Why we built it
Most online tuners either want an app-store download, ask for an account, or bury the reading behind
ads and pop-ups. None of that is necessary — modern browsers can capture and analyse audio directly,
in real time, without sending a single byte to a server. We wanted a tuner that respects that: instant
to open, free to use, and honest about what it does with your microphone.
The second goal was educational. A lot of tuner apps show you a needle and nothing else. We think
anyone using the tool deserves to understand why the needle moves — what a cent is, why pitch
and frequency aren't quite the same thing, why a piano is tuned slightly differently from the
mathematics of equal temperament. That's why the site reads more like a short course in the acoustics
of pitch than a bare widget.
What we believe
Privacy by construction
The tool works by design without a server round-trip for audio. That's not a policy promise we could break later — it's how the architecture works.
Free, permanently
No paywall, no usage cap, no "pro" tier that hides basic accuracy behind a subscription. A tuner is a utility, not a funnel.
Cite the science
Every claim about cents, equal temperament, or vocal ranges on this site reflects standard, textbook music acoustics — not marketing copy.
Accessible by default
Keyboard support, ARIA-labelled meters, high-contrast states and readable typography aren't an afterthought — they're part of the first release.
Fast over flashy
No build step, no heavy framework, no font downloads. The whole tool is a handful of static files so it loads quickly on any connection.
Built in the open
We'd rather explain a limitation plainly — like octave errors on breathy tones — than hide it behind vague marketing language.
How the tuner actually works
Pitch Detector reads audio through the Web Audio API and estimates the fundamental frequency using a
normalised autocorrelation method in the same family as YIN and MPM — well-established techniques from
digital signal processing and computer music research, not a proprietary black box. The full
walkthrough, including the maths, is on the how it works section
of the tuner page.
Who it's for
Singers checking their intonation, guitarists and string players without a hardware tuner to hand,
piano teachers demonstrating cents and equal temperament in a lesson, students studying acoustics, and
anyone curious what frequency their own voice sits at. See who can use
this pitch detector for the full breakdown.
Get in touch
Found a bug, have a feature request, or just want to say the tuner helped you land a solo in tune? We
read everything that comes through the contact page.
