True Metronome vs Alternative Division
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
True Metronome
This app provides a reliable metronome for musicians, featuring realistic acoustic sounds and precise timing. It offers practice tools like tempo training and live detection, along with progress tracking and Apple ecosystem integrations.
- Realistic acoustic metronome sounds
- Precise timing with zero drift
- Tempo Trainer for gradual speed increase
- Live Tempo Detection via microphone
- Apple Watch and Siri integration
- Progress tracking and global rankings
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True Metronome — the practice companion musicians have trusted since 2012. No ads. No subscription. Start the metronome in one tap — drag the weight, choose your time signature, and practice. Every beat comes from recordings of real mechanical metronomes, with subtle natural variations that keep long practice sessions pleasant. PRACTICE TOOLS (Pro) - Subdivisions — 11 patterns including triplets, sixteenths and swing - Tempo Trainer — gradually increase the tempo over measures, so you build speed without noticing - Live Tempo Detection — the microphone listens to your playing and shows your actual BPM in real time - Presets — save and load your favorite setups (BPM, time signature, subdivisions) - Flash on Beat — the screen flashes on every beat as a visual cue METRONOME - Zero timing drift — mathematically precise beats - Natural acoustic sound from recordings of real metronomes - Realistic pendulum physics - Time signatures from 1 to 13 beats per measure - Tap tempo to match any song — 5 free detections a day, unlimited with Pro - Beautiful backgrounds and multiple skins APPLE ECOSYSTEM - Apple Watch app — control the metronome from your wrist - Siri — "Hey Siri, start metronome" or "Allegro metronome" - Live Activities & Dynamic Island — tempo always visible - Home Screen & Lock Screen widgets - Background playback TRACK YOUR PROGRESS - Practice stats — daily, weekly, and monthly - Global rankings — compare yourself with musicians in your country and around the world FREE VERSION INCLUDES All tempos (20–400 BPM), all backgrounds, 2 skins, all time signatures, 1 bell accent, and background playback. PRO UPGRADE (one-time purchase) Subdivisions, Tempo Trainer, Live Tempo Detection, Tap Tempo, Presets, Flash on Beat, all skins, all bell accents, Siri, Apple Watch, widgets, and Live Activities. No subscription. Pay once, own it forever. Used by classical musicians, students, and teachers in 190+ countries. Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
Alternative Division
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Discover up to 100 curated alternative albums over a 100 day period. Requires an Apple Music Subscription.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: True Metronome at Free against Alternative Division's $0.99. True Metronome also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and device support (4 vs 2). 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
True Metronome is free to download; Alternative Division costs $0.99 up front. True Metronome sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Alternative Division sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
True Metronome ships an update weekly, Alternative Division every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | True Metronome | Alternative Division |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (249 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 73.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 249 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 26.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 66 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Mikhail Motyzhenkov | Pieter Hartzenberg |
Bugs and requests
True Metronome
Reported bugs
10 issues- Prompts do not disappear, preventing app usage
- App does not align to iPad's orientation
- Swinging arm does not match the ticking beat
- No sound issues reported by multiple users
- App closes unexpectedly
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- Volume is too low in newer versions
- Clicking continues after stopping the arm
- Clicking continues even when the app is closed (multitask)
- No sound when phone is muted
- No sound when connected to dock
Requested features
10 requests- Allow background operation when screen is off
- Minimize interface
- Subdivision of tempo
- Lower frequency range (e.g., 36 bpm)
- Bell on the 8th beat
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- Stereo sound
- Silent mode with screen flash
- Tap to set tempo feature
- More beat sound options
- Ability to change the 'ching sound'
Alternative Division
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
True Metronome
- Special Skin$0.99
- True Metronome Pro$9.99
Alternative Division
- Blue Icon$0.99
- Green Icon$0.99
- Purple Icon$0.99
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- Icon White$0.99
Questions
Is True Metronome free?
Is Alternative Division free?
Do True Metronome or Alternative Division have ads?
Which is updated more often, True Metronome or Alternative Division?
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