Comparison

True Metronome vs Arabesque

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Arabesque

Features
Read full description

Connectez votre clavier MIDI, ouvrez une partition et jouez. Arabesque écoute ce que vous jouez et colore chaque note en direct : réussie, attendue, manquée. Vous voyez vos erreurs sans lever les yeux de la partition. Votre progression se note toute seule, mesure après mesure. Pas de score à gonfler, pas de badges : un journal de pratique honnête, qui vous dit quelles mesures vous font encore trébucher et lesquelles sont acquises. RETOUR NOTE PAR NOTE Le clavier se connecte en USB ou en Bluetooth. Chaque note jouée est comparée à la partition et se colore aussitôt. Une fausse note ne passe pas : le morceau attend la bonne. TROIS FAÇONS DE TRAVAILLER • Déchiffrage libre — vous avancez à votre rythme, sans contrainte de tempo. • Mode entraînement — chaque mesure doit être jouée trois fois sans erreur avant de passer à la suivante. • Mode strict — au tempo, sans fausse note, avec un score de justesse à la fin. CE QUE VOUS DEVEZ TRAVAILLER L'app repère les mesures qui vous résistent — celles dont le taux d'erreur ne baisse plus d'une séance à l'autre — et vous propose de les reprendre en boucle. Une mesure quitte la liste après trois passages propres d'affilée. VOTRE PRATIQUE, EN CLAIR Un journal jour par jour, l'année entière en cases, le temps réellement passé au clavier, les lectures complètes et les séries de jours tenus. De quoi voir les semaines assidues et les trous, sans se raconter d'histoires. UNE BIBLIOTHÈQUE CLASSIQUE Plus de 65 partitions du domaine public : les inventions de Bach, les arabesques de Debussy, les nocturnes de Chopin, le Hanon au complet. Recherchables en jouant leurs premières notes au clavier. Vous pouvez aussi ouvrir vos propres fichiers MusicXML. DOIGTÉS Affichez et modifiez les doigtés directement sur la partition, empilés dans l'ordre des notes pour les accords. Ils suivent vos appareils si vous vous connectez. SANS COMPTE, SANS PUBLICITÉ Tout fonctionne sans créer de compte : vos données restent sur l'appareil. La connexion par e-mail ne sert qu'à retrouver votre pratique d'un appareil à l'autre, et le compte se supprime depuis l'app. Aucune publicité, aucun traceur, rien à vendre. MATÉRIEL REQUIS Un clavier MIDI (USB ou Bluetooth) est nécessaire pour le retour note par note. Sans clavier, vous pouvez consulter la bibliothèque, ouvrir une partition et l'écouter.

Screenshots

True Metronome4 screens
Arabesque4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Arabesque at none against True Metronome's 2. Arabesque also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). True Metronome's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads 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. True Metronome sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Arabesque asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

True Metronome ships an update weekly, Arabesque every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
True Metronome versus Arabesque: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrue MetronomeArabesque
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (249 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings249 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB0 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMikhail MotyzhenkovIvan Schneider

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
Show 5 more
  • 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
Show 5 more
  • Stereo sound
  • Silent mode with screen flash
  • Tap to set tempo feature
  • More beat sound options
  • Ability to change the 'ching sound'

Arabesque

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

True Metronome

One-time2
  • Special Skin$0.99
  • True Metronome Pro$9.99
None

Arabesque

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is True Metronome free?
True Metronome is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Arabesque free?
Arabesque is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do True Metronome or Arabesque have ads?
Neither True Metronome nor Arabesque shows ads.
Which is updated more often, True Metronome or Arabesque?
True Metronome ships an update weekly, and Arabesque every 3 weeks. Most recently, True Metronome was updated on November 1, 2026 and Arabesque on October 31, 2026.

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