Comparison

Banjo Tuner vs BigKeys Large Key Keyboard

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

Head to head
About

Banjo Tuner

This application provides standard tuning notes for the 5-string banjo. It's a simple tool designed to help banjo players achieve accurate tuning.

Highlights
  • Standard tuning notes
  • 5-string banjo support
  • Accurate tuning reference
Features
Read full description

Tune your 5-string banjo with accurate standard tuning reference notes.

About

BigKeys Large Key Keyboard

This keyboard app features significantly larger keys and letters, designed to improve visibility for users with low vision. It employs a "hold and slide" typing method to prevent accidental presses and ensure accurate character selection.

Highlights
  • Larger keys
  • Larger letters
  • Hold and slide typing
  • Improved visibility
  • Customizable layout
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Big, easy-to-read keys for seniors and anyone with low vision. Type in Messages, Mail and every other app with fewer typos. PAY ONCE One purchase, and BigKeys is yours. No subscription, no advertising, and nothing held back behind a later purchase — every feature on this page is included. MUCH BIGGER KEYS Each row of the usual keyboard is split across two rows, so every key is roughly twice as wide. The letters grow with them. Four sizes, from Medium up to about three times the standard key. MORE OF YOUR SCREEN, SAME BIG KEYS Turn on the thin strip above the keys and the keyboard takes less of the screen, while every key stays exactly as big. BIG EMOJI Tap the smiley key next to 123 for the iPhone's own emoji, as big as the keys. The ones you sent last come first. SEE THE KEY BEFORE YOU COMMIT Nothing is typed when you touch a key. Hold your finger down and the letter appears above it, very large. If it is the wrong one, slide to the right one and let go. Only then is it typed. COLOURS THAT WORK FOR YOUR EYES Yellow on black, white on black, black on yellow, black on white, or matching your iPhone's light and dark mode. If bright screens are painful, the dark themes are not a novelty — they are the point. HEAR WHAT YOU TYPE BigKeys can speak each key as your finger passes over it, and each word as you finish it. It works alongside VoiceOver rather than talking over it. WORD SUGGESTIONS Suggestions appear in large type as you type, and BigKeys learns the words you use most. All of it happens on your iPhone. TEN LANGUAGES, ONE KEYBOARD English, Hebrew, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian and Arabic — including right-to-left. Add it once and switch between them from the keyboard. NOTHING LEAVES YOUR IPHONE BigKeys never asks for "Allow Full Access". You can check: Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > BigKeys. There is no such switch. Without it iOS will not let a keyboard reach the network at all, so nothing you type can go anywhere. BEFORE YOU BUY iOS never allows any third-party keyboard into a password field. Apple's own keyboard appears instead. This is true of every keyboard app on the App Store and cannot be changed. Setting BigKeys up takes about a minute. The app walks you through it one step at a time, in large print, and tells you when it is working.

Screenshots

Banjo Tuner1 screens
BigKeys Large Key Keyboard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Banjo Tuner at Free against BigKeys Large Key Keyboard's $5.99. Banjo Tuner also leads on rating (4.4 vs 2.0) and ratings volume (394 vs 1). BigKeys Large Key Keyboard's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs every 15 months). On in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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

Banjo Tuner is free to download; BigKeys Large Key Keyboard costs $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Banjo Tuner holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Banjo Tuner has 394 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Banjo Tuner ships an update every 15 months, BigKeys Large Key Keyboard daily. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Banjo Tuner versus BigKeys Large Key Keyboard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBanjo TunerBigKeys Large Key Keyboard
PriceFree — better$5.99
Rating4.4 (394 ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews53.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings394 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 15 monthsDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#188 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB7 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperAlvin YuTzahi Bergman

Customer experience

Banjo Tuner

All ratings391 ratings
Positive84.9%
Neutral4.6%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral6.5%
Negative40.2%

BigKeys Large Key Keyboard

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Banjo Tuner

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • No sound output despite app being enabled
  • Buttons do not respond when pressed
  • Audio cuts off mid-note
  • Multiple notes playing simultaneously
  • Pitch notes are flat or inaccurate
Show 3 more
  • App depends on ringer volume instead of app volume
  • Sporadic functionality - works sometimes, not others
  • Scam pop-ups offering iPad giveaways

Requested features

9 requests
  • Add microphone input to detect instrument pitch
  • Support for alternate tunings (tenor, Irish tenor, etc.)
  • Continuous note playback instead of single play
  • Visual feedback for tuning accuracy
  • Ability to customize tunings per string
Show 4 more
  • Better audio quality and longer note sustain
  • Remove or reduce advertisements
  • Auto-repeat note functionality
  • Compatibility with different string instruments

BigKeys Large Key Keyboard

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Banjo Tuner

No in-app purchases

None

BigKeys Large Key Keyboard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Banjo Tuner free?
Banjo Tuner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BigKeys Large Key Keyboard free?
BigKeys Large Key Keyboard costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Banjo Tuner or BigKeys Large Key Keyboard?
Banjo Tuner is rated higher. Banjo Tuner averages 4.4 out of 5 from 394 ratings, while BigKeys Large Key Keyboard averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Banjo Tuner or BigKeys Large Key Keyboard have ads?
Banjo Tuner shows ads; BigKeys Large Key Keyboard does not.
Which is updated more often, Banjo Tuner or BigKeys Large Key Keyboard?
Banjo Tuner ships an update every 15 months, and BigKeys Large Key Keyboard daily. Most recently, Banjo Tuner was updated on November 10, 2026 and BigKeys Large Key Keyboard on November 10, 2026.

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