Gone are the days when you had to buy a guitar tuner. Sure, they’re pretty helpful. If you go onstage regularly, those clip on tuners come in pretty handy for when you just quickly need to tune in between songs. You want to be sure your guitar is perfectly in tune when you’re recording, and for that purpose, a good guitar tuner is important. But these days, you can get very accurate guitar tuner apps right on your phone. One less thing to put into your guitar bag.
There are so many out now that it can be difficult to find the ones that do the job well. It’s even worse, when you’re strapped for cash or you want something free to use for when you’re practicing. But you do get great free apps. Here is the best free guitar tuner app on Android and IOS for you.
The Best Free Android Guitar Tuner Apps
These apps are all highly rated with people loving the features, accuracy, simplicity, etc. Some apps require newer phones, so make sure your version of Android supports them.
Universal Tuner
This one is definitely first on the list for a reason. It’s 100% free. No ads. I do understand that developers need to make their money somehow, and if you aren’t paying, ads is one of the best ways to do that. But they are annoying. You get an accurate tuner that caters to multiple instruments which is great if you aren’t solely a guitarist. It warns you in a noisy environment that you may get false results.
There are a few issues, however. The animation is delayed if you change notes too fast. While this isn’t a huge problem for guitarists, it can be for fretless instruments that jump quickly between various notes like violins. You may need patience between strings.
Get it from Google Play.
Smart Chords: 40 Guitar Tools
If you want a bunch of helpful tools in one place, including a tuner, here you go. This app is awesome! You do have the option to upgrade so you have no limits within the app. But the tuner is free to use and supports a few different instruments too. Some of the other features include ear training, arpeggios, scales, songbook, song analyzer, drum machine, piano, and notepads to write down songs and ideas and even create set lists.
Some people found that the app can be a bit complicated in terms of being cluttered. Some also struggled to sync the app between devices and for some other features, like the songbook, even once you pay to use it fully, you need to have a computer to use it in its entirety.
Get it from Google Play.
Tuner- Pitched!
This app is pretty simple to use and allows you to tune a few different instruments. Another cool feature if you want to develop your ear is the tune by ear option. It will sound the notes and you can then tune your guitar accordingly. It’s easy to see and is a very accurate tuner.
Some people, who were definitely in the minority, said that the app was inaccurate, particularly when using it as a voice tuner, although there were one or two complaints about the strings ending up sharp. Also, some of the themes glitch.
Get it on Google Play.
Guitar Tuner and Songbook Four
This app comes from Justin Guitar. It comes with a songbook that you will need to pay a subscription for to use in full. The tuner however, allows you to choose between manually tuning your guitar (you need to tune to the correct note, as in, you know you want the low E string, and then use the tuner to know when you get there, automatically tuning (which gives you the notes), and sounding the notes for you to tune by ear.
Most people find the app easy to use and enjoy using it, the problem comes in with the monthly subscription. But if all you want it for is the tuner, no problem.
Get it on Google Play.
Beginner Guitar Tuner
This is another simple tuner app that allows you to tune multiple instruments into various tunings. It’s simple, pretty accurate and does what you need it to. The worst thing about this app however, is that it tries to show ads while you tune and can be slow to load precisely because of ads.
Get it on Google Play.
Tuner & Metronome
Another one for those looking for a little more than just a tuner. This app is not only a tuner and a metronome, but contains a songbook, tutor, and photo enhancer too. You can use most if not all the features for free and it’s not too much of a hardship because the ads are in a banner format that’s easy to ignore. The main complaint is that it’s not the most user-friendly app. There is no tutorial that shows you how to use the app.
Get it on Google Play.
Master Guitar Tuner
This app is simply a tuner, but with two modes. You can use the tuner as you would a regular tuner, or you can use it as a pitch fork with authentic guitar tones to tune by ear. There are some other settings to play around with to get the exact sound you want for the tuning fork. The interface is easy to understand and the app is accurate. The main complaints are about too many ads.
Get it on Google Play.
