DeepDish GigBook vs Retro Tuner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DeepDish GigBook
This app transforms your iPad into a mobile music library for scores, charts, and lyrics. Organize your music with powerful sorting, create custom collections and binders, and build dynamic set lists for performances. It's designed for musicians with stage-ready tools.
- Mobile musical library
- Organize scores and charts
- Create custom collections and binders
- Dynamic set list creator
- Handwritten notation on scores
- Foot pedal support
- Performer's metronome
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DeepDish GigBook turns your iPad into a truly accessible mobile musical library, keeping your scores, songbooks, charts, and lyric sheets at the tip of your fingers, ready at a moment's notice. With its powerful organizing features you can sort your music to fit your individual needs. Keep all your songbooks in one place with "Collections." Compile scores into infinite personalized Binders. Create dynamic Set Lists. Carry hundreds or thousands of scores with you wherever you play. DeepDish GigBook is built specifically with the performing musician in mind, with tools and a user interface no other sheet music reader offers. Add, Sort and Organize - Simple and intuitive design - Works with PDF files - Cross-reference scores in multiple custom binders and set lists - Pull individual scores from large books to use in binders or set lists - Back up and restore your entire GigBook, including importing and exporting files using Apple's native file sharing, which lets you share with any file-sharing app on your iPad (Apple's Files, iCloud, Dropbox, Drive, etc.) Notes and Data - Assign metadata and typed notes to each score - Add and view typed notes - Write handwritten notes, fingerings, and markings directly on the scores with precision and ease - Batch-edit genres, composers, collections, binders, and set lists - Link scores with audio tracks on your iPad for reference, practice, or performance Ready for the Stage - The most powerful and easy-to-use set list creator for the iPad - Set Lists are independent of one another for ultimate flexibility - Create charts, notes, and handwritten stage directions and view them alongside your PDF scores - Fast page turns - Support for AirTurn Direct pedals (PED / PED 500, PEDpro, DUO 500, and BT200S series) and Bluetooth & USB foot pedals like the AirTurn BT-105 and PageFlip Cicada, to name a few - Performer's Metronome — designed specially for stage use with an auto-off timer, tap-in tempo, and full customization for each individual score - Performance Mode — seamlessly view your set list, notes, and scores in an elegant, easy-to-read format View and Share with bandmates using Email, Messages, and AirDrop - Scores always appear in full screen - Zoom — pinch in and out, or use one- or two-finger tap gestures - Email individual scores or entire set lists with attached scores - Upload scores, binders, and set lists using Apple's native file sharing *DeepDish GigBook does not include any built-in scores. Scores in the images are for reference only.* "DeepDish GigBook does what many other sheet music reader apps do, which is displaying and organizing your sheet music, but what sets GigBook apart are its features for performing musicians, and its sense of style." — Adam Ballif, AppAdvice Please visit our website for more support, including video tutorials and additional screenshots. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with news and feature updates. DeepDish GigBook is designed by professional musicians and music educators. We use DeepDish GigBook every day for every gig, every rehearsal, and in our classroom. We think you'll love GigBook as much as we do.
Retro Tuner
This app provides accurate and fast pitch detection for musical instruments with a retro-inspired analog interface. It supports a wide range of instruments and features adjustable reference pitches for precise tuning.
- Analog panel meter UI
- Nixie tube note display
- Digital signal processing
- Supports 88-key piano range
- Adjustable reference pitch (A=440 Hz)
- Detune factor in cents
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Retro Tuner is a musical instrument tuner for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It features a user interface in the style of an analog panel meter and Nixie tube note display, but below this retro surface are all-new digital signal processing algorithms that determine the pitch of your instrument quickly and accurately. Retro Tuner was written by the owner of several crappy guitars and a 1920s player piano that is constantly going out of tune, with the idea that if it can tune those, it can tune anything. Retro Tuner tunes in equal temperament and can handle the full 88-key piano range. The reference pitch defaults to A=440 Hz and can be adjusted via Settings either as a frequency in Hz or as a detune factor in cents.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: DeepDish GigBook at 4.2 against Retro Tuner's 3.5. DeepDish GigBook also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (166 vs 2). Retro Tuner's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $9.99) and review sentiment (63% vs 51%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
DeepDish GigBook costs $9.99 and Retro Tuner $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
DeepDish GigBook holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DeepDish GigBook has 166 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of DeepDish GigBook's written reviews are positive against 63% of Retro Tuner's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
DeepDish GigBook ships an update fortnightly, Retro Tuner every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DeepDish GigBook | Retro Tuner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $2.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.2 (166 ratings) — better | 3.5 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.9% of reviews | 62.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 166 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Deep Dish Designs, LLC | Waxing Wave |
Customer experience
DeepDish GigBook
Retro Tuner
Bugs and requests
DeepDish GigBook
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when trying to link audio tracks
- Inability to input time signatures or other score details
- Issues with super bookmarks and page navigation
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions and devices
- Unreliable Dropbox and email sharing functionality
Requested features
5 requests- Improved annotation tools with text, highlighting, and drawing
- Ability to sync setlists and collections across devices
- Integration with more cloud storage providers (e.g., Google Drive)
- Enhanced metronome and practice tools
- Streamlined workflow for managing large music libraries
Retro Tuner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
DeepDish GigBook
No in-app purchases
Retro Tuner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is DeepDish GigBook free?
Is Retro Tuner free?
Which has better reviews, DeepDish GigBook or Retro Tuner?
Do DeepDish GigBook or Retro Tuner have ads?
Which is updated more often, DeepDish GigBook or Retro Tuner?
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