If you decide to learn how to play the guitar, you must know how to use a tuner. Stringed instruments experience shifts constantly because of the tension placed on them, requiring frequent adjustments.
Each string can move subtly while at rest, causing the note to become slightly sharp or flat.
You can also tune stringed instruments, including guitars, to different keys based on composition needs.
The best guitar tuner apps for Android and iOS allow you to prepare for your performance when a standard tuner is unavailable to use.
How Accurate Are Guitar Tuner Apps?
Are guitar tuner apps as reliable as the traditional equipment?
A “real” tuner is a proven technology that ensures a guitar plays the appropriate notes. When the item clips onto the instrument, the vibrations from each strike indicate what tone gets played. Based on this information, you can move more sharp or flat until you reach the true sound.
Apps use the sound made from the string strike to register the note. That means it could pick up background noises while tuning, reducing the potential accuracy of your work.
A similar argument could be made against clip-on tuners. Someone walking behind you on the stage could create vibrations that get picked up while trying to hit the correct note.
If you have a professional gig to prepare for with your instrument, a clip-on tuner is still the better solution.
When you want to practice, compose, or play for a casual gathering, downloading one of the best guitar tuner apps for Android and iOS is a low-cost solution that ensures your music hits the right notes.
Best Guitar Tuner Apps for Android and iOS
1. BOSS Tuner
| Developer | Roland Corporation |
| Overall Review | 5,000+ (4.4 stars) |
| Platform | Android |
| Price | FREE |
If you’re ready to play the guitar like a boss, this app is the one you’ll want to download. It works with several brass instruments, along with the cello, violin, and other stringed instruments.
Pros:
- The interface is simple and easy to use, including the digital tuning fork on the left sidebar.
- Multiple tunings are available for each instrument to create the right sound.
- You don’t need to manage the hassle of in-app purchases.
Cons:
- The sliding-scale chart on the smartphone isn’t always easy to read, especially for beginners.
- You receive news updates from the software developer automatically, with notifications occurring along the sidebar.
2. Cleartune Chromatic Tuner
| Developer | Bitcount Ltd. |
| Overall Review | 2,500+ (3.9 stars) |
| Platform | iOS, Android |
| Price | FREE / $2.49 per item |
This software provides users with a clean interface that makes it easy to tune your guitar. It’s one of the most highly reviewed options available, with testimonials offered by some of today’s best performers.
Pros:
- The rolling-wheel tuning interface lets you know precisely where the note is when played.
- It offers a straightforward pitch pipe with the built-in mic to ensure accuracy.
- You have access to selectable temperaments and notations.
Cons:
- It works better on older phones and operating systems.
- The software occasionally flips between notes during the tuning process.
- Changing the pitch for the tuning can be a long-winded process.
3. CarlTune
| Developer | Brainting |
| Overall Review | 5,000+ (4.5 stars) |
| Platform | iOS, Android |
| Price | FREE / $2.49 per item |
This multi-instrument tuner is surprisingly versatile for what it offers. Although the user interface is unique, it doesn’t take long to get used to the display. It works exceptionally well.
Pros:
- It is one of the few guitar tuners that let you work with woodwinds to ensure the correct notes get played.
- The UI provides note, octave, and frequency information for effective tuning.
- Several customizations are available for every musician.
Cons:
- If you’re not familiar with the piano, some information may not be useful in this app.
- It takes some time to learn where everything is in the app.
4. VITALtuner
| Developer | Brainting |
| Overall Review | <1,000 (3.8 stars) |
| Platform | iOS |
| Price | FREE / $0.99 to $4.99 |
You’ll find this guitar tuner app is incredibly accurate. It’s one of the most reliable downloads you can have on your phone or tablet to get your guitar ready for play.
Beginners and seasoned professionals have numerous settings from which to choose, offering a complete solution for multiple instruments.
Pros:
- A 4-in-1 design provides several modes to use for proper tuning in any situation.
- It comes with a digital signal processor that provides an accurate tuning engine comparable to any product in the industry.
- You can play precise reference pitches to create a harmonious sound.
Cons:
- You need the premium version to use anything other than the Stage Mode with this app.
