These apps are mentioned in the breakdown of this job. Open each one to compare strengths and limits. The order of the list is not a ranking of fitness.
Rank 8. Review score: 66 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 145,046 ratings
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The tuner works well and holds pitch firmly, which is why people have loved it for years. The problem is that it used to be just a fast tuner, and now every launch makes you swipe past a subscription pitch, with a banner popping up right after tuning, and that frustrates people. You can only tune the standard tuning for free, and everything else plus ad removal costs money.
Praised: Holds pitch firmly, fast and accurate tuning, large song library, teaches chords
Complaints: You must swipe past a subscription ad before every tuning, an ad pops up right after tuning, only standard tuning is free, the promised free trial charges immediately
Best for: Someone who needs a reliable tuner and is not bothered by a subscription ad on every launch.
Rank 6. Review score: 68 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 148,990 ratings
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The main plus is that the tuner is free and needs no forced sign-up, and it is accurate for basic tunings. The weak spot is that on low strings it darts between notes and stubbornly reads the low E as G or B, stretching tuning into minutes. Custom tunings work sometimes and break other times, and rare tunings like drop A are missing.
Praised: Free tuner with no forced sign-up, accuracy on basic strings, many tuning options, works with different guitars
Complaints: Confuses low strings and bounces between notes, missing rare tunings like drop A, custom tunings break after updates, slow to catch the thick E
Best for: A guitarist who needs a free tuner for standard tunings without hassle.
Rank 33. Review score: 52 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.8★ · 99,531 ratings
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For beginners it wins with being free and tuning close enough to get started. But it genuinely sags on detection: it hears the mic poorly, especially on low strings, confuses strings, and sometimes just stops showing the meter until you restart. Accuracy is so-so, and experienced players say a proper hardware tuner is better.
Praised: Free and simple, tunes close enough to start, large visual meter display, many tuning options
Complaints: Hears the mic poorly especially on low strings, confuses strings, the meter disappears after pressing buttons and needs a restart, weak accuracy
Best for: A beginner who just needs a free tuner to get the guitar roughly in tune.
Rank 1. Review score: 82 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.9★ · 1,161 ratings
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People genuinely like it: a fast, simple tuner with lots of tunings, a metronome, no ads, no sign-up and no payments, it even catches the low string, and users praise its accuracy. Weak spots are rare but real, some find the sound is not picked up and the tuner drifts after a glitch, and a few users note the app asked them to leave five stars, so the very top of the rating is slightly inflated.
Praised: Many tunings for free, accurate, no ads or sign-up, has a metronome, catches the low string, very simple
Complaints: Sound not picked up for some, drifts after a glitch, prompts for a five-star review, wants a song library and a better metronome
Best for: Guitarists of any level who want a free, accurate tuner with multiple tunings and no ads
Rank 2. Review score: 80 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.9★ · 1,120 ratings
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Valued as a rare tuner built specifically for bass rather than a six-string: a simple clear interface, a built-in metronome, free and ad-free, easy for a beginner to get in tune. It breaks on detection, some find it will not register the bass even at full volume, confuses D and G, and a few angrily report the tuner kept telling them to go higher until a string snapped.
Praised: Built specifically for bass guitar, simple interface, built-in metronome, free and ad-free, easy for beginners
Complaints: Won't register the bass even at full volume for some, confuses the D and G notes, a few complaints it drove the pitch up and snapped a string, prompts for a five-star review
Best for: Bass players, especially beginners, who want a free simple bass-specific tuner with a metronome
Rank 19. Review score: 60 out of 100. App Store rating: 4.7★ · 10,086 ratings
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As a tuner it is accurate and reliable, and many use it for years and praise the broad support for tunings and instruments. But the free version is buried in full-screen ads that are deliberately hard to close, and basic tunings were suddenly locked behind a subscription. A separate pain is that premium sometimes drops or works only intermittently after paying, plus the screen is stuck in one orientation.
Praised: Accurate reliable tuning, many instruments and tunings, stays the go-to tuner for years, fine adjustment after a clip-on tuner
Complaints: Full-screen ads that are hard to close, basic tunings locked behind a subscription, premium drops after paying, screen stuck in one orientation
Best for: Guitarists who need an accurate tuner with rare tunings and are willing to pay to remove the ads
