Comparison

Precision Strobe Tuner vs Tuner by Piascore

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

Head to head
About

Precision Strobe Tuner

This app provides a highly sensitive chromatic tuner for musical instruments. It features a radial spectrum display and a classic strobe tuner for precise pitch visualization. Ideal for instrument technicians and musicians seeking accurate tuning.

Highlights
  • Chromatic tuning
  • Radial spectrum display
  • Classic strobe tuner
  • Programmable temperament function
  • Piano tuning functions
  • String inharmonicity characterization
Features
Read full description

Precision Strobe Tuner 2.0 A General Purpose Chromatic Musical Instrument Tuner App with special Temperament and Piano Tuning Functions. The PST combines a radial Spectrum Display with a classic Strobe Tuner and Note Dial for an ultimate visualization of pitch and tone. The Strobe Display is highly sensitive with response speed that is practically instantaneous and has long been the preferred tool for piano tuners and instrument technicians. The central Spectrum Display shows the input spectrum wrapped around the Display, with each Octave drawn in a separate color. The Note Dial is marked like a clock with the twelve notes of the Scale. All overtones of the input are shown as peaks in the Spectrum Display pointing towards their corresponding Notes. The Fundamental Indicator Tic on the Spectrum Display shows the Note of the Fundamental along the Note Dial, with the color designating the Octave. Use the Spectrum Display for coarse adjustment by tuning the Fundamental to the center of the desired Note Indicator. As the input approaches the desired Note, a Two Group pinwheel pattern becomes visible rotating in the Strobe Display. Fine tuning is accomplished by adjusting to stop rotation. The Strobe Display responds instantaneously to changes in pitch and is extremely sensitive. The outside Strobe Display works just like a classic rotating disk strobe tuner. The Two-Group pattern rotates CCW when the input is flat, and CW when sharp. When the rotation is stopped, the note is in tune. The previews show a general strobe display demonstration, an example of using the calibration function to measure the accuracy of a tuning fork and an example of guitar string tuning. The first screenshot shows the display tuning a Guitar Low E string. The Fundamental appears as an Orange peak in the Spectrum Display. This string rings bright, so the overtones are also dominant in the Display. The second screenshot shows the display for an E 440 Tuning Fork with the Calibration Dial enabled and adjusted. This Fork is 2.9 cent Flat. The PST also includes a Programmable Temperament Function with 5 user definable banks. The third screenshot shows an example of a Temperament Bank set up to a typical Piano Stretch Curve. This can also be used for tuning alternate temperaments, pedal steel guitar setups, or special guitar intonation systems. In addition, there are several Special Measurement Banks used for String Inharmonicity characterization and Piano Stretch Curve Estimation. Individual strings can be characterized by measuring the Fundamental and 2nd Harmonic separately. By careful selection of a few representative measurement points, a reasonable smooth fit Piano Stretch Curve can be generated. Any number of measurements can be used. The final screenshot shows the Input Signal Scope/Spectrum Display Page. The Detailed Operation Manual can be viewed here: www.precisionstrobe.com

About

Tuner by Piascore

This app provides a chromatic instrument tuner and pitch pipe for musicians. It offers accurate tuning for a wide range of instruments using your device's microphone, with advanced features for precise adjustments.

Highlights
  • Chromatic instrument tuning
  • Pitch pipe/tone generator
  • Custom temperaments
  • Transposition support
  • Spectrum power indicator
  • Adjustable calibration
  • Needle meter display
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

** More than 10,000,000 musicians are now using the Tuner by Piascore! ** "Tuner by Piascore" is a chromatic instrument tuner and pitch pipe that allows you to quickly and accurately tune your instrument using the built-in mic in your iPhone or iPad. "Tuner by Piascore" supports a custom temperaments, transposition, notations such as solfège, adjustable calibration and more. By spectrum power indicator, you can understand sound more intuitively. "Tuner by Piascore" packs more power than most pro tuners, yet it is simple enough for everyone to use. "Tuner by Piascore" can tune acoustic or electric guitar, bass, bowed strings, woodwinds, brass, piano, tympani, and any other instrument that can sustain a tone. Free version "Tuner Lite by Piascore" is offered. ** Features ** - Needle meter display - Ultra responsive 50 cents range fine tuning display - LED display easy-to-understand high and low sound - Accuracy ±0.01 semitone (±1 cent) - Landscape view (iPhone5 or later) - Power spectrum indicator - Selectable Temperaments - Selectable Notations (such as Solfège) - Support for transposing instruments - Pitch Pipe/Tone generator - Automatic reference note calibration - Changing the wallpaper ** Contact ** : http://piascore.com/service/tuner/ : contact@piascore.com

Screenshots

Precision Strobe Tuner4 screens
Tuner by Piascore4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Tuner by Piascore at $4.99 against Precision Strobe Tuner's $9.99. Tuner by Piascore also leads on ratings volume (1.5K vs 56) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). Precision Strobe Tuner's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On rating, ads, in-app purchases 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

Precision Strobe Tuner costs $9.99 and Tuner by Piascore $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tuner by Piascore holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tuner by Piascore has 1.5K ratings behind it against 56, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of Precision Strobe Tuner's written reviews are positive against 91% of Tuner by Piascore's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Precision Strobe Tuner ships an update every 4 months, Tuner by Piascore every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Precision Strobe Tuner versus Tuner by Piascore: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrecision Strobe TunerTuner by Piascore
Price$9.99$4.99 — better
Rating4.6 (56 ratings)4.8 (1.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.1% of reviews90.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings561.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank—#184 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJim CampbellPiascore, Inc.

Customer experience

Precision Strobe Tuner

All ratings56 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews43 reviews
Positive79.1%
Neutral2.3%
Negative18.6%

Tuner by Piascore

All ratings1,447 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral1.9%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews556 reviews
Positive90.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative6.5%

Bugs and requests

Precision Strobe Tuner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Tuner by Piascore

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Tuner stops working after iOS updates
  • App crashes when trying to tune certain instruments

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add metronome functionality
  • Improve transposition and temperament settings
  • Provide more wallpaper/theme options
  • Expand display of note frequency information

In-app purchases

None

Precision Strobe Tuner

No in-app purchases

None

Tuner by Piascore

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Precision Strobe Tuner free?
Precision Strobe Tuner costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tuner by Piascore free?
Tuner by Piascore costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Precision Strobe Tuner or Tuner by Piascore?
Tuner by Piascore is rated higher. Precision Strobe Tuner averages 4.6 out of 5 from 56 ratings, while Tuner by Piascore averages 4.8 from 1.5K ratings.
Do Precision Strobe Tuner or Tuner by Piascore have ads?
Neither Precision Strobe Tuner nor Tuner by Piascore shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Precision Strobe Tuner or Tuner by Piascore?
Precision Strobe Tuner ships an update every 4 months, and Tuner by Piascore every 2 months. Most recently, Precision Strobe Tuner was updated on October 23, 2026 and Tuner by Piascore on October 26, 2026.

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