Comparison

Metronome vs Dials

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

Head to head
About

Metronome

This app provides a highly accurate and reliable metronome designed by professional musicians. It offers a wide tempo range, multiple sound sets, and unique features like intonation drones and live sound drum loops for practice and performance.

Highlights
  • Intonation Drones
  • Live Sound Drum Loops
  • CD Quality Recording
  • Slow Motion Playback
  • Wide Tempo Range (30-280)
  • Variable Beats per Measure
  • Subdivision to 16th notes
  • Tempo Tap In
Read full description

PRACTICE SMARTER. PLAY WITH BETTER TIME. Metronome Plus was created by a musician and educator for the way musicians actually practice. A metronome can tell you where the beat is. A great practice tool should help you develop better time, master difficult passages, and eventually need the metronome less. PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE Slow difficult music down to where you can play it correctly, then gradually build toward your goal tempo. Instead of simply repeating a passage and hoping it gets better, turn it into a series of achievable steps. Accuracy first. Speed follows. BUILD TIME YOU CAN TAKE ONSTAGE Following a click isn’t the goal. Developing a reliable internal pulse is. Use Metronome Plus to recognize where you rush or drag, strengthen rhythmic consistency, and become more confident maintaining the pulse on your own. MAKE THE METRONOME FIT THE MUSIC A scale, orchestral excerpt, jazz chart, technical exercise, and ensemble part don’t necessarily need the same kind of click. Metronome Plus gives you the flexibility to shape the beat around what you’re practicing and the problem you’re trying to solve. FOR MUSICIANS AT EVERY LEVEL From students developing their first sense of steady time to experienced musicians preparing for tonight’s performance, Metronome Plus is designed to stay useful as your musicianship grows. Practice time is valuable. Spend less of it mindlessly repeating and more of it actually improving. METRONOME PLUS Practice with purpose. Play with confidence.

About

Dials

This app digitally recreates vintage 1950s electronic music hardware, offering the rich sound and experimental spirit of early studios. It functions as an AUv3 plugin and a standalone application.

Highlights
  • Digital translation of 1950s electronic music hardware
  • Rich sound and experimental spirit
  • AUv3 plugin compatibility
  • Standalone application mode
  • Inspired by early electronic music studios
Features
Read full description

Dials is a detailed digital translation of a unique combination of 1950s electronic music hardware from composer and YouTuber Hainbach’s studio. It is made with the rich sound and experimental spirit of early electronic music studios in mind. Available as AUv3 plugin and Standalone.

Screenshots

Metronome4 screens
Dials1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Metronome at $1.99 against Dials's $19.99. Metronome also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 27 months) and ratings volume (48 vs 11). Dials's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (100% vs 85%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Metronome costs $1.99 and Dials $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dials holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 48 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Metronome's written reviews are positive against 100% of Dials's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Metronome ships an update every 2 weeks, Dials every 27 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Metronome versus Dials: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMetronomeDials
Price$1.99 — better$19.99
Rating4.5 (48 ratings)5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings48 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 27 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGil EstesAudioThing Ltd.

Customer experience

Metronome

All ratings48 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral4.2%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive85.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative10.9%

Dials

All ratings11 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Metronome

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Upgrade tied metronome to display and brightness settings, causing it to sleep
  • New version turns off after 3 minutes
  • App frozen and won't open
  • Erratic first beat in playlist
  • Metronome is off after update
Show 4 more
  • Tempo fluctuates and subdivisions are off
  • Beat is erratic and unusable after new update
  • Irregular rhythms in previous version (now fixed)
  • Tempo was off after update (now fixed)

Requested features

10 requests
  • Set 7/8, 12/8, or 15/16 time signatures
  • Timer feature
  • Option to record with taps
  • App to play metronome and drone simultaneously
  • Tempos down to 20 bpm
Show 5 more
  • Ability to use tapping feature while listening to music
  • Pause, volume indicator, and multiple recording save capability for recorder
  • Wider wooden tap selection
  • More preset bpm settings with less of a gap
  • Ability to get very loud

Dials

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Metronome

No in-app purchases

None

Dials

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Metronome free?
Metronome costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dials free?
Dials costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Metronome or Dials?
Dials is rated higher. Metronome averages 4.5 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while Dials averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Metronome or Dials have ads?
Neither Metronome nor Dials shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Metronome or Dials?
Metronome ships an update every 2 weeks, and Dials every 27 months. Most recently, Metronome was updated on October 10, 2026 and Dials on October 16, 2026.

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