- Feedback within your environment can disrupt the quality of the tuning process.
5. Chromatic Guitar Tuner
| Developer | Gismart |
| Overall Review | 250,000 (4.4 stars) |
| Platform | Android |
| Price | FREE |
This app supports most stringed instruments, ensuring that everyone in the band can be in tune.
If you prefer a tuning fork to get your guitar ready to play, the software incorporates a digital option to use. That means you’ll receive excellent functionality within the user interface.
Pros:
- The app supports multiple instruments.
- You can see on a digital needle dial how close you are to being in tune with this software.
- Advanced tuning is available with the chromatic scale.
Cons:
- There is no way to get rid of the advertisements that display in the ad.
- You have multiple steps to follow before you can reach the tuning options you want.
- You must unlock everything but the standard tuning after downloading the app.
6. Cifra Club Tuner
| Developer | Studio Sol |
| Overall Review | 250,000 + (4.8 stars) |
| Platform | iOS, Android |
| Price | FREE / $0.99 to $34.99 per item |
Although this app lacks the sophisticated features you’ll find on other downloads, it does get the basics right.
It’s one of the few tuners that tells you whether to tighten or loosen your strings to ensure that you have an authentic tone to play.
Pros:
- This app offers smartwatch support to provide players with more customization.
- The interface is sleek and simple, making it easy to understand at any experience level.
- It supports tuning for several unique instruments, including the cavaquinho.
Cons:
- The string-by-string tuning option bases its accuracy on a margin of error when reading the Hz from each string.
- If you use the free version, you’ll be managing advertisements during use.
7. Cadenza
| Developer | MetaMusic Inc. |
| Overall Review | <50 (4.2 stars) |
| Platform | iOS |
| Price | $2.79 |
This software provides you with the training resources needed to learn how to play the guitar.
It provides a straightforward user experience that lets you pluck the correct notes at the right tempo.
Pros:
- It doesn’t drain your battery like other apps do when trying to tune your guitar.
- The software provides several transposition and temperament settings for advanced users.
- You receive a tuner pitch range between A0 to A8 while the latency remains below 1ms.
Cons:
- Numerous navigation popups can ruin the user experience for some people in older versions. You can dismiss this help option.
- The tuner can pick up the sound of the app’s metronome, which means you must use the features separately.
8. Fender Guitar Tuner (Fender Tune)
| Developer | Fender Digital LLC |
| Overall Review | 20,000+ (4.6 stars) |
| Platform | iOS, Android |
| Price | FREE |
When all you need is a basic guitar tuner app, this software gets the job done. It doesn’t support much, but you can tune a guitar or bass with the download.
Pros:
- The app offers a chromatic mode so that you can perform freestyle tuning on your guitar and bass.
- An auto-tune mode simplifies the tuning process to help you start practicing or playing faster.
- Separate tuners are available for acoustic and electric guitars, using 22 different tunings to ensure your sound is perfect.
- There are no advertisements in the app.
Cons:
- This software is not a feature-rich option. You only receive basic tuning tools.
- The microphone relay from your device to the software doesn’t always read accurately.
9. Yousician
| Developer | Yousician Ltd. |
| Overall Review | 300,000+ (4.3 stars) |
| Platform | iOS, Android |
| Price | FREE / $5.99 to $179.99 per item |
Think of this tuning app as your all-in-one destination for learning how to play an instrument. It’s for every musician, instructor, or industry professional.
It uses step-by-step tutorials and fun gameplay options to track your progress.
Pros:
- Over 1,500 different exercises and missions are available to complete.
- Hundreds of videos cover all of the skills you need, from chord understanding to strumming technique.
- An entire library of music theory accompanies the tuner feature.
Cons:
- It provides far more than a tuner, which some musicians may not want or need.
- The premium app is a subscription-based cost that is charged monthly or annually.
10. gStrings
| Developer | Cohortor |
| Overall Review | 200,000+ (4.6 stars) |
| Platform | Android |
| Price | FREE / $3.99 per item |
One of the oldest guitar tuning apps is still one of the best ones to download. You’ll find several customization options available in the software to use, including the opportunity to tune non-stringed instruments.
