Comparison

Aquadrum Pro vs PanStrobe

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

Head to head
About

Aquadrum Pro

Features
Read full description

Aquadrum Pro — Scale Explorer & Tuner for Tongue Drums Aquadrum Pro maps any scale to your 11-tongue drum instantly. Browse 1,914 scales from musical traditions around the world, hear how they sound, and see exactly which notes go where on your instrument. SCALE LIBRARY • 1,914 scales across 6 note counts (4 to 9 notes) • Western, World, Symmetrical, Modal, and more • Search by name or browse by category • Tap to preview any scale before committing VOICING ENGINE • Automatically generates every playable voicing for your drum • Swipe through variants to find the tuning you like • Color-coded root and changed notes for easy comparison BUILT-IN CHROMATIC TUNER • Detects the pitch of each tongue in real time • Shows cents sharp or flat from the target note • Perfect for manual tuning and verification PITCH SET BUILDER • Build custom scales interval by interval • Tap any interval to hear it instantly • Name and save your own creations INTERACTIVE DRUM FACE • Tap tongues to hear notes with a soft vibraphone tone • Key Map overlay shows physical key ranges • Visual feedback for root notes and changes between variants FREE & PRO Free: 5-note scales, 2 root keys (D, G), 5 voicing variants Full Unlock: all 1,914 scales, all 12 root keys, unlimited variants No ads. No subscriptions. One-time purchase unlocks everything.

About

PanStrobe

Features
Read full description

PanStrobe is a harmonic strobe tuner built for handpan makers, tuners and players. A handpan note is not one frequency — it is a fundamental with an octave and a compound fifth tuned above it. PanStrobe shows all of them at once as true strobe motion: each ring is one partial, position is phase, and drift speed is exactly how far off you are. When a ring stands still, that partial is in tune. TUNE BY SIGHT • Half-circle strobe disc or horizontal strobe rows — one band per partial • True strobe physics: left = flat, right = sharp, stillness = in tune • Live cents readouts with glitch rejection — and no averaging: the wobble you see is real signal • Strobe divisors (Ć·2, Ć·3, Ć·5) slow the pattern for far-off notes HEAR THE WHOLE NOTE • Real-time spectrum with a piano-key axis and labelled peaks • Waterfall view: watch each strike's harmonics evolve over time • Automatic note detection, or lock to the note you are working on BUILT FOR THE WORKSHOP • Chromatic notes with octave control, adjustable A4 reference, global cents offset • Band editor with multi-partial templates (1:2:3 and more) • Pitch pipe on every band — double-tap a strobe for a reference tone • Dark, glare-free UI designed for metal shops • Works fully offline — audio never leaves your device, no account, no tracking FREE TRIAL, FAIR PRICING Every install starts with a full-featured 8-day trial. After that, the free tier stays a single-band chromatic strobe tuner. PanStrobe Pro adds what the app is really for — every partial of a note at once, the spectrum analyser, the band editor and the pitch pipe — monthly, or yearly at about 20% less. Made by Panlab — we build and tune handpans in Hong Kong. This is the tuner we use ourselves. Privacy Policy: https://panstrobe.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Aquadrum Pro4 screens
PanStrobe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: PanStrobe at 15.0 against Aquadrum Pro's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Aquadrum Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PanStrobe sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Aquadrum Pro ships an update every 9 days, PanStrobe weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Aquadrum Pro versus PanStrobe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAquadrum ProPanStrobe
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPUJA MUZIK PRODUKSIYON ORGANIZASYON TURIZM TICARET LIMITED SIRKETIPanlab Limited

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Aquadrum Pro

One-time1
  • Full Unlock$2.99
2 purchases

PanStrobe

Subscriptions2
  • PanStrobe Pro7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • PanStrobe Pro Yearly$76.991 Year

Questions

Is Aquadrum Pro free?
Aquadrum Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PanStrobe free?
PanStrobe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Aquadrum Pro or PanStrobe have ads?
Neither Aquadrum Pro nor PanStrobe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Aquadrum Pro or PanStrobe?
Aquadrum Pro ships an update every 9 days, and PanStrobe weekly. Most recently, Aquadrum Pro was updated on September 16, 2026 and PanStrobe on September 28, 2026.

Other comparisons