ToneGen PlusMinus vs Tone Gen Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ToneGen PlusMinus
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Signal generator for identifying audio frequencies by manually matching the pitch. Identifying feedback frequencies rapidly and precisely as an audio tech in a concert situation is a crucial function. Sometimes the feedback is intermittent, or only happens for an instant. For decades I and others have used the procedure of holding a heard pitch in my head and them matching it with some sort of tone generator. There are several iPhone apps that I have used, holding the phone up to my ear to hear the tone. They all have either a dial or a slider to set the pitch. An endless dial can be very precise, but is difficult to operate without looking at the screen. A slider is resolution limited by the length on the screen and so can't be precise. ToneGen PlusMinus uses a novel pitch setting UI which I invented 20 years ago for a Palm III app I wrote. It is very easy to rapidly and precisely match a frequency across it's range of 30 Hz to 10 kHz, without looking at the screen at all. The farther up or down from center your touch slides, the faster the pitch changes. Slide back to center and it stays stable.
Tone Gen Studio
Generate precise audio frequencies, conduct sweep tests, and analyze sound with a built-in microphone tuner and RTA analyzer. This toolkit is designed for musicians and audio engineers needing accurate tone and measurement tools.
- Pure tone generator with custom frequency
- Preset tone pads
- Sweep generator
- Noise profiles (white, pink, brown)
- Binaural beats
- Mic tuner with real-time display
- RTA analyzer
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Test speakers, find frequencies, tune instruments, and keep time during practice with Tone Gen Studio. Generate tones, sweeps, and noise, explore your microphone input with the tuner and spectrum analyzer, or practice with the built-in metronome. Tone generation and speaker testing - Set a custom frequency or choose a preset tone pad. - Select sine, square, sawtooth, or triangle waveforms. - Run linear, exponential, or stepped frequency sweeps. - Generate white, pink, and brown noise. - Set burst on and off durations for pulsed tones. - Adjust binaural carrier and beat frequencies for headphone playback. Tuning and audio analysis - View the detected note, frequency, and cents with the microphone tuner. - Explore input levels with a real-time spectrum analyzer and 1/3-octave RTA bands. Metronome and practice - Set a tempo from 20 to 300 BPM or use tap tempo. - Choose time signatures, subdivisions, accents, and five click sounds. - Practice with swing, polyrhythms, gradual tempo ramps, and random mute. - Use a count-in and practice timer. Start at a low volume and adjust gradually. Binaural playback requires headphones. Speaker response and microphone measurements depend on your device and connected audio equipment. For musicians, audio engineers, educators, and anyone working with sound on iPhone and iPad.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ToneGen PlusMinus at Free against Tone Gen Studio's $0.99. ToneGen PlusMinus also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). Tone Gen Studio's advantage is update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases 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
ToneGen PlusMinus is free to download; Tone Gen Studio costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ToneGen PlusMinus ships an update every 3 months, Tone Gen Studio every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ToneGen PlusMinus | Tone Gen Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dan Richardson | Scott Manley |
In-app purchases
ToneGen PlusMinus
No in-app purchases
Tone Gen Studio
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ToneGen PlusMinus free?
Is Tone Gen Studio free?
Do ToneGen PlusMinus or Tone Gen Studio have ads?
Which is updated more often, ToneGen PlusMinus or Tone Gen Studio?
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