Comparison

Fret & Key vs StringTrue

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

Head to head
About

Fret & Key

This music app helps you identify chords, scales, and song keys. It features a chord finder, identifier, key finder, and an accurate tuner for various instruments. Designed for simplicity and speed, it offers essential tools without subscriptions or ads.

Highlights
  • Chord finder for piano and stringed instruments
  • Chord identifier and key analysis
  • Song key detection
  • Scales and chord families
  • Accurate instrument tuner
  • Clean, quick navigation
Features
Read full description

Find a chord, name the one you're playing, or hear a song and know its key. Scales, chord families, and an accurate tuner too, all in one beautifully simple app. No account, no subscription. It's the app you reach for mid-practice and set down thirty seconds later, having gotten exactly what you came for. Clean, quiet, and quick to navigate, built for piano and stringed instruments alike. What's inside: Chord finder for piano, guitar, and other stringed instruments Chord identifier: play a chord and it names it, and shows which keys it lives in Key finder: listens to a song, tells you its key, and sets the whole app to that key Chord families: the main chords in any key, at a glance Scales in every key, clear on both the fretboard and the keyboard An accurate tuner A clean Tools section that keeps each of these a tap away What's not inside: No subscriptions No ads No sign-up Just a beautifully simple tool that respects your time and your ears.

About

StringTrue

Features
Read full description

StringTrue is a focused, easy-to-use guitar tuner. It starts detecting pitch as soon as you open it — no account, no ads, and no unnecessary setup. Features: - Standard, Drop D, Dsus4, Open G, Open D, and Half Step Down tunings - Chromatic mode with note, octave, frequency, and cents - Tap a string to lock its target; tap it again to return to automatic detection - Sound, animation, and haptic confirmation when stable within ±2 cents - Multiple A4 reference pitches with on-device preference saving - Audio is analyzed in real time only on your device and is never recorded or uploaded

Screenshots

Fret & Key4 screens
StringTrue3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StringTrue at none against Fret & Key's 1. Fret & Key's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads 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. Fret & Key sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. StringTrue asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Fret & Key ships an update every 9 days, StringTrue every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Fret & Key versus StringTrue: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFret & KeyStringTrue
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCurious Labs冲 张

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Fret & Key

One-time1
  • Full Unlock$7.99
None

StringTrue

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Fret & Key free?
Fret & Key is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is StringTrue free?
StringTrue is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Fret & Key or StringTrue have ads?
Neither Fret & Key nor StringTrue shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Fret & Key or StringTrue?
Fret & Key ships an update every 9 days, and StringTrue every 3 weeks. Most recently, Fret & Key was updated on October 11, 2026 and StringTrue on October 14, 2026.

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