Comparison

NoteHound vs Music Box Retro Go

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

Head to head
About

NoteHound

Features
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NoteHound is the music practice app for musicians who learn by ear. Slow any song to 0.1Ɨ without dropping the key. Loop the trickiest bar with sample-accurate A-B markers and a count-in click. Transcribe what you hear onto a piano roll, a 4-to-8-string guitar tab, or a live fretboard. Export to MIDI, PDF, MusicXML, plain-text tab, or a ZIP bundle for your teacher. No subscription. No account. Your audio and your transcriptions stay on your device. FEATURES SLOW DOWN MUSIC • 0.1Ɨ to 3.0Ɨ variable speed • Pitch-preserving time-stretch — the key never changes, even at the extremes • Speed ramp: automatically walk a loop from slow to performance tempo over n repetitions • Tap tempo and BPM detection • Tempo-map aware — handles songs that change tempo A-B LOOPING & PRACTICE TOOLS • Sample-accurate loop boundaries on the waveform • Count-in beats and pre-roll bar so you join the loop on the downbeat • Per-loop speed settings • Named sections (verse / chorus / solo / bridge) painted onto the waveform • Audio notes — pin a voice memo anywhere on the waveform (a fingering cue, a practice reminder, a note from a teacher) and the recording auto-plays when the playhead reaches that point • Practice tracking with mastery stages: learning → practising → up-to-speed → mastered • Per-loop attempt history with max-speed-reached PIANO ROLL EDITOR • Tap notes onto a quantised grid; drag, multi-select, group, draw • Audio sync — your transcription follows the recording bar by bar • Independent display transpose so you can read in any key • Plays through nine built-in synth voices LIVE FRETBOARD VIEW • Tap a note, see exactly where it lives on the neck • Multi-string highlighting for chord shapes • Adapts automatically to the project's tuning (standard, drop D, drop C, DADGAD, baritone, 7- and 8-string) • Full-fingerboard or focused-range display • Pairs with the tab editor — every note tapped on the tab lights up on the fretboard, and vice versa GUITAR TAB EDITOR • 4 to 8 strings, any tuning • 25+ articulations: bends, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, harmonics, palm mutes, ghost notes, dead notes, vibrato, trills, grace notes, tied notes, let-ring • Automatic fret-position suggestions based on the previous and next notes • Audio sync with the recording so the tab cursor tracks playback • Works for guitar, bass, baritone guitar, 7- and 8-string electric, ukulele 9-INSTRUMENT MULTI-TOUCH KEYBOARD • Acoustic piano, electric piano, Rhodes, organ, synth pad, strings, bass, guitar, vibraphone • Velocity-sensitive on supported devices • Doubles as a real-time MIDI-input target MIDI • Class-compliant USB and Bluetooth MIDI controllers — plug in, no drivers, no setup • Learn-mode mapping for any control to any parameter (foot pedal → play/pause, knob → speed, pad → loop toggle) • Real-time note input straight to the piano roll • MIDI file import preserves notes, tempo map, and section markers EXPORT • MIDI, PDF, MusicXML, plain-text tab, .tab, or a ZIP bundle of all of them • Hand a transcription to any DAW or notation app: Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Sibelius, Dorico, MuseScore, Finale, Guitar Pro FREE vs PRO Free includes two starter projects, basic A-B looping, the on-screen keyboard, and the 0.25Ɨ to 1.5Ɨ speed range. NoteHound Pro is a one-time $4.99 unlock — no subscription, restore on every device with the same Apple ID. Pro adds: • Unlimited projects • Full 0.1Ɨ to 3.0Ɨ speed range • Piano roll editor • Guitar tab editor + live fretboard view • MIDI input and MIDI file import • Every export format • Speed ramp, named sections, audio notes per section DESIGNED FOR Self-taught guitarists, pianists, and bassists. Music students. Music teachers preparing materials. Producers reverse-engineering a sample. Drummers learning fills. Anyone who learns songs by ear. Requires iPhone or iPad on iOS 17 or later. No account needed.

About

Music Box Retro Go

Features
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Music Box Retro is a precision-crafted virtual music box built with AVAudioEngine bell-tone synthesis, delivering authentic plucked-string timbre for 6 classic melodies. TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS - Custom AVAudioSourceNode renders each note as a sine wave with harmonic overtone (12% third harmonic) and exponential amplitude decay — matching the acoustic signature of a real music box - 6 MIDI-encoded melodies: Twinkle Twinkle, Ode to Joy, Brahms Lullaby, Canon in D motif, Fur Elise motif, Sakura - Progressive unlock system: melodies unlock at 3, 8, 15, 25, and 40 total play counts - Playback speed: 0.5x to 2.0x in 0.1x increments - UIFeedbackGenerator haptics synchronized per-note - AppStorage-backed persistence for play count and selected melody - Portrait orientation only - Forced dark color scheme PRIVACY AND DATA Music Box Retro operates entirely on-device. No network requests, no analytics, no crash reporting, no third-party SDKs. Zero data collected or transmitted.

Screenshots

NoteHound4 screens
Music Box Retro Go4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Music Box Retro Go at none against NoteHound's 1. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. NoteHound sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Music Box Retro Go asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
NoteHound versus Music Box Retro Go: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoteHoundMusic Box Retro Go
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size109 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrancesco Farruggiaꙓ 郭

In-app purchases

1 purchases

NoteHound

One-time1
  • NoteHound Pro$9.99
None

Music Box Retro Go

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NoteHound free?
NoteHound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Music Box Retro Go free?
Music Box Retro Go is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do NoteHound or Music Box Retro Go have ads?
Neither NoteHound nor Music Box Retro Go shows ads.

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