes
  • No sound
  • Top E string octave lower than it should be

Requested features

4 requests
  • Use the microphone for tuning
  • Add visual confirmation (e.g., green indicator)
  • Allow tuning down strings
  • Change MHz up and down

Mandolin Tuner

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Displays incorrect string names

Requested features

1 request
  • Dark mode option

In-app purchases

None

12

No in-app purchases

None

Mandolin Tuner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 12 free?
12 costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mandolin Tuner free?
Mandolin Tuner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, 12 or Mandolin Tuner?
Mandolin Tuner is rated higher. 12 averages 3.5 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Mandolin Tuner averages 4.9 from 1.2K ratings.
Do 12 or Mandolin Tuner have ads?
Neither 12 nor Mandolin Tuner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 12 or Mandolin Tuner?
12 ships an update every 3 months, and Mandolin Tuner every 2 months. Most recently, 12 was updated on October 29, 2026 and Mandolin Tuner on October 30, 2026.

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