PolyTune vs ShowOne
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PolyTune
This application provides a powerful and accurate tuning tool for musicians. It allows for simultaneous tuning of all strings, supports various guitar and bass modes, and offers drop tunings. Its technology is based on a highly-regarded pedal tuner used by professionals.
- Tune all strings at once
- Guitar/bass mode
- Drop tunings support
- Award-winning pedal technology
- Chromatic tuning modes
- High accuracy
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It's the most powerful tool you've ever had in your pants! You know ... for tuning. That said, this is one of those nuggets on the App store you cannot afford to miss if you value being in tune and you take your smartphone with you when you go places. Yes to both? Then it's a no-brainer! - Tune all strings at once! Just strum your guitar, and see the pitch of all strings instantly. - Guitar/bass mode - Drop-tunings - 1:1 port of the award-winning PolyTune pedal (Guitar Player, Guitar World, Premier Guitar, MIPA, NAMM Best in Show 2010, etc.) - Based one the world’s best selling pedal tuner used by countless pros such as Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Steve Morse, Orianthi and many more! PolyTune is the world's first polyphonic tuner that will have future guitarists wondering how we ever got by without it. The magic lies in a never before seen approach to tuning aimed at speed, accuracy and ease of use, which allows you to get in tune fast, and back to doing what you love: playing. The PolyTune iPhone app is a 1:1 port of the award-winning PolyTune pedal tuner, and PolyTune for iPhone delivers exactly the same features and tuning technology as the pedal version. The pedal version is the fastest way to tune on-stage, whereas the iPhone app is the fastest and most convenient way to tune off-stage. Specifications: - Reference pitch from 435Hz to 445Hz - Drop tuning from E-flat to B - 0.5 cent accuracy - 2 chromatic tuning modes: Needle and Stream - MonoPoly recognizes whether one or several strings are played at once
ShowOne
This app provides musicians with a stable and flexible platform for playing backing tracks live. It offers automatic click tracks, tempo and pitch control, and customizable count-offs. Easily import and organize your music for any live or rehearsal setting.
- Automatic click sync
- Tempo and pitch control
- Voice and visual count-offs
- Unlimited set creation
- Customizable click sounds
- Split audio output
- MIDI compatibility
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ShowOne is a pro app for musicians who use backing tracks live. You supply the music - we give you the features, flexibility, and stability to play your tracks in any live or rehearsal situation, right from your iPhone or iPad. Never again worry about printing click tracks, lugging cumbersome and expensive audio equipment to shows, or being stuck with songs in the wrong key or tempo. ▸ Featured in: Modern Drummer ("6 More Mobile Apps Every Drummer Should Know"), Keyboard Magazine, DRUM! Magazine, Electronic Musician Magazine, Bass Musician Mag, App Advice, Discchord, Music App Blog, and more KEY FEATURES • Automatic click that syncs with your music • Control each track's tempo, pitch, volume, start/end and more • Voice and visual count-offs for any track • Create unlimited sets; add/remove/reorder tracks easily; have tracks automatically play into next • Choose from several custom and familiar click sounds • Audio is split out the headphone jack so the musicians and audience only hear what they need to • Rock solid and stable - no skips or glitches • Clear and intuitive user interface - easy to read in high pressure live situations and on dark stages • Import your music fast and privately via cloud (Dropbox, iCloud, etc) or iTunes File Sharing • Use tracks that you’ve pre-recorded with clicks and cues to one side for more versatility ("User Cue" feature) • Works with 3rd party interfaces from Apogee, PreSonus, iConnectivity, and many more • Backup/restore to cloud and share via Airdrop all of your tracks and sets across multiple devices ▸ Features 4-channel operation! Send full stereo mix to audience with further cue routing options (available as in-app purchase, compatible interface required) • NEW - iPadOS version in portrait and landscape orientation ▸ MIDI-compatible! Control ShowOne's transport with an external keyboard, drum pad or footswitch via MIDI interface. Control and sync with external gear with MIDI Clock output and per-track Program/Bank changes. Available as in-app purchases. ▸ ShowOne was created by an internationally known recording and touring artist and professional stage manager from the ground up with an eye toward what real musicians need. MORE FEATURES • High quality time/pitch algorithm • Click Mute/Delay/Accent are all adjustable for control over your time-keeping • Exclusive ShowOne Crosstalk Control to help reduce crosstalk or bleed when splitting out headphone jack • Works with most audio files (WAV/AIFF/MP3/AAC), 24 bit and up to 96k • Big, striking Transport for ease of control • Bar Counter, Tempo and Pitch displays so you always know where you are • Free version is full-featured, limited to 2 user tracks at a time (unlimited track imports with paid version) VERSATILE AND DEPENDABLE • Made for iPhone® and iPad® (works on iPod touch®) • Simple enough for beginners, powerful enough for the pros. • Great for drummers, keyboard players, guitar or bass players, musical directors - whoever deals with backing tracks! • National touring acts, local/regional bands, cover bands, church bands, solo artists, street performers, theater troupes - anything! • AND - it works as a solid backup solution for more advanced setups • AND - it’s an excellent practice tool as well! Speed up and slow down tracks with metronome for learning parts, change the pitch, etc. MORE PRAISE FOR SHOWONE! ▸ "...it will probably pay for itself in convenience before you finish your first gig." - Music App Blog ▸ "ShowOne is the perfect tool for running tracks on stage or in rehearsal - no need to invest in a bunch of new gear!" - Nick Wheeler, All-American Rejects ▸ "Blown away by ShowOne…this software is the bomb!" - Bruce Murphy, Men Without Hats ▸ "Thanks for developing such a great app!" - Phil Bennett, Starship - - - - - - - - - - Go to www.ShowOneApp.com, check out the vids and FAQs, or drop us a line. We'd love to hear from you! And please LEAVE A RATING/REVIEW after you've used the app a bit.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ShowOne at Free against PolyTune's $4.99. ShowOne also leads on rating (4.2 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 40 months). PolyTune's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and chart position (#184 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ratings volume, 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
ShowOne is free to download; PolyTune costs $4.99 up front. ShowOne sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. PolyTune asks for nothing beyond the download.
