Talking Tuner vs Tuner+
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Talking Tuner
This chromatic tuner is sound-activated and speaks to inform you if your instrument is in tune. It's designed for hands-free operation, making it easy to use without looking at the screen. Ideal for musicians who need auditory feedback while tuning.
- Sound-activated tuning
- Auditory feedback (speaks note and pitch)
- Hands-free operation
- Chromatic tuning
- Adjustable tuning resolution
- Works with or without VoiceOver
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HotPaw Talking Tuner is a hands-off, sound-activated, talking, chromatic, musical instrument tuner. It talks to tell you if your instrument is in tune or not; so you don't even have to look at it or touch the display. Talking Tuner uses speech synthesis, and works with or without VoiceOver being enabled. This app was created because I received a request to develop an iPhone app which could help a vision-challenged individual tune their musical instrument. This app is the result. With the Auto-Speak switch turned on, Talking Tuner will listen for a note to be played, and then, after waiting for the end of the sound (so as not to talk over it), will speak the note name, and how many cents sharp or flat the end of the note is estimated to be. Using headphones may help make it easier to hear what this app is saying while tuning. Make sure to turn the volume up high enough to hear it. The pitch estimation algorithm works best for notes between 2 octaves below Middle-C to 2 octaves above Middle-C. It may not work as well for very low notes, very high notes, or with any background noise, harmony, or accompaniment present. The default tuning resolution is about +- 3 cents (3/100ths of the pitch difference between semitones). Optional higher resolution tuning settings may result in a slower tuning response.
Tuner+
This app provides perfectly tuned reference notes for various musical instruments, allowing users to tune by ear. It offers both real audio and sine wave sounds and supports VoiceOver accessibility. It does not analyze instrument notes but serves as a quick reference for tuning in any key.
- Plays reference notes for tuning
- Supports guitar, bass, piano, and more
- Real audio and sine wave sounds
- VoiceOver accessibility
- Tune in any key
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Tuner+ Tune your Guitar, Bass, Banjo, Mandolin, Cello, Violin, Piano, Viola, or Ukulele in seconds. This app plays perfectly tuned notes for you to match your pitch to. The sounds are both real audio and sine wave form. We're also proud to announce that Tuner+ is now supports full VoiceOver Accessibility. This app does NOT analyze the notes of your instrument to tell you if you are sharp or flat. It is just a quick way to get reference notes for ear tuning in any key. Enjoy! Nick Moby Pixel
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Tuner+ at Free against Talking Tuner's $0.99. Tuner+ also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (1.1K vs 15). Talking Tuner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence, device support 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
Tuner+ is free to download; Talking Tuner costs $0.99 up front. Tuner+ sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Talking Tuner asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tuner+ holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tuner+ has 1.1K ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Talking Tuner's written reviews are positive against 82% of Tuner+'s.
Talking Tuner ships an update every 4 months, Tuner+ every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Talking Tuner | Tuner+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.5 (15 ratings) | 4.7 (1.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 73.5% of reviews | 82.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15 | 1.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HotPaw Productions | Nick Culbertson |
Customer experience
Talking Tuner
Tuner+
Bugs and requests
Talking Tuner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Tuner+
Reported bugs
2 issues- App crashes on certain devices
- Distortion on some string notes
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for alternate tunings
- Provide visual tuning indicators
- Include a metronome feature
- Expand instrument selection
In-app purchases
Talking Tuner
No in-app purchases
Tuner+
- Remove Ads - Tuner+$0.99