Pro Guitar Tuner
This is another app that gives you the option of tuning multiple instruments with various tunings, at least in the premium version. However, if you want to tune just your guitar, the free version will suit you well. You may need the paid version for a whole range of alternate tunings though. The interface looks classy and is easy to read with lights to indicate how close you are to the correct note, plus, the app is accurate.
The biggest complaint on the Android version is that the ads are intrusive. They come in the midst of you tuning your guitar. You also can’t exit the app while ads are playing. That alone is almost enough to take it off this list if it wasn’t for the fact that it works well.
Get it on Google Play.
The Best Free IOS Guitar Tuner Apps
These are the apps available on the Apple store for tuning your guitar that are rated highly. Some apps only work on certain IOS versions, so be sure that yours is compatible.
Guitar Tuner- Simply Tune
This guitar tuner app is at the top of the IOS list, because once again, we have a completely free tuner app with no ads. You get a chromatic tuner that works for different instruments and a guitar chord library for free. It looks good and is easy to use. It’s accurate and in the case where you don’t know what to do, instructions are provided. There were a few complaints about the app when switching strings.
Get it on the Apple Store
Guitar Tuner- Guitar Tunio
This app has some cool visuals as you’re tuning your guitar. Not just that, but in 2021, it was voted one of the best. It has multiple tunings for various instruments. That said, those features aren’t available in the free version. However, if you want to use it for your guitar, it works well for that purpose, at least in standard tuning. It’s your choice whether you want to upgrade or not.
Get it on the Apple Store.
Pro Guitar Tuner
Yes, this app is available for IOS too. It gives you the option of tuning multiple instruments with various tunings in the premium version. You are able to tune your guitar in the free version however. You may need the paid version for a whole range of alternate tunings though. The interface looks classy and is easy to read with lights to indicate how close you are to the correct note, plus, the app is accurate.
Most complaints for the IOS version are about the app not working with speakers/microphones for some people. This is possibly due to differences in phone models and operating system versions. The ads being annoying is also a common complaint.
Get it on the Apple Store.
Guitar Tuner- Chromatic
This is a very simple app, it’s chromatic so technically you can also tune other instruments or as long as you know what notes you need, alternate tunings. Most people feel it works well and is accurate. There are a few complaints about the needle moving too erratically (something that I personally don’t like), and some find the try our ear training ad that doesn’t go away with the paid subscription annoying. But in general, the ads in the free version don’t get in the way.
Get it on the Apple Store.
Guitar Tuner Easy Tune Chords
This tuner is great for beginners who have trouble tuning their guitars as it instructs you how to do it. There is also a chord library and even jam tracks in various genres. You can use most of the features just fine with the free version. The only thing that might put you off is that the ads can take long. To get rid of them, you have to pay a monthly subscription. So if you can deal with the ads, this is a fun tuner app to have.
Get it on the apple store.
Conclusion
Tuning apps are improving all the time and there are so many to choose from. These listed here are some of the best free guitar tuner apps. Whether you want a simple tuning app or one with extra features that make your guitar playing journey more fun or convenient, there’s something for you. You can use the money you saved for some useful guitar accessories or pay for an ad-free version of your chosen app. The choice is yours. For a list of our best picks for overall best guitar tuner apps free or paid, check out this article.
Happy Jamming!
Cheanné Lombard lives in the home of one of the new Seven World Wonders, Cape Town, South Africa. She can’t go a day without listening to or making music.
Her love of music started when her grandparents gave her a guitar. It was a smaller version of the full-sized guitars fit for her little hands. Later came a keyboard and a few years after that, a beautiful dreadnought guitar and a violin too. While she is self-taught when it comes to the guitar, she had piano lessons as a child and is now taking violin lessons as an adult.
She has been playing guitar for over 15 years and enjoys a good jam session with her husband, also an avid guitarist. In fact, the way he played those jazzy, bluesy numbers that kindled the fire in her punk rock heart. Now she explores a variety of genres and plays in the church worship group too and with whoever else is up for a jam session.