Comparison

DroneTones vs Cello Coach

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

Head to head
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.

About

Cello Coach

This app provides a comprehensive series of beginner cello lessons designed for self-study at home. It covers fundamental techniques, essential skills, and offers tutorials for playing with piano accompaniment. Optimized for iPhone and iPad, it's ideal for aspiring cellists.

Highlights
  • Beginner cello course series
  • Learn to play cello
  • Play cello with piano
  • Cello technique tutorials
  • Essential cello skills
  • Level up cello skills
Features
Read full description

Beginner's Cello Lessons - Learn At Home By Self INCLUES: * Beginner Cello Course Series * Learn To Play Cello * Play Cello With Piano Series * Cello Technique Series * Basics Of Cello * Eeesntial Skills Of Cello * Level Up Skills Of Cello Optimized for iPhone and iPad, you can learn by yourself at home Get it now, enjoy the tour!

Screenshots

DroneTones4 screens
Cello Coach4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cello Coach at none against DroneTones's 3. Cello Coach also leads on ratings volume (272 vs 19). DroneTones's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 28 months). On price, rating, device support and iOS requirement 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. DroneTones sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Cello Coach asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

DroneTones holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cello Coach has 272 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of DroneTones's written reviews are positive against 84% of Cello Coach's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DroneTones ships an update every 2 months, Cello Coach every 28 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
DroneTones versus Cello Coach: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDroneTonesCello Coach
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (19 ratings) — better4.7 (272 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better84.0% of reviews
Number of ratings19272 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 28 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015
Further details — not scored
Size122 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThanh Nguyen叶 李

Customer experience

DroneTones

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

Cello Coach

All ratings270 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral4.1%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive84.0%
Neutral5.3%
Negative10.7%

Bugs and requests

DroneTones

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Cello Coach

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Pop-up ads that cannot be closed on app launch
  • App becomes non-functional due to stuck ads
  • Ads appearing before every video
  • X button on ads not responding to user input

Requested features

4 requests
  • Tuner section for pitch accuracy
  • Scales section for practice exercises
  • Better organization and explanation of app sections
  • Reduced or optional ad experience

In-app purchases

3 purchases

DroneTones

One-time3
  • Grace Note$1.99
  • Crescendo$4.99
  • Standing Ovation$9.99
None

Cello Coach

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DroneTones free?
DroneTones is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cello Coach free?
Cello Coach is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DroneTones or Cello Coach?
DroneTones is rated higher. DroneTones averages 4.9 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Cello Coach averages 4.7 from 272 ratings.
Do DroneTones or Cello Coach have ads?
Cello Coach shows ads; DroneTones does not.
Which is updated more often, DroneTones or Cello Coach?
DroneTones ships an update every 2 months, and Cello Coach every 28 months. Most recently, DroneTones was updated on November 3, 2026 and Cello Coach on November 5, 2026.

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