Whether you‘re a beginner learning your first chords or a seasoned guitarist playing gigs every weekend, keeping your instrument in tune is absolutely crucial. Before the smartphone era, guitarists depended on bulky tuners and tuning pedals to get in tune. But today‘s technology offers compact tuning solutions right on your mobile device.
Guitar tuner apps provide precise, chromatic tuning capabilities anywhere you have your phone. The top apps offer much more than just a tuner display too – many feature learning tools, alternate tunings, metronomes, and reference tones. With so many options though, how do you choose?
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll cover the 8 best guitar tuner apps available and what sets each one apart. You‘ll learn the key factors that make an excellent tuner app and discover which one is the best fit for your needs. From versatile all-in-one tuner tools to simple no-frills pitch tracking, there‘s an awesome tuner waiting for you.
A Brief History of Guitar Tuners
Before diving into the present-day world of mobile tuners, let‘s rewind and explore the evolution of guitar tuning technology. Understanding where tuners originated sheds light on just how far convenient, compact tuning has come.
The Early Days of Tuners
For centuries, musicians tuned instruments using basic methods like tuning forks, pitch pipes, and their own relative pitch skills. But the late 1800s saw the advent of more advanced tuning devices. As guitars grew in popularity in the early 1900s, players sought help keeping their new 6-string companions in tune.
Mechanical tuners with clock-like faces were some of the earliest guitar tuners. Companies like Wittner and Seiko produced popular models used by guitars and orchestras alike. While revolutionary for their time, the tuning accuracy still left something to be desired.
The Rise of Electronic Tuners
By the 1970s, compact electronic tuners began taking the market by storm. Companies like Korg, Boss, and Peterson led the way with tuners boasting bright digital displays and unprecedented precision.
Many tuners doubled as effect pedals, allowing electric guitarists to incorporate tuning on-the-fly into their signal chains. Chromatic tuning and alternate tunings grew easier than ever. Players could even tune by ear with pitch calibration tools.
The Smartphone Era
Today‘s guitarists are blessed to tune up with compact computers right in their pockets. Intuitive tuner apps provide instrument tuning anywhere your phone can go. And many actually exceed the quality of early mass-market tuners.
While clip-on tuners and pedals certainly still have their purpose, software brings helpful extras like learning modules, metronomes, spectrum analyzers, and more. Not to mention lightning-fast accuracy checking.
Now that you know how far tuners have come, let‘s check out the top tuning apps available today. We‘ll cover the pros and cons of each option along the way.
The Best Guitar Tuner Apps
Best for Beginners: GuitarTuna
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free version, $2.99-$8.99/month for premium
If you‘re just starting out on guitar, GuitarTuna aims to be a helpful partner along the way. Made by Yousician, this popular app functions as a tuner, metronome, and learning hub.
While fairly feature-packed, the interface remains clean and user-friendly. The tuner is smooth and stable, precisely tracking each string‘s pitch. You can select standard or alternate tunings right on the main screen too.
GuitarTuna really shines with its learning tools though. Chord diagrams, tablature, and finger placement guides help you master new chords. Lesson videos teach techniques and songs step-by-step. And background tracks let you play with a virtual band.
Upgrading to premium unlocks more lessons, songs, and features. However the free version still delivers an excellent basic toolset. Overall, GuitarTuna sets a high bar for helpfulness.
The Good
- Intuitive layout great for beginners
- Tons of lessons and songs to learn
- Handy metronome and backing tracks
The Bad
- Lots of in-app purchases to unlock content
- Can seem cluttered if you just want to tune
Best for Alternate Tunings: Fender Tune
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free
Coming from the legendary Fender brand, this tuner needs no introduction. Fender Tune offers a clean interface, top-notch accuracy, and support for the entire guitar family.
The smooth horizontal gauge makes it easy to see if you‘re sharp, flat, or dead-on. Tune displays key details like note value, octave, and cents deviation. You can save and load 11 custom tunings per instrument too.
Fender Tune goes beyond guitar as well. Ukulele, electric bass, violin, mandolin, and banjo are also welcome. And the advanced settings calibrate specifically per instrument. Just be mindful of ambient noise when tuning acoustically.
