Pure Intonation A free alternative to Tonal Energy and iStrobosoft
Pure Intonation Tuner puts a strobe tuner and a just-intonation chord drone in one screen. Think of a strobe tuner like iStrobosoft combined with the drone and pure-tuning ideas of Tonal Energy Tuner, focused on one job: playing in tune. It's free and runs in your browser.
Open Pure Intonation Tuner – free
Why musicians switch
- Free, no download. Open pureintonation.com on iPhone, Android, iPad, Mac or PC. Add it to your home screen and it works offline.
- Strobe precision. Four strobe bands stand still when you're in tune and drift right or left when you're sharp or flat. Easy, Normal and Expert modes set how strict it is.
- Chords, not just single notes. Play any chord on the keyboard or tone wheel. It names the chord (from triads up to C13♯11♭9), finds the root and tunes every other note to its pure ratio above that root.
- The tuner follows the chord. In Pure mode, the strobe freezes on the just pitch for your note in that chord, not the equal-tempered one. A major third reads in tune at −14¢, the way it should sound in a chord.
- One switch: Equal or Pure. Flip between equal temperament and pure (just) intonation to hear exactly how far each note moves.
- Plays like an instrument. Connect a MIDI keyboard and every chord you play is tuned pure in real time, with velocity and sustain pedal.
How it compares
| What you need | Pure Intonation Tuner |
|---|---|
| Price | Free |
| Devices | Any modern browser; installs to your home screen |
| Tuner display | 4-band strobe, three sensitivity levels |
| Drone | Full chords, 17 sounds, real concert-hall reverbs |
| Tuning | Equal or pure, switchable; automatic root detection |
| Harmonic 7th | 7/4 (−31¢) or 9/5 (+18¢) |
| MIDI keyboard | Yes, tuned pure in real time |
| Notation | Grand staff with the chord symbol and each note's function |
Tonal Energy and iStrobosoft are excellent apps with many more features, such as metronomes, recording and analysis. If what you want is to tune, and especially to tune chords, Pure Intonation Tuner keeps everything you need on one screen and costs nothing.
Questions
Is Pure Intonation Tuner really free?
Yes. It runs free in any modern browser, with no account, no ads and no download. A Support button lets you leave a tip if you find it useful.
Does it work like a strobe tuner?
Yes. Its four-band strobe display stands still when you are in tune, so you can see deviations of a cent or two. In Pure mode the strobe targets the just pitch for your note in the current chord.
Is it affiliated with Tonal Energy or iStrobosoft?
No. Pure Intonation Tuner is an independent project by Michael Van Bebber. Tonal Energy and iStrobosoft are products of their respective owners.
Free in your browser. No account, no download.
Open the tuner