Comparison

Retro Tuner vs Nova Tuner

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

Head to head
About

Retro Tuner

This app provides accurate and fast pitch detection for musical instruments with a retro-inspired analog interface. It supports a wide range of instruments and features adjustable reference pitches for precise tuning.

Highlights
  • Analog panel meter UI
  • Nixie tube note display
  • Digital signal processing
  • Supports 88-key piano range
  • Adjustable reference pitch (A=440 Hz)
  • Detune factor in cents
Features
Read full description

Retro Tuner is a musical instrument tuner for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It features a user interface in the style of an analog panel meter and Nixie tube note display, but below this retro surface are all-new digital signal processing algorithms that determine the pitch of your instrument quickly and accurately. Retro Tuner was written by the owner of several crappy guitars and a 1920s player piano that is constantly going out of tune, with the idea that if it can tune those, it can tune anything. Retro Tuner tunes in equal temperament and can handle the full 88-key piano range. The reference pitch defaults to A=440 Hz and can be adjusted via Settings either as a frequency in Hz or as a detune factor in cents.

About

Nova Tuner

A professional chromatic tuner designed for musicians, especially those in Early Music. It offers extensive temperament support, custom profile creation, and a clean interface for precise instrument tuning. No internet connection or data collection required.

Highlights
  • Extensive built-in temperaments
  • Add and create custom temperaments
  • User profiles for quick settings
  • Sound and Auto detection modes
  • Adjustable A4 pitch detector
  • Multiple waveform options
  • Light and dark mode support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Written for professionals, especially those in the field of Early Music, Nova Tuner is a fully featured, accurate, chromatic tuner with extensive temperament support. A full demonstration of the app is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/egkAFaICdXY?si=peIM6QvGHLqXMqtD Nova Tuner was written by professional fortepianist and harpsichordist, Thomas Foster. MAIN FEATURES - Sound Mode (reference pitch) and Auto Mode (detect pitch) - Clean and simple interface - About 30 built-in temperaments (see www.thomasfoster.org/novatuner for full list) - Add/Create new temperaments. - Duplicate and edit built-in temperaments - Create profiles to quickly set pitch and temperament for frequently used settings. - A4 pitch detector to quickly determine an instrument's pitch level. - Quick selection of common pitch levels: 392, 415, 430, and 440 Hz (these are customizable). - Four waveforms for audible note: Sawtooth, Square, Triangle, Sine. - No data is collected, no internet connection is required. INTERFACE - All tuner information (pitch level, temperament, etc) clearly visible on main screen. - Standard, simple iOS appearance and controls. - Large and intuitive adjustment buttons (no fussy scroll wheels). - Light and dark mode. - Supports portrait and landscape orientations. - Note names in English, German, and Neo-Latin (do, re, mi) TEMPERAMENTS - Temperaments can be transposed - Add, duplicate and edit temperaments - Favorite frequently used temperaments - Filter by favorited and custom - Search entire list of temperaments by name or information (creator, type, year, etc.) - Hide unwanted temperaments so they don't appear in the list or search SPECIFICATIONS Transposition range: -11 to +11 semitones Detection range: A0 to C8 Reference tone: C2 to B7 Tuning modes: Sound, Auto, Auto with Sound Back Calibration range: A4=300-500 Hz, 0.1 Hz increments

Screenshots

Retro Tuner1 screens
Nova Tuner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Nova Tuner at 4.7 against Retro Tuner's 3.5. Nova Tuner also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and ratings volume (32 vs 2). Retro Tuner's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $7.99). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Retro Tuner costs $2.99 and Nova Tuner $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nova Tuner holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nova Tuner has 32 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Retro Tuner's written reviews are positive against 100% of Nova Tuner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retro Tuner ships an update every 9 months, Nova Tuner every 5 months. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Retro Tuner versus Nova Tuner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetro TunerNova Tuner
Price$2.99 — better$7.99
Rating3.5 (2 ratings)4.7 (32 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings232 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 5 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#176 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.1
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWaxing WaveThomas J Foster

Customer experience

Retro Tuner

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.5%

Nova Tuner

All ratings32 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Retro Tuner

No in-app purchases

None

Nova Tuner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retro Tuner free?
Retro Tuner costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nova Tuner free?
Nova Tuner costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Retro Tuner or Nova Tuner?
Nova Tuner is rated higher. Retro Tuner averages 3.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Nova Tuner averages 4.7 from 32 ratings.
Do Retro Tuner or Nova Tuner have ads?
Neither Retro Tuner nor Nova Tuner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retro Tuner or Nova Tuner?
Retro Tuner ships an update every 9 months, and Nova Tuner every 5 months. Most recently, Retro Tuner was updated on November 7, 2026 and Nova Tuner on November 7, 2026.

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