Overall, Fender Tune is one of the most powerful free tuners around. The flawless accuracy and multi-instrument support bring amazing utility.
The Good
- Saves 11 custom tunings per instrument
- Also great for ukulele, violin, bass, and more
- Clean, precise gauge screen
The Bad
- Microphone input can be noisy
- No calibrating tools
Best for Simplicity: Pano Tuner
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free
For those wanting just a reliable guitar tuner without the bells and whistles, Pano Tuner delivers. This no-fuss app provides chromatic tuning via microphone with no ads or upsells.
Pano forgoes flashy interfaces for a stripped-down dial clearly marking each semitone. The outer ring displays exact cents offset while the needle tells you sharp or flat. Simple, useful, and very accurate.
Without lots of settings or alternate modes though, Pano Tuner has some limitations. You must know your instrument‘s tuning rather than selecting common presets. And there‘s no calibration or special tools. Just pitch tracking.
Nonetheless, the simplicity and precision make Pano Tuner a great grab-and-go choice. Use it to quickly get in tune and get on with playing.
The Good
- Clean, minimalist tuner dial
- No frills or upsells
- Quick accurate tuning
The Bad
- Requires knowing your target tuning
- No advanced options
- Display less colorful than some tuners
Best for Pedal Users: BOSS Tuner
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free
BOSS makes some of the most iconic guitar pedals ever, including the renowned TU-3 tuner. Now they bring that pedal‘s awesome tuning powers right to your phone. Meet the BOSS Tuner app.
The interface looks nearly identical to the hardware TU-3. Bright virtual LEDs indicate flat, sharp, or perfect tuning just like the physical stompbox. It‘s a fun blast from the past for longtime BOSS fans.
Functionality goes way beyond nostalgia too. BOSS Tuner brings quick, flawless chromatic tuning for guitar, bass, violin, brass, woodwinds, and more. Set key and tuning then play away.
Some notifications can feel distracting if you just want to tune. But overall, BOSS Tuner impressively mimics the desktop experience in your pocket – for free!
The Good
- Accurately recreates look and feel of TU-3 pedal
- Also great for violin, bass, sax, trumpet
- Easy chromatic tuning
The Bad
- On-screen alerts a bit distracting
- No added learning resources
Best for Alternate Tunings: gStrings
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free
A jack-of-all-trades tuner, gStrings brings excellent functionality for guitarists and general musicians alike. The enormous tunings database and microphone analysis tools make gStrings shine.
It contains over 1100 alternate tunings – way more than most tuners. You‘ll surely find specialty presets for instruments like sitar, mandolin, banjo, and more. There‘s also a tuner calibration wizard and pitch recording features.
The interface displays helpful details as you tune like note name, octave, and cent offset. However it may seem slightly busy compared to more minimal options. Expect to poke around a bit while learning the app‘s capabilities.
If you play multiple instruments or use lots of alternate tunings, gStrings is incredibly valuable. The tuning database alone blows most other options out of the water.
The Good
- Packed with over 1100 alternate tunings
- Tuner calibration and pitch analysis tools
- Note name/octave/cents displayed
The Bad
- Fairly dense interface
- More complicated than basic tuners
Best Design: Cifra Club Tuner
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: Free
Boasting a sleek modern interface, Cifra Club Tuner mixes visual flair with quality tuning. The transparency effect and bold colors make for an attractive experience overall.
This general purpose tuner works nicely for both guitar and other pitched instruments. Using the mic input, it rapidly detects what note you play. The detected pitch then displays against a backlit target note. Pretty slick!
You can select from chromatic, guitar, bass, violin, and ukulele presets too. It even automatically determines what tuning to use based on your instrument. The only downsides are no calibration tools or alternate options beyond the defaults.
But for solid chromatic tuning paired with sweet aesthetics, Cifra Club Tuner is a top choice. The vivid pitch tracking screen will have you proudly tuning up on stage.
The Good
- Sleek, modern interface
- Automatic instrument detection
- Preset tunings for common instruments
The Bad
- No advanced calibration tools
- Few alternate tunings beyond defaults
Best Accuracy: CarlTune
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: $3.99
Serious musicians demand perfect tuning precision. That‘s exactly what CarlTune provides. This advanced tuner strives for utmost accuracy down to the cent.
