Comparison

Tenuto vs Emotion Builder

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

Head to head
About

Tenuto

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
Read full description

Tenuto is a collection of 24 highly-customizable exercises designed to enhance your musicality. From recognizing chords on a keyboard to identifying intervals by ear, it has an exercise for you. Tenuto also includes six musical calculators for accidentals, intervals, scales, chords, analysis symbols, and twelve-tone matrices. A short description of the exercises and calculators follows. –––––– • Note Identification • Key Signature Identification • Interval Identification • Scale Identification • Chord Identification Tap the button corresponding to the written staff line. For example: if shown a C, E, and G with a sharp; tap the "Augmented Triad" button. –––––– • Note Construction • Key Signature Construction • Interval Construction • Scale Construction • Chord Construction Construct the specified label by moving notes and/or adding accidentals. For example: if shown a C and an "Augmented 4th" label, move the second note to F and add a sharp. –––––– • Keyboard Reverse Identification Tap the piano key corresponding to the written note on the staff. While similar to Note Identification, this exercise uses a piano keyboard rather than note name buttons. • Keyboard Note Identification • Keyboard Interval Identification • Keyboard Scale Identification • Keyboard Chord Identification Tap the button corresponding to the highlighted piano key(s). If the C and G keys are highlighted, tap the "P5" (Perfect 5th) button. –––––– • Fretboard Note Identification • Fretboard Interval Identification • Fretboard Scale Identification • Fretboard Chord Identification Tap the button corresponding to the marked fretboard position(s). If the 2nd fret of the D string is marked, tap the "E" button. –––––– • Keyboard Ear Training • Note Ear Training Listen to the played reference and question notes. Select the piano key or note button corresponding to the question note. • Interval Ear Training • Scale Ear Training • Chord Ear Training Tap the button corresponding to the played notes. If E and F are played, tap the "Minor 2nd" button. –––––– • Accidental Calculator Display the accidental for a note and key. • Interval Calculator Display the interval for a note, type, and key. • Chord Calculator Display the scale for a tonic and scale type. • Chord Calculator Display the chord for a note, type, and key. • Analysis Calculator Display the chord for a symbol and key. • Matrix Calculator Display the twelve-tone matrix for a specified tone row.

About

Emotion Builder

Features
Read full description

EmotionBuilder is a mood journal that pairs how you're feeling with calming music.

Screenshots

Tenuto4 screens
Emotion Builder1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Emotion Builder at Free against Tenuto's $4.99. Emotion Builder also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). Tenuto's advantage is chart position (#4 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads and in-app purchases 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

Emotion Builder is free to download; Tenuto costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tenuto ships an update every 3 months, Emotion Builder every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Tenuto versus Emotion Builder: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTenutoEmotion Builder
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (652 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews94.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings652 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#4 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.8 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developermusictheory.netLele Yu

Bugs and requests

Tenuto

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

20 requests
  • 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
Show 15 more
  • Rhythm exercises
  • Fretboard reverse identification
  • Chord inversions for chord identification
  • Scales written on staff using various clefs
  • Rhythm, melodic, and harmonic dictation exercises
  • Part writing exercises
  • Exercises for form, cadences, etc.
  • MIDI support
  • Autoplay function
  • Ability to input notes/chords on fretboard
  • Chord progression ear training
  • Inversion options for chord and interval identification
  • Melodic and harmonic minor scale identification
  • Extended chord identification
  • Rhythmic dictation

Emotion Builder

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Tenuto

No in-app purchases

None

Emotion Builder

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tenuto free?
Tenuto costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Emotion Builder free?
Emotion Builder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tenuto or Emotion Builder have ads?
Neither Tenuto nor Emotion Builder shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tenuto or Emotion Builder?
Tenuto ships an update every 3 months, and Emotion Builder every 4 days. Most recently, Tenuto was updated on October 17, 2026 and Emotion Builder on October 8, 2026.

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