Comparison

ToneDetector Lite vs ToneMaster

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

Head to head
About

ToneDetector Lite

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
Read full description

How to know if you pronounced a Mandarin tone correctly without human tutors? The 12 years old tone detector app lets you make a judgement by yourself instantly. It is very intuitive for you to practice your tones. The Chinese tones are the most difficult part for a foreign language learner to speak Chinese. How to get rid of strong non-native accent and misunderstanding caused by tone issues? Using this app, practice to be right in every Mandarin tonal syllable first! Hear sample tonal syllables, practice tonal syllables and see their pitch shapes immediately. By comparing your pitch contours with the sample pitch contours directly, you can make a judgement easily by yourself. From the visual intuitive feedback, you may improve your tones quickly. This app basically covers all the possible Mandarin Chinese syllables with lexical tones. They are 407 base syllables and 1259 tonal syllables. This app provides a sample sound for each tonal syllable for you to compare. By following the sample sounds, you can practice all the Mandarin tonal syllables and learn Chinese pronunciations. This app is essential to all Chinese learners to master Chinese tone quickly. It could be used for tone lecture demonstration purpose too. In the lite version ToneDetector: 1. detects sample tone contours. 2. covers 56 base syllables and 185 tonal syllables. 3. assesses your tone perception ability using 5 random syllables. In the full version ToneDetector: 1. detects both sample tone contours and your tone contours. 2. covers all the Mandarin Chinese syllables with lexical tones. They are 407 base syllables and 1259 tonal syllables. 3. supports to select syllables randomly, or select syllables by typing. 4. assesses your tone perception ability using 20 random syllables.

About

ToneMaster

Features
Read full description

ToneMaster: The fun way to master Mandarin tones! Learning Mandarin can be challenging — especially when it comes to tones. ToneMaster helps you train your ear, recognize the correct tones, and speak Chinese more naturally through interactive listening practice. Whether you’re a beginner or already studying Chinese, ToneMaster makes tone learning simple, intuitive, and effective. Listen and Choose the Right Tone: Hear native Mandarin pronunciations and choose the correct tone for each Chinese word. Practice recognizing the four tones and the neutral tone step by step.

Screenshots

ToneDetector Lite4 screens
ToneMaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ToneMaster at every 11 days against ToneDetector Lite's every 30 months. On price, 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

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ToneDetector Lite ships an update every 30 months, ToneMaster every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
ToneDetector Lite versus ToneMaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterToneDetector LiteToneMaster
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 30 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJian Cheng佼 李

In-app purchases

None

ToneDetector Lite

No in-app purchases

None

ToneMaster

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ToneDetector Lite free?
ToneDetector Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ToneMaster free?
ToneMaster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ToneDetector Lite or ToneMaster have ads?
Neither ToneDetector Lite nor ToneMaster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ToneDetector Lite or ToneMaster?
ToneDetector Lite ships an update every 30 months, and ToneMaster every 11 days. Most recently, ToneDetector Lite was updated on September 24, 2026 and ToneMaster on October 16, 2026.

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