CarlTune foregoes flashy interfaces for a technical circular gauge. It displays precise pitch data including note name, octave, and 1/10th cents sharp or flat. A calibration wizard helps customize to your instrument too.
The outer ring encodes the note name in an unusual but clever way. Symbols represent the staff line or space where the note sits. It‘s an intriguing departure from standard tuners.
If flawless instrumental tuning is crucial for you, CarlTune aims to please. Expect meticulous precision to satisfy both pros and hobbyists alike.
The Good
- Exceptionally accurate pitch tracking
- Note name/octave/1/10th cents displayed
- Unique circular gauge
The Bad
- Fairly technical display
- Paid app
- Display may seem cluttered
Best Legacy Tuner: Cleartune
Platforms: iOS, Android
Price: $3.99
Combining digital accuracy with an analog look, Cleartune delivers vintage style. Its background textures and warm colors evoke feelings of classic tuners and audio equipment.
This isn‘t just nostalgia though. Cleartune brings high precision tuning in an old-school theme. The horizontal gauge clearly shows cents sharp or flat as you tune each string.
Unique features like pitch glide animation and Sweeteners to adjust instrument intonation also impress. You can pipe in reference tones too if relative tuning is your thing. Very cool.
In all, Cleartune manages to feel modern yet classic simultaneously. The throwback interface houses some ingenious tuning capabilities making it a great legacy-inspired option.
The Good
- Vintage interface with modern features
- Intonation adjustment tools
- Built-in pitch references
The Bad
- Paid app
- Pitch pipe visuals could improve
How to Choose the Best Guitar Tuner App
With so many tuner apps to pick from, how do you determine the best one for your needs? Here are 3 key factors to evaluate:
Accuracy
A tuner‘s top priority is pinpoint precision. The best apps use advanced pitch detection to identify notes down to the cent. This allows tweaking strings for optimal intonation too.
Look for reviews confirming accuracy from real guitarists. Also test the tuner with harmonics and fretted notes to check calibration.
Features & Interface
Consider what features matter most for your tuning needs. Beginners tend to appreciate extra learning resources. Alternate tuning fans need expanded presets. Minimalists want just a basic tuner.
Also check if the interface layout fits your preferences. Some apps emulate retro gauges while others take a sleek modern route.
Price
Compiler‘s note: Here I discuss the tradeoffs between free vs. paid tuner apps.
Using Guitar Tuner Apps On-the-Go
Guitar tuner apps unleash tuning power wherever your music takes you. Their compact convenience represents a huge upgrade from hauling clunky hardware tuners. Just whip out your phone, launch the tuner, and tune up!
The built-in mics provide super quick tuning on acoustic guitars. Electric players can grab an adapter to connect their instrument right to the headphone jack for loud environments.
Before hitting the stage for live shows though, tune carefully beforehand then double check by ear. Apps make great backups but hardware pedals still reign supreme fighting heavy stage noise.
Either way, guitar tuner apps puts precision tuning in the palm of your hand. Making sure your instrument sounds its very best is now easier than ever.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate are guitar tuner apps?
The most advanced tuners deliver accuracy to the hundredth of a cent, exceeding all but the highest-end hardware tuners. Budget for a small margin of error compared to $100+ pedals but overall extremely impressive tuning.
What features should I look for in a guitar tuner app?
Consider your experience level and tuning needs. Beginners benefit most from learning resources. Alternate tuning players need expanded preset options. Electric guitarists require line-in support.
Can I tune electric bass and other instruments?
Absolutely. While labeled guitar tuners, many apps support all stringed and fretted instruments. Some even handle woodwinds and brass through the microphone. Electric bass usually tunes the same but verify proper calibration.
How do I connect my electric guitar to an app?
You‘ll need a headphone jack adapter that allows sending your guitar signal into a smartphone. Popular options are the iRig HD 2 and Shure MOTIV audio interfaces. Depending on the app, you may not need their full recording capabilities.
Do guitar pros use tuning apps?
While apps make tuning fast and convenient, touring professionals still heavily rely on pedals and rackmount tuners. Their higher input tolerances and displays are more practical battling noisy stages. However many guitarists use apps for quick practice tuning.
