Comparison

FFT Plot vs Strum Machine

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

Head to head
About

FFT Plot

This real-time audio analysis app provides precision sound measurement and visualization. It's ideal for detecting sound issues, room tuning, and speaker calibration, offering detailed frequency analysis for musicians and audio professionals.

Highlights
  • Real-time audio analysis
  • Frequency detection
  • Averaging options
  • Window functions
  • Linear and logarithmic scales
  • Weighting options
  • Draggable cursors
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***** "I use this app to detect sound feedback problems on live show and it became helpful and practic." FFT Plot is a powerful real-time audio analysis app. Designed with musicians and recording engineers in mind, it can also be used by anyone interested in the world of sound. Ideal for room tuning or speaker tuning, the app enables portable, precision audio measurement and visualization. Feature Highlights: ● FFT Size (2048 to 16384 points) ● Fast, Slow and Infinite Averaging ● Window function (Hamming, Hann, Rect) ● Peak Frequency detection ● Linear and Logarithmic scale ● Toggle between Flat, A and C weighting ● Pan to adjust visible dB range ● Draggable cursors ● iPhone X ready Audio credits: "Evening Birdsong" and "Cuckoo" by Benboncan

About

Strum Machine

Generate realistic backing tracks for practice with real instrument audio. Customize chord progressions, keys, and tempo. Features a large song library, song editor, and band customization options. Works offline and syncs across devices.

Highlights
  • Realistic instrument audio backing tracks
  • Customizable chord progressions, keys, and tempo
  • Extensive song library
  • Simple song editor
  • Band and instrument customization
  • Cross-platform syncing and offline mode
Features
Currently charting
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Elevate your music practice with customizable backing tracks generated with audio from real instruments (guitar, mandolin, and standup bass). Strum Machine can play any chord progression, in any key, at any speed. It's the only backing-track app built specifically for players of bluegrass, old-time, fiddle tunes, and other such genres. (Although it works pretty good for some jazz/swing now, too!) Why musicians of all levels love Strum Machine: • Realistic Sound: Backing tracks are assembled in real time from studio-quality instrument recordings. • Quick Adjustments: Instantly adjust the speed/tempo, change the key, loop part of a song, etc. • Auto-Speedup: Gradually increase the BPM at the end of every repetition for training purposes. • Chord Reference: Clean, beautiful chord charts, which can be displayed in letters or numbers (i.e. "1-4-5"). • Extensive Library: Over 1,300 songs (mostly from bluegrass and old-time) ready to go, with thousands more posted on the community forum. • Simple Song Editor: Add your own songs (or edit existing ones) in minutes. Almost every chord you can play on a guitar is available for use. • Customize the Band: Choose from a variety of built-in band styles, then optionally customize each instrument individually – adjust the strumming pattern, add automatic bass runs, and more. • Organize & Share: Create song lists for practicing or even performing, and share them with your friends or on the community forum. • Cross-Platform: Sync your custom songs, lists, and preferences with any device you use Strum Machine on: phone, tablet, or computer. (It works offline, too!) • Responsive Support: If you run into any problems or have questions, write us an email or post a message on the forum and someone will get back to you within a few days! Strum Machine is under active development and we're always working on ways to make the app even more useful to our users... while keeping it uncluttered and intuitive first and foremost. Discover how Strum Machine can improve your music practice today! Download Strum Machine and play a handful of demo songs instantly, without signing up. For the full experience, including access to all built-in songs and the ability to create your own, start a free trial. Terms of Use: https://strummachine.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://strummachine.com/privacy

Screenshots

FFT Plot1 screens
Strum Machine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Strum Machine at Free against FFT Plot's $9.99. Strum Machine also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 17 months) and chart position (#157 vs unranked). FFT Plot's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.4). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Strum Machine is free to download; FFT Plot costs $9.99 up front. Strum Machine sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. FFT Plot asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for FFT Plot against 4.7 for Strum Machine. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 90 and 118 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 84% of FFT Plot's written reviews are positive against 89% of Strum Machine's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

FFT Plot ships an update every 17 months, Strum Machine fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
FFT Plot versus Strum Machine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFFT PlotStrum Machine
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (90 ratings) — better4.7 (118 ratings)
Positive reviews84.4% of reviews88.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings90118 — better
Update frequencyEvery 17 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#157 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperONYX AppsLuke Abbott LLC

Customer experience

FFT Plot

All ratings90 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews109 reviews
Positive84.4%
Neutral6.4%
Negative9.2%

Strum Machine

All ratings118 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews61 reviews
Positive88.5%
Neutral3.3%
Negative8.2%

In-app purchases

None

FFT Plot

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Strum Machine

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is FFT Plot free?
FFT Plot costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Strum Machine free?
Strum Machine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, FFT Plot or Strum Machine?
FFT Plot is rated higher. FFT Plot averages 4.8 out of 5 from 90 ratings, while Strum Machine averages 4.7 from 118 ratings.
Do FFT Plot or Strum Machine have ads?
Neither FFT Plot nor Strum Machine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, FFT Plot or Strum Machine?
FFT Plot ships an update every 17 months, and Strum Machine fortnightly. Most recently, FFT Plot was updated on September 23, 2026 and Strum Machine on September 24, 2026.

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