The overall user experience is relatively simple, but you need to have some music knowledge for a successful experience.
Pros:
- It’s one of the few apps that offer an in-software microphone sensitivity setting.
- Themes are built into the app to provide the right level of customization.
- It’s inexpensive without compromising on the accuracy of each note.
Cons:
- You must have an understanding of sound frequencies to get an accurate tuning experience.
- It tunes well to true notes, but it does not always register sharps or flats well.
11. GuitarTuna
| Developer | Yousician Ltd. |
| Overall Review | 1.8 million+ (4.8 stars) |
| Platform | iOS, Android |
| Price | FREE / $0.99 to $49.99 per item |
The name of this app helps it to be memorable, but it is also exceptional software to use when tuning an instrument.
It shows you the specific frequency of the sound generated by each string, ensuring that you have the exact combination for each strum you want.
If you’re picking up the guitar for the first time, this app can make your instrument sound better immediately.
Pros:
- It’s one of the few tuners to download that features some of the more unusual instruments that could be in your band, such as the balalaika.
- The software includes several advanced tuning options, an auto-tune feature, and plenty of customization to meet your specific needs.
Cons:
- The advanced features are behind a paywall. You can only tune in standard with the app.
- You must manage the subscription system to access premium features.
12. iStrobosoft
| Developer | Peterson Strobe Tuners |
| Overall Review | <1,000 (3.9 stars) |
| Platform | iOS, Android |
| Price | $9.99 |
This company has provided tuning solutions for multiple instruments for over seven decades.
They put their unique approach from their hardware products into meaningful software solutions to use for guitar tuning.
It’s incredibly useful in manual or auto mode.
Pros:
- It uses an adjustable Concert A to accommodate instruments that don’t use the A440 reference.
- A full-screen mode allows the strobe display to be readable from a distance.
- It offers a dozen temperaments with adjustable root controls.
Cons:
- There isn’t a free version available to use.
- Audio issues sometimes develop when tuning instruments that use a lot of sustain.
- It doesn’t offer Apple Watch compatibility.
13. Pitched Tuner
| Developer | Stonekick |
| Overall Review | 5,000+ (4.5 stars) |
| Platform | Android |
| Price | FREE / $3.99 per item |
You’ll find two modes available with this guitar tuner app. It features an instrument and chromatic feature so that you can customize the key without losing the accuracy of each string. That makes it easier to come down to the drop D tuning.
Pros:
- The software uses the traditional needle-style tuning indicator, making it feel a lot like a clip-on when using it.
- The simplicity of the app makes it a user-friendly experience.
- Since it operates on sound alone, you can tune any instrument with this download. A menu of options lets you pick the specific instrument and sequence to produce consistent results.
Cons:
- The app contains ads that lessen the overall user experience.
- It isn’t as successful if only intonation is what you need.
14. Tuner Lite
| Developer | Hiroyuki Koike |
| Overall Review | 4,000+ (4.3 stars) |
| Platform | iOS |
| Price | FREE |
This guitar tune app provides the traditional UI while offering a chromatic feature to use. It uses the bouncing needle to move between flat and sharp to let you know if the note is correct. Digital lights under the display let you know if you’re in the right area.
Pros:
- You receive temperament and transposition options within the app.
- It has an ultra-responsible 50-cents range on the display.
- Automatic reference note calibration is included with the download.
Cons:
- Sensitivity issues are sometimes an issue when using this app.
- The icons for some of the features included with the software do not feel very intuitive.
15. Smart Chords & Tools
| Developer | S.Mart Music Lab |
| Overall Review | 50,000+ (4.8 stars) |
| Platform | Android |
| Price | FREE / $1.49 to $21.99 per item |
This app provides a straightforward, all-in-one experience. The free version includes everything you need for the guitar, but you might consider the affordable annual subscription to unlock the full power of this download.
Pros:
- It supports instrument tuning for the banjo, ukulele, bass guitar, and other stringed instruments.
- You receive several charts, including fretboard, scale, and arpeggio.
- The included metronome reaches up to 300 beats per minute for practicing.
