Comparison

PROTUNE vs Retune

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time pitch detection
  • Customizable A4 reference pitch
  • 14+ tuning presets
  • Reference tones with clean/dirty modes
  • Three visual skins
  • Three meter styles
Features
Read full description

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

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

PROTUNE4 screens
Retune4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PROTUNE sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Retune asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
PROTUNE versus Retune: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPROTUNERetune
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDark Castle Group, LLCCreatix, LLC

Customer experience

PROTUNE

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Retune

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

PROTUNE

Subscriptions2
  • PROTUNE Pro$9.991 Month
  • PROTUNE Pro$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • PROTUNE Pro Lifetime$99.99
None

Retune

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PROTUNE free?
PROTUNE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Retune free?
Retune is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PROTUNE or Retune?
PROTUNE and Retune are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do PROTUNE or Retune have ads?
Neither PROTUNE nor Retune shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PROTUNE or Retune?
PROTUNE ships an update every 4 weeks, and Retune every 2 weeks. Most recently, PROTUNE was updated on October 31, 2026 and Retune on November 5, 2026.

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