# ToneDetector Lite vs Cantone

ToneDetector Lite and Cantone both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Cantone's written reviews are positive against 0% of ToneDetector Lite's. Cantone also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 30 months) and ratings volume (11 vs 2). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for ToneDetector Lite against 5.0 for Cantone. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cantone has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of ToneDetector Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of Cantone's.

ToneDetector Lite ships an update every 30 months, Cantone every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ToneDetector Lite | Cantone |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tonedetector-lite/id550854681/reviews) | [5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cantone/id1602297692/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **11** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 30 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 28 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jian Cheng](https://appshunter.io/developer/495002823) | [Brent Ho](https://appshunter.io/developer/1602297694) |

## What reviewers say

### ToneDetector Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tonedetector-lite/id550854681)

Practice and master Mandarin Chinese tones with instant visual feedback. Compare your pronunciation's pitch contours to sample sounds to improve accuracy and reduce accent.

**Highlights:** Instant tone contour detection, Visual pitch shape comparison, Practice Mandarin tonal syllables, Covers hundreds of base and tonal syllables, Assess tone perception ability, Sample sounds for comparison

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cantone

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cantone/id1602297692)

Master tonal languages like Cantonese and Mandarin with interactive exercises. Improve your ability to perceive and speak tones, learn vocabulary, and understand tone sandhi rules through engaging activities.

**Highlights:** Perception and production tone activities, Vocabulary reinforcement, Tone sandhi rule learning, Support for traditional/simplified characters, Multiple transcription systems, Customizable user interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ToneDetector Lite free?

ToneDetector Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Cantone free?

Cantone is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ToneDetector Lite or Cantone?

ToneDetector Lite and Cantone are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 11 ratings respectively.

### Do ToneDetector Lite or Cantone have ads?

Neither ToneDetector Lite nor Cantone shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ToneDetector Lite or Cantone?

ToneDetector Lite ships an update every 30 months, and Cantone every 2 weeks. Most recently, ToneDetector Lite was updated on September 24, 2026 and Cantone on October 6, 2026.

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