ShowOne holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 79 and 106 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of PolyTune's written reviews are positive against 61% of ShowOne's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
PolyTune ships an update every 40 months, ShowOne every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PolyTune | ShowOne |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.8 (79 ratings) | 4.2 (106 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.7% of reviews — better | 60.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 79 | 106 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 40 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #184 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TC Electronic | One Zero One Audio |
Customer experience
PolyTune
ShowOne
User reviews
PolyTune
From 79 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🩵 Works really well
- 💯 Accurate and precise
- 🔢 Polyphonic tuning mode
- 🎨 Customizable display colors
- 🔌 Works with electric and acoustic guitars
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes or freezes on newer iOS versions
- 🔇 Struggles to pick up low strings or in noisy environments
- ⏱️ Screen dims during use
- 🚫 No support for alternate/custom tunings
- 💤 Drains battery quickly when running in background
ShowOne
From 106 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to import audio files from multiple sources
- 🎵 Simple and intuitive user interface
- ⚙️ Flexible tempo and pitch adjustment without quality loss
- 🎚️ Effective click track and cue functionality
- 📱 Works reliably on iPhone and iPad
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent import failures and crashes
- 📱 Portrait-only orientation, no landscape mode
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases and unclear pricing structure
- 🔋 Significant battery drain during use
- ❌ Limited track capacity in free version (5 songs max)
Bugs and requests
PolyTune
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on launch
- Unable to detect or tune certain strings
- Inaccurate tuning readings
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for 432Hz tuning
- Implement custom tuning options
- Improve compatibility with external audio interfaces
- Add a dedicated on/off switch
ShowOne
Reported bugs
14 issues- App crashes when importing tracks
- Imported tracks not appearing in ShowOne despite file transfer
- Click track goes out of sync during playback
- Pitch adjustment causes digital garbling noise
- Data loss after app updates
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Restore purchases not working properly
- Support contact unavailable or unresponsive
- Custom click sound reverts to default on app restart
- Audio stops mid-song sporadically
- Set creation causes app to crash
- Purchase registration failures requiring app reinstall
- Song titles change to lowercase after import
- Click track panning issues despite in-app purchases
- Background battery drain (80%+ usage reported)
Requested features
21 requests- Landscape mode support for iPad
- Larger, more accessible play/pause button
- True 4-channel audio output capability
- Multiple tempo changes within a single track
- Additional time signatures (3/4, 5/4, 7/4, etc.)
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Crossfades between tracks for seamless transitions
- Loop and repeat functionality
- Trim by milliseconds instead of bars only
- Auto-play playlist with customizable gaps between songs
- Track duration display in set edit screen
- Automated volume balancing assistance
- Landscape mode for iPad
- MIDI program change functionality
- Voice cues and lyric display integration
- Ability to add songs without backing tracks to setlist
- Bulk import for multiple tracks at once
- Half-step tempo precision (e.g., 68.5 BPM)
- Click start delay customization
- Waveform visualization with playhead
- Backup and restore functionality as standard feature
- Ability to disable click per-song default settings
In-app purchases
PolyTune
No in-app purchases
ShowOne
- Click Track Pack 1$0.99
- MIDI Transport$3.99
- MIDI Advanced$3.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Backup Restore$7.99
- Four Channel Mode$8.99
- ShowOne Basic Version$14.99









