# Tenuto vs Music Theory Notes

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tenuto at every 3 months against Music Theory Notes's every 28 months. Tenuto also leads on ratings volume (665 vs 2) and chart position (#7 vs unranked). Music Theory Notes's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Tenuto costs $4.99 and Music Theory Notes $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Music Theory Notes holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tenuto has 665 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Tenuto ships an update every 3 months, Music Theory Notes every 28 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tenuto | Music Theory Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **$2.99** |
| Rating | [4.7 (665 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tenuto/id459313476/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-theory-notes/id511627785/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **665** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 94.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 months** | Every 28 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#7** | — |
| Size | 11 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.8** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [musictheory.net](https://appshunter.io/developer/459313479) | [Patrick Q. Kelly](https://appshunter.io/developer/310068987) |

## What reviewers say

### Tenuto

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tenuto/id459313476)

**Currently charting:** #7 Top Paid · Music, #38 Top Paid (US App Store)

Enhance your musicality with a comprehensive suite of 24 customizable theory exercises and six essential musical calculators. Practice note and chord identification, ear training, and construct musical elements. Tools include accidentals, intervals, scales, chords, analysis symbols, and twelve-tone matrices.

**Highlights:** 24 customizable theory exercises, Note and chord identification, Ear training for intervals and scales, Musical construction exercises, Accidental calculator, Interval calculator, Chord calculator

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Essential for musicians
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Perfect app
- 👍 Wonderful app
- 👍 Highly recommend

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Wrong billing
- 🐛 Piano tone is so bad
- 🐛 Not good
- 🐛 Great but buggy
- 🐛 All sounds stopped working

**Reported bugs**

- Sound cuts out
- Unresponsive at times
- Freezes up
- Doesn't work well for guitar
- Incorrect chord/key associations

**Requested features**

- Cadences and inversions for ear training
- Chord progressions for ear training
- Melodic and harmonic minor modes for scale recognition
- 6th, 9th, 11th and 13th chord extensions for chord recognition
- Melodic dictation


### Music Theory Notes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-theory-notes/id511627785)

Learn to recognize musical pitches by sight or sound and practice notating them on a piano. Features ear training modes and a grade book to save and print quiz results.

**Highlights:** Pitch recognition by sight and sound, Piano keyboard and musical staff notation, Treble, Alto, Tenor, and Bass clefs, Ear training mode with hidden keyboard/staff, Printable grade book for saved results, Customizable note range

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tenuto free?

Tenuto costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Music Theory Notes free?

Music Theory Notes costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tenuto or Music Theory Notes?

Music Theory Notes is rated higher. Tenuto averages 4.7 out of 5 from 665 ratings, while Music Theory Notes averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Tenuto or Music Theory Notes have ads?

Neither Tenuto nor Music Theory Notes shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tenuto or Music Theory Notes?

Tenuto ships an update every 3 months, and Music Theory Notes every 28 months. Most recently, Tenuto was updated on October 24, 2026 and Music Theory Notes on June 1, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*