Comparison

StringMaster Lite vs DroneTones

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

Head to head
About

StringMaster Lite

Learn guitar fretboards quickly with this educational tool. It offers sophisticated chord tools and can be upgraded to support more instruments and advanced features like MIDI playback and songwriting.

Highlights
  • Guitar fretboard learning
  • Chord tools
  • Supports multiple instruments (via IAP)
  • MIDI playback (via IAP)
  • Songwriting capability (via IAP)
Features
Read full description

StringMaster Lite is the free version of the popular StringMaster Pro application for iPad and Mac, dedicated to learning the fretboard. Now Includes StringMaster's sophisticated Chord tools. StringMaster Lite supports Guitar fretboard only, with in App purchase options to support the full range of StringMaster Pro instruments, Merton & Tuner, Fretlight Guitars, or be fully upgraded to StringMaster Pro to include MIDI playback with chord & scale display, Scales, Songwriting capability, note finding & more.

About

DroneTones

This app provides a steady, warm cello drone to help musicians of all levels improve their intonation. By training your ear against a continuous reference tone, you can learn to play and sing more accurately. It offers all 12 chromatic notes with a clean interface, making practice more effective.

Highlights
  • Warm cello drone tones
  • All 12 chromatic notes
  • Clean, distraction-free interface
  • Free to use
  • Optional tip jar
Features
Read full description

A steady, warm cello drone to help you play in tune. Pick a note, press play, and tune your ear to a rock-solid reference pitch — for any instrument or voice. Practicing with a drone is the fastest way to fix intonation. Instead of chasing a needle on a tuner, you train your ear against a continuous reference tone and learn what "in tune" actually feels like. Scales, long tones, improv, warm-ups — a drone makes all of it sharper. DroneTones gives you a rich, natural cello timbre across all 12 chromatic notes, so the drone sits comfortably under whatever you play or sing. WHO IT'S FOR • Strings — violin, viola, cello, bass intonation • Voice & choir — match pitch and hold a tonal center • Brass & woodwinds — tune long tones to a reference • Any musician working on playing in tune FEATURES • Warm, natural cello drone tones • All 12 chromatic notes • Clean, distraction-free interface • Completely free — no time limits, no lock-outs • Optional tip jar if it helps your practice No ads. No subscription. Just a clean reference pitch whenever you need one.

Screenshots

DroneTones4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: DroneTones at free against StringMaster Lite's free with in-app purchases. DroneTones also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 79%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). StringMaster Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, 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

Both are free to download. StringMaster Lite sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and DroneTones sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for StringMaster Lite against 4.9 for DroneTones. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of StringMaster Lite's written reviews are positive against 100% of DroneTones's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StringMaster Lite ships an update every 6 months, DroneTones every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
StringMaster Lite versus DroneTones: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStringMaster LiteDroneTones
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (24 ratings)4.9 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24 — better18
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size165 MB122 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGreat Apptitude Pty LtdThanh Nguyen

Customer experience

StringMaster Lite

All ratings24 ratings
Positive95.8%
Neutral4.2%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative14.3%

DroneTones

All ratings18 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

StringMaster Lite

One-time4
  • Metronome and Tuner$3.99
  • Fretlight Guitar Support$3.99
  • Enable All Instruments$3.99
Show 1 more
  • StringMaster Pro Upgrade$14.99
3 purchases

DroneTones

One-time3
  • Grace Note$1.99
  • Crescendo$4.99
  • Standing Ovation$9.99

Questions

Is StringMaster Lite free?
StringMaster Lite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DroneTones free?
DroneTones is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, StringMaster Lite or DroneTones?
DroneTones is rated higher. StringMaster Lite averages 4.9 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while DroneTones averages 4.9 from 18 ratings.
Do StringMaster Lite or DroneTones have ads?
Neither StringMaster Lite nor DroneTones shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StringMaster Lite or DroneTones?
StringMaster Lite ships an update every 6 months, and DroneTones every 2 months. Most recently, StringMaster Lite was updated on October 23, 2026 and DroneTones on October 30, 2026.

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