Comparison

Twelve Tone vs Tape2

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

Head to head
About

Twelve Tone

This app helps musicians and teachers compose and analyze music using dodecaphonic and set theory. It allows users to enter tone rows, automatically generates musical matrices, and provides playback and sharing options for compositions.

Highlights
  • Enter tone rows via staff or piano keyboard
  • Automatic generation of Prime, Inversion, Retrograde, RI matrices
  • Real-time Interval Vectors and Circular Analysis updates
  • Save and manage tone rows with names and markings
  • Share PDF of notation, keyboard, and analysis
  • Listen to row playback with selected rhythm patterns
  • Matrix audio playback for pitch identification
Read full description

An extensive music composition and analysis tool. An indispensable resource for any musician or music teacher interested in dodecaphonic and set theory analysis. • Enter a tone row by touching the staff or playing the piano keyboard. • It lets you know if any notes are repeated by highlighting both notes, checking enharmonic values regardless of octave or accidentals. • Automatically creates the Prime, Inversion, Retrograde, and Retrograde Inversion Magic Square. • Constantly updates the Interval Vectors and Circular Analysis of the tone row as you edit it. • Save your rows (rows may contain from 1 to 12 notes), complete with name and current P, R, I, RI matrix markings. Saved rows appear in a list with their name and midi numbers to help you identify them. • Share a pdf of the notation, piano keyboard, and circular analysis. • Watch and listen to your row played with a selected rhythm pattern. • Playback: - Prime - Prime then Retrograde - Retrograde then Prime - Retrograde - Inversion - Inversion then Retrograde Inversion - Retrograde Inversion then Inversion - Retrograde Inversion • Each can be repeated and transposed with each iteration. • The Root is kept within an octave above and below the original pitch when looping and transposing. • Matrix Audio: Hear the pitches as you mark them in the matrix square. The marks indicate the row form in which the pitch belonged; Prime, Inversion, Retrograde, and Retrograde Inversion. • Lock the prime row and transpose it to C to use the Absolute Pitch Method for row labeling in the matrix. Comes preloaded with the following rows: Alban Berg's Lyric Suite Babbitt's Composition for Four Instruments Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra Op.31 Schoenberg's Piano Piece Op.33a Webern's Concerto Op.24 Webern's Piano Variations Op.27 Webern's String Quartet Op.28

About

Tape2

Relive the nostalgia of 80s cassette players with this music app. It emulates a vintage cassette player, displaying animated tapes while playing your songs from the Apple Music app. Enjoy simple touch and swipe controls for an immersive retro experience.

Highlights
  • Cassette player emulator
  • Plays music from Apple Music app
  • Animated cassette display
  • Simple touch and swipe controls
  • Retro 80s aesthetic
Features
Read full description

Do you still remember the cassettes from the 80s? Now you can have it again. You have all your songs from your iPhone or iPod Touch ready in the library. Tape is a cassette player emulator. It plays your music from Apple Music App and shows an animated cassette. This app bring's you back to the 80's. Very easy to use. - Touch for play or pause. - Swipe right for next song. - Swipe left for previous song. - Swipe down for next cassette. - Swipe up for cassette change. - Touch in the upper left corner to select songs. and because the control is very simple, This app is perfect for the car or on your iPod, iPhone docking Station, have fun with the app! THIS APP ONLY WORKS, IF YOU HAVE MUSIC IN THE APPLE MUSIC APP !!!

Screenshots

Twelve Tone4 screens
Tape24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tape2 at Free against Twelve Tone's $4.99. Tape2 also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 18 months) and ratings volume (52 vs 16). Twelve Tone's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 18). On rating, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Tape2 is free to download; Twelve Tone costs $4.99 up front. Tape2 sells 18 one-off in-app purchases. Twelve Tone asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Twelve Tone against 4.5 for Tape2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 52 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Twelve Tone's written reviews are positive against 67% of Tape2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Twelve Tone ships an update every 18 months, Tape2 every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Twelve Tone versus Tape2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTwelve ToneTape2
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (16 ratings) — better4.5 (52 ratings)
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1652 — better
Update frequencyEvery 18 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPatrick Q. KellyAlexander Rutkowskij

Customer experience

Twelve Tone

All ratings16 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%

Tape2

All ratings51 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral5.9%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral11.1%
Negative22.2%

In-app purchases

None

Twelve Tone

No in-app purchases

18 purchases

Tape2

One-time18
  • Cassette 2Free
  • cassette 6$0.49
  • Cassette 18$0.49
Show 15 more
  • Cassette 21$0.49
  • Cassette 30$0.49
  • Cassette 34$0.49
  • Cassette 29$0.49
  • Cassette 28$0.49
  • Cassette 33$0.49
  • Cassette 32$0.49
  • Cassette 36$0.49
  • Cassette 35$0.49
  • Cassette 13$0.49
  • Cassette 15$0.49
  • Cassette 5$0.49
  • Cassette 4$0.49
  • Cassette 3$0.49
  • All Cassettes$4.99

Questions

Is Twelve Tone free?
Twelve Tone costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tape2 free?
Tape2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Twelve Tone or Tape2?
Twelve Tone is rated higher. Twelve Tone averages 4.7 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Tape2 averages 4.5 from 52 ratings.
Do Twelve Tone or Tape2 have ads?
Neither Twelve Tone nor Tape2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Twelve Tone or Tape2?
Twelve Tone ships an update every 18 months, and Tape2 every 3 months. Most recently, Twelve Tone was updated on October 29, 2026 and Tape2 on October 27, 2026.

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