AmpliTube CS vs Tone Trace
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AmpliTube CS
This app provides a mobile guitar and bass tone studio with a vast collection of virtual gear. Users can build custom rigs, practice, play, and record with professional-sounding tones anytime, anywhere. It offers expandable libraries of amps and effects for a personalized experience.
- Virtual guitar and bass rig builder
- Extensive library of amps and effects
- Live Mode for stage performance
- 2-track recorder (expandable)
- Loop drummer module
- Speed trainer, metronome, and tuner
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Want the ultimate mobile guitar and bass tone studio? AmpliTube gives you a massive collection of virtual gear that you can use to practice, play and record with world-class tone anytime and anywhere. Build your own guitar or bass rig with up to 6 stompbox FX, an amplifier and cabinet with mics. Plug your instrument into your iPhone with one of IK's interfaces like iRig 2 or iRig HD 2, and get ready to be blown away. AmpliTube CS gives you 7 stompbox effects, 3 amplifiers, 3 speaker cabinets and 2 mics, a free Loop Drummer Rock groove pack and a 2-track recorder. You can expand this via a massive library of over 150 amps and stompboxes from top brands like Fender™, Ampeg®, Orange®, Mesa/Boogie®, and many more, or unlock the rigs of your heroes with gear from Joe Satriani, Dimebag Darrell, and Brian May. Ready to hit the stage? AmpliTube’s Live Mode offers an optimized GUI for live use, with all the settings and controls you need in an easy-to-read format. Control your virtual rig just like real gear: change presets, trigger FX, loops and more all right from your feet. AmpliTube pairs with iRig Stomp I/O for a powerful all-in-one stage rig, works wirelessly with iRig Blueboard, and supports other MIDI controllers as well. AmpliTube also offers innovative ways to play, practice and record with an optional Looper, more drum track loops, a full 8-track recorder and DAW-style studio all available for in-app purchase. Whether it’s at home, in the studio or on stage, AmpliTube is the dream rig you’ve always wanted, in a device that’s always with you! AmpliTube CS features: • Create guitar & bass rigs with up to 6 stomps, 1 amp and 1 cab with 2 mics • Includes 7 stomps, 3 amp, 3 cabinet and 2 mics • Expandable with over 150 gear models available from Fender™, Ampeg®, Orange®, Mesa/Boogie®, Joe Satriani, Dimebag Darrell and Brian May • Live Mode shows your entire rig at a glance, with all the parameters you need on stage easily accessible • Included 2-track recorder (in-app purchase unlocks up to 8-tracks) • Studio mode for intuitive DAW-style editing (unlocked via in-app purchase) • Loop drummer module that plays in sync with the recorder • Includes speed trainer, metronome and tuner • Inter-App Audio and AudioBus support • Project sharing between versions and devices • Import and play songs as backing tracks from your Music Library or computer • Export audio via E-mail, SoundCloud or File Sharing • MIDI controllable and with built-in integration for iRig Stomp I/O, iRig Blueboard and other controllers • Low-latency for real-time playing More info: www.amplitube.com/ios Accessory info: www.ikmultimedia.com/irig
Tone Trace
This app helps guitarists and bassists optimize their pedalboard signal flow. It audits pedal order, buffer placement, and more, providing a real-time chain score and a troubleshoot wizard to fix issues like hum and tone suck. It's designed for musicians with multiple pedals who want their rig to sound its best.
- Drag-and-drop pedal chain builder
- Real-time signal flow scoring
- Symptom-driven troubleshoot wizard
- Signal map for documentation
- FX loop routing awareness
- Clone artist rigs
- Set list creation and sharing
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Tone Trace is the rig analyzer for guitarists and bassists who want their pedalboard to sound right — not just look right. Drag pedals onto a chain canvas, and Tone Trace audits your signal flow as you build. The chain score grades pedal order, buffer placement, FX-loop routing, and gain staging in real time. When something is off, the troubleshoot wizard walks you through the actual fix — tone suck, hum, high-pitched whine, impedance mismatch — by symptom, not by guesswork. Built for the gear-forward player who already owns three or more pedals and is tired of static pedalboard layouts that don't tell you whether the rig actually works. KEY FEATURES • Chain Builder — drag-place pedals on a grid canvas; signal lines auto-route between cells. • Chain Score — quantitative grade of your rig's signal flow with sub-score bars for order, FX loop, gain staging, and impedance. • Troubleshoot Wizard — symptom-driven diagnostic cards walk you from "my rig sounds bad" to a specific fix. • Signal Map — annotated read-only flow diagram for documentation, screen-share, or repatch reference. • FX Loop Aware — the chain layout knows which side of the amp's effects loop each pedal belongs on. • Artist Rigs — clone curated rigs from the artist library, then tune to your gear. • Walkthroughs + Lessons — guided onboarding and concept lessons (gain staging, true bypass vs buffered, 4-cable method) without leaving the app. • Set Lists — build a set list with rigs attached, print or share the call sheet. • Share + Export — export a rig diagram or set list as a PDF/PNG; share via the system share sheet. WHO IT'S FOR Guitarists and bassists with three or more stompbox pedals — bedroom, gigging, and worship-team players. Especially useful for Line 6 Helix / HX Stomp users wrangling 4-cable method routing, and stereo-pedalboard builders chasing tone-suck culprits. WHAT IT'S NOT Tone Trace is not an amp or FX simulator. It does not generate audio. It is a rig planner, auditor, and diagnostic tool — the layer above the simulator and below the soldering iron. Drag a pedal in. Watch the chain score react. Fix what the score flags. Save the rig. TERMS AND PRIVACY Tone Trace Pro is a one-time purchase — there is no subscription and nothing auto-renews. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at purchase confirmation. You can restore your purchase anytime from the app's paywall. Privacy policy: https://www.remnantworkshop.com/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tone Trace at 100% against AmpliTube CS's 31%. Tone Trace also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. AmpliTube CS sells 17 one-off in-app purchases and Tone Trace sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
AmpliTube CS ships an update every 4 months, Tone Trace every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AmpliTube CS | Tone Trace |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 753 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | IK Multimedia US, LLC | Remnant Workshop, Inc. |
Customer experience
AmpliTube CS
Tone Trace
Bugs and requests
AmpliTube CS
Reported bugs
5 issues- Compatibility issues with iOS 16
- Distorted and sped-up audio playback
- Metronome and tempo controls not working
- Purchases not restoring after reinstall
- Frequent crashes and freezes
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to import songs from music library
- Improved recording and looping capabilities
- More bass-focused amp and effect options
- Better integration with other music apps
- Grandfathered access to all purchases
Tone Trace
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
AmpliTube CS
- Distortion$2.99
- Chorus$3.99
- Wah$3.99
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- Overdrive$3.99
- Reverb$3.99
- Metal Distortion$3.99
- Flanger$3.99
- Octave$3.99
- Envelope$3.99
- Phazer$3.99
- Fuzz$3.99
- Clean amp$4.99
- Metal amp$4.99
- Bass amp$4.99
- Crunch amp$4.99
- Recorder + Master FX$19.99
- Fender Collection 1$24.99
Tone Trace
- ToneTrace PRO Monthly$4.991 Month
- ToneTrace PRO Yearly1 Year trial$49.991 Year
- Unlock PRO forever$0.99
Questions
Is AmpliTube CS free?
Is Tone Trace free?
Do AmpliTube CS or Tone Trace have ads?
Which is updated more often, AmpliTube CS or Tone Trace?
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