Octave Tuner
Pay once, or not at all
The chromatic tuner, five core tunings, capo, and reference pitch are free with no time limit. Octave Pro is a single $5.99 purchase that never renews.
Free on the App Store
iPhone & iPad · iOS 17+
The fast, ad-free guitar tuner for iPhone
Octave Tuner locks onto your string in under 50 milliseconds and reads to within ±1 cent — with no ads, no account, and no subscription. Download it free. Octave Pro is a one-time $5.99 unlock, not a monthly bill.
✓ Core tuner free forever ✓ No ads, ever ✓ Works offline
- ±1¢
- Tuning accuracy across E2–E6
- <50ms
- String to screen response
- 19
- Built-in tunings, plus your own
- $0
- To download and tune
Why Octave
Most tuner apps want a subscription. This one wants you to finish tuning.
Tuning is a ten-second job. It should not involve a video ad, an account, or a monthly charge for Drop D.
Nothing leaves your phone
Pitch detection runs entirely on device. No recordings are stored or uploaded, there is no analytics SDK, no advertising identifier, and no sign-in.
Built for dark rooms
Dark by default, with a 96pt note name you can read from arm’s length on a dim stage. Colour and haptics tell you sharp or flat before you read a number.
Features
Everything a working guitarist actually reaches for
Built on YIN pitch detection rather than naive FFT peak-picking, so a low E at 82 Hz reads as cleanly as the high strings.
Chromatic tuner
Note, octave, cents, and frequency in real time. A green glow and a single haptic tap confirm you are within ±3 cents.
Guided tuning
Work string by string. Octave highlights the target, shows which way to turn, and advances automatically once the string holds.
19 tunings, plus custom
Standard, Drop D, Drop C, DADGAD, five open tunings and more. Build your own for anything with 4 to 8 strings.
Bass, ukulele & banjo
4- and 5-string bass, standard and baritone ukulele, and open-G banjo — with detection that reaches down to a 5-string low B.
Instrument profiles
Save each guitar with its own tuning and capo position, then switch between them in a tap instead of resetting the app.
Capo & reference pitch
Set a capo anywhere to the 12th fret, and shift concert pitch from A4 = 430 to 450 Hz to match a piano or an ensemble.
Metronome & setup assistant
A metronome for practice, and a setup assistant that walks you through getting a new set of strings stable.
String Health
Tracks how well each string holds pitch across sessions, so you can tell a dead string from a slipping tuning peg.
Accessible by default
Full VoiceOver support, Dynamic Type, Reduce Motion, and Talking Tuner — which speaks your pitch deviation aloud while you tune.
How it works
In tune in three steps
Open the app and allow the mic
Octave listens through your iPhone’s microphone. No cable, no clip-on hardware, no Wi-Fi connection needed.
Pick your tuning
Standard is ready by default. Choose Drop D, an open tuning, or one of your saved instrument profiles.
Play a string and turn
Amber means flat, violet means sharp, green means you are there. A haptic tap confirms it so you can watch your hands instead of the screen.
Tunings
Every tuning you meant to learn
Five tunings are free. The rest — and unlimited custom tunings — come with Octave Pro.
Standard — EADGBE · Free
Drop D · Free
Half-Step Down · Free
Open G · Free
Open D · Free
Drop C
Full-Step Down
Open E
Open A
Open C
DADGAD
Double Drop D
Nashville
All Fourths
Bass 4-string
Bass 5-string
Ukulele Standard
Ukulele Baritone
Banjo Open G
+ your own custom tunings
Pricing
Free to tune. $5.99 once for the rest.
No subscription, no trial that quietly converts, no ads in either tier.
Octave Tuner
Free
No time limit, no ads, no account.
- Full chromatic tuner — ±1 cent, under 50ms
- 5 core tunings — Standard, Drop D, Half-Step Down, Open G, Open D
- Guided string-by-string tuning
- Capo support to the 12th fret
- Reference pitch A4 = 430–450 Hz
- Haptics, VoiceOver, Dynamic Type
One-time
Octave Pro
$5.99
Paid once. Yours on every device with your Apple ID.
- All 19 built-in tunings plus bass, ukulele and banjo
- Unlimited custom tunings for 4–8 string instruments
- Instrument profiles with saved tuning and capo
- Metronome and setup assistant
- String Health stability tracking
- Performance mode with strobe display
- Alternate app icons
Bought Octave Tuner back when it was a paid download? Octave Pro unlocks automatically — you already paid for it. How that works.
Questions
Common questions
Is Octave Tuner really free?
Yes. The chromatic tuner, guided tuning, five core tunings, capo support, and reference pitch adjustment are free with no time limit and no ads. Octave Pro is an optional one-time $5.99 purchase.
How accurate is it?
Octave Tuner is accurate to within ±1 cent across the guitar’s range, from a low E at 82.41 Hz to a high E at 1318.5 Hz, and responds in under 50 milliseconds.
Does it work without an internet connection?
Yes. All pitch detection happens on your device, so the tuner works in airplane mode, in a basement, or on stage with no signal.
Can I tune a bass or ukulele with it?
Yes. Octave Tuner includes 4- and 5-string bass, standard and baritone ukulele, and open-G banjo tunings, and detection reaches down to a 5-string bass low B at 30.87 Hz.
Stop fighting your tuner
Download Octave Tuner free on iPhone and iPad. Tune in ten seconds, then get back to playing.