Online Metronome
A free online metronome with sound — set any tempo from 20 to 260 BPM, choose beats per measure, and get a steady, drift-free click right in your browser. No download, no signup, no ads.
What is a metronome?
A metronome is a tool that produces a steady click at a fixed tempo, measured in beats per minute (BPM), giving you an objective reference to keep time against while you practice. The online metronome above does that job right in your browser: pick a tempo, choose how many beats each measure has, and press Start — or just tap the space bar.
Every metronome makes the same promise; not all of them keep it. Many web metronomes fire their clicks with ordinary JavaScript timers, which wobble by tens of milliseconds whenever the browser gets busy. Ours schedules every click ahead of time on the Web Audio API's audio clock, which is sample-accurate — so the pulse stays locked whether you run it for one minute or one hour, with zero drift.
How to practice with a metronome
The most common mistake is practicing too fast. Slow a difficult passage down until you can play it cleanly and relaxed — often half the target tempo — and only speed up once you are hitting at least 90% accuracy at the current one. Move in small steps of 4–8 BPM. Ten minutes of slow, honest repetition builds more speed than an hour of sloppy fast ones.
- Use the accent. The higher click on beat one keeps you oriented in the bar — especially useful in odd meters like 5/4 or 7/8.
- Learn the tempo words. When your sheet music says andante or allegro, the tempo markings chart translates every Italian term into a BPM range.
- Play along with real songs. Find a track's tempo with the tap BPM counter, then dial it in here and lock in with the groove.
- Tune first. A good practice session starts in tune — the free chromatic tuner takes about thirty seconds.
One honest caveat: a metronome tells you what the tempo is, not whether you are actually on it. If you want to measure how tight your timing really is, our iOS app Rhythm Challenge listens while you play and grades every single hit — early, late, or dead on — with millisecond precision.
Frequently asked questions
What BPM should I practice at?
Start at whatever tempo lets you play the passage cleanly and relaxed — for difficult material that is often 50–70% of the target tempo. Raise the speed in steps of 4–8 BPM, and only after you can play it at roughly 90% accuracy or better at the current tempo.
Why does this metronome sound so precise?
It schedules every click on the Web Audio API's sample-accurate audio clock instead of ordinary JavaScript timers. Clicks are queued about 120 milliseconds ahead of time, so the beat stays rock-steady and never drifts, even when the browser tab is busy.
Can I use this metronome offline?
Once the page has loaded, the metronome runs entirely in your browser and keeps clicking without an internet connection. You do need to be online to open the page itself. For practice sessions fully away from Wi-Fi, our iOS app Rhythm Challenge works offline.
What do the accents mean?
With "Accent beat 1" enabled, the first beat of every measure plays a higher-pitched click (1600 Hz instead of 1050 Hz) so you can hear where each bar begins. Turn it off if you prefer an even, unaccented pulse.
How do I find the BPM of a song?
Press the Tap tempo button in time with the music — the metronome averages your last taps and sets the tempo for you. For a dedicated tool with more detail, use our free tap BPM counter.
Is this metronome really free?
Yes — completely free, with no ads, no account, and no usage limits. MusePulse web tools are free; we also make iOS apps, including Rhythm Challenge, which is free to download with an optional Premium subscription.
The metronome tells you the tempo. Rhythm Challenge tells you the truth.
Tap or play into the mic and get graded in milliseconds: early, late, or dead on.