Cons:
- The app requires multiple taps to get to the menu screens you need.
- The chord finger placement charts are not user-intuitive.
- It works better for experienced players, as beginners may not understand all of the chords, terms, or menu options.
16. Pano Tuner
| Developer | Kaleloft LLC |
| Overall Review | 25,000+ (4.7 stars) |
| Platform | Android |
| Price | FREE / $1.99 per item |
The user interface is what stands out for this guitar tuner app. Although it won’t be something that everyone loves, the styling does make it unique.
Tapping the most effective microphone setting ensures an optimum level of responsiveness.
Pros:
- It offers a fast and sensitive tuning mechanism with minimal lag.
- The software follows whatever pitch your preferred instrument can make, ranging from a piccolo to a guitar.
- You can adjust the Concert A frequency with only a couple of taps.
Cons:
- It can struggle at times when managing the low-frequency levels of some instruments, such as the bass guitar.
- The sliding-scale UI can be challenging to read at times.
17. Airyware
| Developer | Airyware |
| Overall Review | <1,000 (4.6 stars) |
| Platform | Android |
| Price | FREE / $4.99 per item |
You can use this app to transpose music, learn new chords, or figure out alternative fingering styles for challenging notes.
The tuner gives you a wide range of responses in a bar-graph form to make it easier to see what changes need to be made. It uses a 64-bit Neat Timbre DSP Engine for improved accuracy.
Pros:
- You receive a de-noise option to reduce background interference.
- A vibration mode ensures extra accuracy when tuning your instrument.
- The software includes a chromatic option.
Cons:
- The initial download is a free trial, which means you’ll lose functionality if you don’t upgrade.
- You can still use the free version, but it interrupts your tuning process every 30 seconds.
18. insTuner
| Developer | EUMLab of Xanin Tech |
| Overall Review | 3,000+ (4.5 stars) |
| Platform | iOS |
| Price | FREE |
Anyone on a budget is going to appreciate the versatility of this guitar tuning app. It is accurate to 1/1000 of a semitone, which is one of the best ratings currently available on any marketplace.
This structure ensures that your electric guitar work doesn’t strike the wrong chord.
Pros:
- It comes with several customizable input options to improve accuracy.
- The built-in microphone produces minimal lag.
- It can use a clip-on mic or a line input system to provide the tuning results needed for your music.
Cons:
- Instruments must sustain notes well for the app to read the tone correctly.
- The diversity included with the app requires more storage space than what someone with a single instrument may need.
19. Piascore
| Developer | Plusadd Inc |
| Overall Review | <1,000 (4.6 stars) |
| Platform | iOS |
| Price | $4.99 |
If you need an ultra-responsive chromatic tuner, this app gets the job done exceptionally well. It’s simple to understand, with the classic needle reader letting you know where the tone falls. The bright LED-style screen is easy to see in almost any condition.
Pros:
- It offers selectable temperaments and notations to create the perfect tuning experience.
- A pitch pipe and tone generator are included in the download.
- If you’re using an iPhone 5 or later, a landscape view is available to use.
Cons:
- Most musicians are not going to use all of the included features with the app, which means you’re potentially wasting some money.
- It sometimes requires a restart or a re-download to get the features to function.
20. Chords and Tabs
| Developer | Ultimate Guitar |
| Overall Review | 300,000+ (4.6 stars) |
| Platform | iOS, Android |
| Price | FREE / $2.99 to $19.99 per item |
If you want to get some tabs and learn chords while getting your guitar tuned, this app gets the job done.
You’ll receive diagrams, lessons, and more in this all-inclusive download. When using the Tonebridge effects, you play over 16,000 songs in their original sound.
Pros:
- The tuning feature with this app provides a straightforward way to sound good.
- You can choose chord variations from a massive library of choices.
- A dark mode comes with the software so that you can use this download during a gig.
Cons:
- Some of the music with the tabs doesn’t match what is on the interactive fretboard.
- The chromatic tuner sometimes fluctuates the notes it attempts to read.
The best guitar tuner apps allow you to take control of your instrument. Which one will you download today?
