Online Metronome
Precise browser-based tempo tool — no download, no drift, A=440 Hz reference included
Plays a pure A4 sine tone for 3 seconds — the international concert pitch standard used worldwide by musicians and instrument tuners.
Keyboard: Space = start/stop · ↑ ↓ = nudge BPM
How to Use This Free Online Metronome
This free browser-based metronome is designed for musicians, music students, DJs and producers who need a reliable tempo reference during practice, composition or performance preparation. Press Start (or hit Spacebar) to begin — no download, no registration and no Flash plugin required.
Setting your tempo: Use the slider to sweep across the full 20–300 BPM range, use the −10/−1/+1/+10 nudge buttons for precise adjustments, or double-click the large BPM number to type in an exact value. The Up and Down arrow keys also nudge the BPM by 1 while the metronome is running. The Italian tempo name (Andante, Allegro, Presto etc.) updates automatically to reflect your chosen BPM.
Time signatures available:
- 2/4 — March and polka. Two quarter-note beats per bar, first beat accented.
- 3/4 — Waltz. Three beats per bar with a strong first downbeat.
- 4/4 — The most common signature. Rock, pop, jazz, hip-hop, electronic music.
- 5/4 — Irregular. Used in progressive rock, jazz and contemporary film scores.
- 6/8 — Compound duple. Six eighth-note beats felt in two groups of three.
- 7/8 — Irregular compound. Found in Balkan folk music, progressive and contemporary composition.
Sound styles: Choose from four synthesised sounds — Click (sharp filtered noise burst, closest to a physical metronome), Wood Block (warm percussive thud using detuned oscillators), Beep (electronic sine tone at musical pitches, audible in noisy environments), or Soft (gentle triangle wave at lower pitches, ideal for quiet home practice).
A = 440 Hz reference tone: The tuning reference button plays a pure 440 Hz sine tone for 3 seconds — the internationally agreed concert pitch standard (A4). Use it to tune your instrument before a practice session or to verify your electronic tuner is correctly calibrated. Click it again while playing to stop it early.
Why this metronome stays in time: Most browser metronomes use JavaScript's setTimeout to trigger sounds — browsers deliberately throttle timer callbacks, causing audible drift at high BPM. This metronome uses the Web Audio API look-ahead scheduler: sounds are pre-scheduled into the audio clock slightly ahead of time using audioContext.currentTime, a hardware-precision monotonic timer unaffected by browser throttling. The pendulum animation is interpolated in each requestAnimationFrame call from the same clock, keeping the visual locked to the audio at all tempos.
Frequently Asked Questions
An online metronome is a browser-based tool that produces a steady, regular beat to help musicians practise at a consistent tempo. This metronome uses the Web Audio API built into modern browsers to synthesise precise click or tone sounds at your chosen BPM, with no plugins or downloads required. The animated pendulum swings in sync with each beat to give a clear visual timing reference alongside the audio.
Yes — completely free. There is no account, no registration, no subscription and no time limit. The metronome runs entirely in your web browser and works on desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices without installing anything.
The metronome supports 20 to 300 BPM, covering every classical Italian tempo marking from Grave (20–39 BPM) through Andante, Moderato and Allegro up to Prestissimo (201–300 BPM). The tempo name label updates automatically as you adjust the slider. You can fine-tune using the ±1 and ±10 nudge buttons, or double-click the BPM number to type in an exact value.
Six time signatures are available: 2/4 (march, polka), 3/4 (waltz), 4/4 (rock, pop, jazz — the most common), 5/4 (progressive rock and jazz), 6/8 (compound duple) and 7/8 (irregular compound). The first beat of every bar is automatically accented with a louder click and a visual red flash so you can always locate beat one.
Most browser metronomes use JavaScript's setTimeout to trigger sounds, but browsers throttle timer callbacks to save battery — causing audible drift at higher BPM. This metronome uses a Web Audio API look-ahead scheduler: beats are pre-scheduled into the audio clock using audioContext.currentTime, a hardware-precision timer that runs independently of browser throttling. The pendulum is driven by requestAnimationFrame and interpolated from the same clock, keeping the visual perfectly locked to the audio at any tempo.
A = 440 Hz (also written A440) is the internationally standardised concert pitch for the musical note A above middle C (A4). Adopted as ISO standard 16 in 1975, it is used worldwide to tune orchestras, bands, recording sessions and individual instruments. When you press the A440 button on this page, a pure 440 Hz sine tone plays for 3 seconds — equivalent to a digital tuning fork — allowing you to tune any instrument by ear or confirm your electronic tuner is correctly calibrated.
Yes. The A = 440 Hz Reference Tone button plays a pure synthesised sine wave at exactly 440 Hz for 3 seconds, functioning as a digital tuning fork. It can be used to tune guitars, bass, violin, piano, brass and woodwind instruments by ear. Click the button again while it is playing to stop it immediately. The tone is generated by a Web Audio API oscillator and is accurate to the stated frequency.
Yes — the metronome is fully responsive and works on iOS and Android in Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Tap Start to begin. Note that iOS requires a screen tap before audio can play (a browser security policy), so the first tap on the Start button activates the audio context, and subsequent taps toggle the metronome on and off as normal.
Yes. Press Spacebar to start or stop the metronome. Press the Up arrow key to increase BPM by 1 and the Down arrow key to decrease it by 1. You can also double-click the large BPM number display to type in any specific value between 20 and 300. These shortcuts work while the metronome is both running and stopped.
On a traditional mechanical pyramid metronome, the position of the sliding weight on the pendulum rod controls the speed — higher weight = faster tempo, lower weight = slower tempo. This online metronome replicates that behaviour visually: as you increase the BPM the weight moves up the rod; as you decrease it the weight moves down. It reflects your current tempo zone and mirrors exactly how a physical metronome works.
Absolutely. This metronome is suitable for practising any instrument — guitar, bass, piano, keyboard, drums, violin, cello, brass, woodwind, voice or any other. Set your desired BPM and time signature, choose a sound that cuts through your instrument (the Beep setting works well in louder environments), and start practising. The beat counter shows you exactly which bar and beat you are on, which is particularly useful for structured scale, arpeggio or chord exercises.