Comparison

Tone Trace vs Pedal Galaxy

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

Head to head
About

Tone Trace

This app helps guitarists and bassists optimize their pedalboard signal flow. It audits pedal order, buffer placement, and more, providing a real-time chain score and a troubleshoot wizard to fix issues like hum and tone suck. It's designed for musicians with multiple pedals who want their rig to sound its best.

Highlights
  • Drag-and-drop pedal chain builder
  • Real-time signal flow scoring
  • Symptom-driven troubleshoot wizard
  • Signal map for documentation
  • FX loop routing awareness
  • Clone artist rigs
  • Set list creation and sharing
Features
Read full description

Tone Trace is the rig analyzer for guitarists and bassists who want their pedalboard to sound right — not just look right. Drag pedals onto a chain canvas, and Tone Trace audits your signal flow as you build. The chain score grades pedal order, buffer placement, FX-loop routing, and gain staging in real time. When something is off, the troubleshoot wizard walks you through the actual fix — tone suck, hum, high-pitched whine, impedance mismatch — by symptom, not by guesswork. Built for the gear-forward player who already owns three or more pedals and is tired of static pedalboard layouts that don't tell you whether the rig actually works. KEY FEATURES • Chain Builder — drag-place pedals on a grid canvas; signal lines auto-route between cells. • Chain Score — quantitative grade of your rig's signal flow with sub-score bars for order, FX loop, gain staging, and impedance. • Troubleshoot Wizard — symptom-driven diagnostic cards walk you from "my rig sounds bad" to a specific fix. • Signal Map — annotated read-only flow diagram for documentation, screen-share, or repatch reference. • FX Loop Aware — the chain layout knows which side of the amp's effects loop each pedal belongs on. • Artist Rigs — clone curated rigs from the artist library, then tune to your gear. • Walkthroughs + Lessons — guided onboarding and concept lessons (gain staging, true bypass vs buffered, 4-cable method) without leaving the app. • Set Lists — build a set list with rigs attached, print or share the call sheet. • Share + Export — export a rig diagram or set list as a PDF/PNG; share via the system share sheet. WHO IT'S FOR Guitarists and bassists with three or more stompbox pedals — bedroom, gigging, and worship-team players. Especially useful for Line 6 Helix / HX Stomp users wrangling 4-cable method routing, and stereo-pedalboard builders chasing tone-suck culprits. WHAT IT'S NOT Tone Trace is not an amp or FX simulator. It does not generate audio. It is a rig planner, auditor, and diagnostic tool — the layer above the simulator and below the soldering iron. Drag a pedal in. Watch the chain score react. Fix what the score flags. Save the rig. TERMS AND PRIVACY Tone Trace Pro is a one-time purchase — there is no subscription and nothing auto-renews. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at purchase confirmation. You can restore your purchase anytime from the app's paywall. Privacy policy: https://www.remnantworkshop.com/privacy.html

About

Pedal Galaxy

Easily plan and visualize your guitar pedalboard setup. Drag and drop effects to scale, arrange your signal chain, and see your layout before buying gear. Share your designs with others.

Highlights
  • Drag-and-drop pedal placement
  • Real-world scale visualization
  • Customizable board sizes
  • Signal chain arrangement
  • Export and share rig designs
  • Light and dark themes
Features
Read full description

Pedal Galaxy is the fastest way to plan, visualize, and share your guitar pedalboard — right from your phone. Stop guessing whether your pedals will fit. Drag effects onto a to-scale board, arrange your signal chain, and see exactly how everything lays out before you buy a single patch cable. DESIGN YOUR BOARD • Drag-and-drop pedals onto a smooth, zoomable canvas • Everything is drawn to real-world scale — inches or centimeters • Snap to a grid for clean, precise layouts • Rotate, lock, and fine-tune the position and size of any pedal • Add popular pedalboards or size your own to match the gear you already own BUILD WITH REAL GEAR • Browse a growing library of real pedals and pedalboards • Add custom pedals when you can't find the exact model • Reorder your layers to get the stacking and signal flow just right MAKE IT YOURS • Light and dark themes • Choose your measurement units • Clean, distraction-free interface built for quick edits PEDAL GALAXY PRO Upgrade to Pro to unlock: • Save unlimited boards to your account and pick up where you left off on any device • Sync seamlessly with the Pedal Galaxy web app • Add private notes to each board • Extra board backgrounds • Favorite your go-to pedals for one-tap access SHARE YOUR RIG Export a clean image of any board and share it with bandmates, forums, or your socials in a couple of taps. Whether you're a bedroom player mapping out your first board or a touring pro planning a new rig, Pedal Galaxy takes the tape measure and graph paper out of the equation. Download it free and start building! Terms of Use (EULA): https://pedalgalaxy.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://pedalgalaxy.com/privacy

Screenshots

Tone Trace4 screens
Pedal Galaxy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Pedal Galaxy at 8 against Tone Trace's 2. On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. Tone Trace sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Pedal Galaxy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Tone Trace against 5.0 for Pedal Galaxy. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 8 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tone Trace ships an update fortnightly, Pedal Galaxy every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Tone Trace versus Pedal Galaxy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTone TracePedal Galaxy
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings28 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB58 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperRemnant Workshop, Inc.Pedal Galaxy LLC

Customer experience

Tone Trace

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Pedal Galaxy

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Tone Trace

Subscriptions2
  • ToneTrace PRO Monthly$4.991 Month
  • ToneTrace PRO Yearly1 Year trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Unlock PRO forever$1.99
2 purchases

Pedal Galaxy

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pro$3.991 Month
  • Annual Pro$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Tone Trace free?
Tone Trace is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pedal Galaxy free?
Pedal Galaxy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tone Trace or Pedal Galaxy?
Tone Trace and Pedal Galaxy are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 8 ratings respectively.
Do Tone Trace or Pedal Galaxy have ads?
Neither Tone Trace nor Pedal Galaxy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tone Trace or Pedal Galaxy?
Tone Trace ships an update fortnightly, and Pedal Galaxy every 3 weeks. Most recently, Tone Trace was updated on October 24, 2026 and Pedal Galaxy on October 20, 2026.

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