Best guitar tuner apps: top free and paid options

Woman holding a phone while standing with an acoustic guitar
(Image credit: Getty/Lilly Roadstones)

Ever found yourself with a guitar, but there’s no tuner around? Situations like these make it worthwhile having one of the best guitar tuner apps downloaded on your phone so that you never find yourself without the ability to tune up.

Sure, most of us learned the handy 5th fret tuning method, but making sure you’ve got a perfect E to begin with is crucial for that to work properly. These apps utilise the built in microphone in your phone to detect the note you’re playing, and, like either a clip-on or pedal tuner, tell you whether you’re flat, sharp or bang on. There’s nothing worse than a slightly out of tune guitar, so being to whip out your phone and get yourself back in tune is incredibly useful. 

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Richard Blenkinsop

After spending a decade in music retail, I’m now a freelance writer for Guitar World, MusicRadar, Guitar Player and Reverb, specialising in electric and acoustic guitars, bass, and almost anything else you can make a tune with. When my head’s not buried in the best of modern and vintage gear, I run a small company helping musicians with songwriting, production and performance, and I play bass in an alt-rock band.