PROTUNE vs Retune
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PROTUNE
This professional-grade tuner offers real-time pitch detection with studio-quality accuracy for guitarists and bassists. It features numerous tuning presets, reference tones, and customizable visual skins and meter styles for a personalized experience.
- Real-time pitch detection
- Customizable A4 reference pitch
- 14+ tuning presets
- Reference tones with clean/dirty modes
- Three visual skins
- Three meter styles
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PROTUNE is a professional-grade tuner designed by Legendary Guitarist Dj ASHBA for guitarists and bassists who demand precision and style. PRECISION TUNING • Real-time pitch detection with studio-quality accuracy • Customizable A4 reference pitch (430-450 Hz) • Adjustable sensitivity for any environment INSTRUMENTS • 6-String Guitar • 7-String Guitar • 12-String Guitar • 4-String Bass • 5-String Bass • 6-String Bass 14+ TUNING PRESETS • Standard • Drop D • Drop C • Open G • Open D • DADGAD • Half Step Down • Full Step Down • And more... REFERENCE TONES • Play reference tone for any string • Clean and Dirty sound modes • Loop playback option THREE VISUAL SKINS • Classic - Sleek dark interface • Distressed - Grungy rock aesthetic • Crow - Electric crow silhouette THREE METER STYLES • Arc LED - Modern curved display • Classic - Traditional ruler style • Strobe - Professional strobe tuner Privacy Policy: https://protuneapp.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://protuneapp.com/terms Support URL: https://protuneapp.com/support
Retune
This app helps you tune your guitar quickly and accurately by focusing on entire tunings rather than individual notes. It offers several built-in presets and can detect which string you're playing, providing instant feedback when it's in tune. Additional features like custom tunings, metronome, and support for more instruments are available with a one-time purchase.
- Tune by tuning, not note by note
- Nine built-in tunings
- Custom tuning creation
- Metronome with tap tempo
- Support for multiple instruments
- Works offline
- Cent-level precision
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Retune is the tuner built around tunings. Pick Drop D, Open G, DADGAD, or any of eleven presets, play a string, and Retune hears which one you mean, no tapping, no guessing. When you land the note, you feel it: a tap and a soft chime, and you move on to the next string. TUNE BY TUNING, NOT NOTE BY NOTE Most tuners make you chase one note at a time. Retune loads the whole tuning: it detects which string you played, shows how far off you are in cents, and locks in when you hold it true. Tuning a guitar takes a minute, not five. FREE, AND GENEROUS ABOUT IT - NINE GUITAR TUNINGS BUILT IN: Standard, Drop D, Drop C, Half-step down, Whole-step down, Esus2 open, Open G, Open D, and DADGAD. - BASS AND UKULELE, FREE: standard bass (E A D G) and standard ukulele (g C E A) are built in too. - CHROMATIC MODE: tune any instrument to any note, with A4 calibration from 415 to 466 Hz. - STRING LOCK: tap a string to pin the tuner to it when you are dialing in something tricky. - A haptic tap and a chime when a string locks in tune, with four sounds to pick from. The core tuner is free forever: no ads, no account, works offline. RETUNE PRO: ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION - CUSTOM TUNINGS: build and save your own presets for any tuning you play. - EVERY INSTRUMENT: the tuning editor covers 6- and 7-string guitar, bass, and ukulele. - METRONOME: a clean, accurate metronome with tap tempo, right in the app. - ICLOUD SYNC: your custom tunings follow you to every device you own. One-time purchase. No subscription, ever. MADE FOR REAL PLAYING - Reads your string through the mic with cent-level precision and a steady, jitter-free needle. - Microphone sensitivity you can set for a loud room or a quiet one. - Works offline, on stage or on the couch. - Light on battery, instant to open, nothing between you and being in tune. I'm one person, and I play. If a tuning you love is missing, you can build it in seconds with Pro, or say hello and it might ship built in.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Retune at none against PROTUNE's 3. Retune also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 weeks). PROTUNE's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. PROTUNE sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Retune asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for PROTUNE against 5.0 for Retune. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
PROTUNE ships an update every 4 weeks, Retune every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PROTUNE | Retune |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 98 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dark Castle Group, LLC | Creatix, LLC |
Customer experience
PROTUNE
Retune
In-app purchases
PROTUNE
- PROTUNE Pro$9.991 Month
- PROTUNE Pro$59.991 Year
- PROTUNE Pro Lifetime$99.99
Retune
No in-app purchases









