Comparison

Harmonic Tuner vs Spectrum

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

Head to head
About

Harmonic Tuner

This app offers precision tuning for string instruments with a live readout and detailed harmonic analysis. It helps musicians check intonation, refine notes for recording, and study overtones and sustain with a focused workflow.

Highlights
  • Chromatic tuning with cents and frequency
  • Instrument presets
  • Live tuning display
  • Harmonic Analysis view
  • Harmonic strength bars
  • Waveform snapshots
  • Save and compare harmonic captures
Features
Read full description

Harmonic Tuner is a precision tuner for string players who want more than just a needle. Tune with a fast live readout, then dig into harmonic snapshots to see how your tone changes after the pluck. Whether you are checking intonation, cleaning up a note before recording, or studying overtones and sustain, Harmonic Tuner gives you a focused workflow without unnecessary clutter. Features: • Chromatic tuning with clear cents and frequency readouts • Instrument presets for guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin, and slack-key guitar • Smooth live tuning display designed for quick visual adjustment • Harmonic Analysis view with timed snapshots after the initial note lock • Harmonic bars that show the strength of the base pitch and upper overtones • Waveform snapshots for comparing the shape of the sound over time • Save, name, reload, and compare harmonic captures • Adjustable reference pitch (A4) • Advanced controls for noise gate, filtering, smoothing, and tracking stability • Input device selection for supported audio hardware Use the main tuner when you want fast, focused tuning. Use Harmonic Analysis when you want to understand what your note is doing after the attack. Harmonic Tuner is built for players who care about pitch, response, and tone.

About

Spectrum

Features
Read full description

Spectrum turns your phone into a modern real-time audio analyzer - the clean, fast tool that older spectrum apps never gave you. See sound the moment it happens: a live FFT frequency spectrum and a scrolling spectrogram (waterfall), with automatic peak detection and the matching musical note. Built for a phone screen, with a beautiful dark and light theme - not a cramped desktop port. WHY SPECTRUM • Modern, readable interface - designed for touch, dark & light themes • Save your measurements and revisit them anytime (most analyzers forget everything the moment you close them) • Export the spectrogram as a high-resolution image, or your data as CSV • Works on both iPhone and iPad • Real peak frequency + musical note readout, in cents FEATURES • Real-time FFT spectrum, log or linear frequency axis • Spectrogram (waterfall) view • Tap the chart for a frequency cursor with dB and musical note • Peak hold and peak-frequency tracking • Musical note detection (A4 = 440 Hz) • A-weighting for perceived loudness • Adjustable FFT size (2048 / 4096 / 8192) • Save, name and organize measurements • Image & CSV export • 8 languages SPECTRUM PRO - one-time purchase, no subscription • 1/3 octave RTA view with per-band peak hold - the classic real-time analyzer used for live sound and room tuning • Tone generator: sine tones, 20 Hz-20 kHz logarithmic sweep, white & pink noise for testing speakers and room acoustics • Peak list: the strongest peaks with harmonics tagged • Up to 4 frequency markers on the chart • Calibration offset (±20 dB) to match a reference meter • Extra-high resolution 16384 FFT • High-resolution image export and no ads, forever Everything is processed on your device - no audio is ever uploaded. Microphone access is the only permission needed. Perfect for musicians, audio engineers, students, DIY speaker builders, hum & noise hunters, and anyone curious about the sounds around them.

Screenshots

Harmonic Tuner4 screens
Spectrum4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Harmonic Tuner at none against Spectrum's 1. Harmonic Tuner also leads on ads (none vs shown). Spectrum's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.2). On price, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Spectrum sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Harmonic Tuner asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Harmonic Tuner ships an update every 2 weeks, Spectrum every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Harmonic Tuner versus Spectrum: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHarmonic TunerSpectrum
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.215.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB89 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRetroSEONYONG LEE

In-app purchases

None

Harmonic Tuner

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Spectrum

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$4.99

Questions

Is Harmonic Tuner free?
Harmonic Tuner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Spectrum free?
Spectrum is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Harmonic Tuner or Spectrum have ads?
Spectrum shows ads; Harmonic Tuner does not.
Which is updated more often, Harmonic Tuner or Spectrum?
Harmonic Tuner ships an update every 2 weeks, and Spectrum every 8 days. Most recently, Harmonic Tuner was updated on October 10, 2026 and Spectrum on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons