10 Best Free Ringtone Apps for iPhone
Updated November 10, 2026 · written by AppHunt
Ringtone apps for iPhone come in two kinds. Libraries hand you a catalog of short clips to browse and download; makers let you cut a ringtone out of a song, a video or a recording you already have. Either way, the app itself cannot install the tone: iOS has never let third-party apps change your ringtone. Since iOS 26 you finish the job yourself by tapping Share on the finished clip and choosing Use as Ringtone, which puts it under Settings > Sounds & Haptics. On older versions the clip goes through GarageBand or is synced from a computer as an .m4r file. The ten apps below let you browse or make ringtones without paying and without a trial clock, though most show ads. Many of the best-known names in this category do not qualify, and the FAQ explains why.
Ringtones Maker (the ring app)
The most-rated ringtone maker in the US store, from a Beijing developer. You point it at a video or audio file on your phone, it pulls out the sound, and you trim to a tenth of a second, add a fade and save the result as an m4r. It also carries a catalog of tones, picture guides for the GarageBand and computer routes, and a Wi-Fi upload page for files on a computer. November 2026 reviewers say the tones land in the phone's ringtone list, and complain loudly about ads.
Good for: Cutting a ringtone from a video
Keep in mind: The developer calls the app completely free, and the only purchase is Remove ads at $2.99 (US App Store, November 10, 2026; may change). Expect an ad after nearly every step; dozens of November 2026 reviews say so, while the same reviews confirm that nothing is locked. Last updated July 2026, with support for the iOS 26 one-tap ringtone setting.
View in the App Store
Zedge
The old-school library, and the biggest one here: a huge catalog of ringtones, alert sounds and alarms uploaded by creators, alongside wallpapers, watch faces and AI image tools from the same company. You browse or search, preview, download the sound, then set it on the phone yourself; an in-app tutorial covers that step. Recent reviewers say the free version does the job but grumble about frequent, long video ads, and some say search now surfaces AI-made filler instead of the song they wanted.
Good for: Browsing a big catalog of ready-made tones
Keep in mind: The developer describes the ringtones as free. Premium items cost Zedge credits, earned by watching ads or bought in packs from $0.99 for 500. Zedge+ removes the browsing ads at $1.99 a week, $4.99 a month, $19.99 a year or a $13.99 to $19.99 lifetime unlock (US App Store, November 10, 2026; may change). November 2026 reviews average about 3.3 stars: heavy ads, weak search, and one says per-contact tones didn't work. Updated November 2026.
View in the App Store
Best Ringtones 2026 for iPhone
A library of a thousand-plus tones sorted into about 25 genre and mood categories, from K-pop and country to animal noises and holiday jingles, with a request box if yours is missing. Categories open after a short video ad. A plain maker pulls a track from your music library or Files, trims it and adds fades. Reviews from 2023 to 2026 say it is genuinely free if you sit through the ads; the maker sometimes crashes on iPad, and a few people never got a tone onto the phone.
Good for: Genre-sorted library behind an ad gate
Keep in mind: The listing sells nothing but ad removal, at $2.99 a week, $8.99 a month or $29.99 a year (US App Store, November 10, 2026; may change), so the tones and the maker are free with ads. An August 2026 review calls the ads excessive; a 2025 review mentions paying about $0.99 per tone, which doesn't match the current purchase list. Updated October 2026. Three sister apps from the same publisher are near-copies (see rejected).
View in the App Store
Ringtones Maker for iPhone
A Dutch maker with a contact-poster sideline. You bring in a song or a video, choose the segment on a waveform editor and save; since a fall 2026 update there is a direct set-as-ringtone button instead of a GarageBand detour, which reviewers welcomed. Saving a tone plays an ad first. One recurring complaint: streaming or unpurchased tracks won't load, which is a DRM limit rather than a bug. A November 2026 review says the segment picker refused to work.
Good for: Maker with a direct set-as-ringtone button
Keep in mind: The developer doesn't say which features are free; it sells Ringtone Maker Pro at $4.99 a week or $29.99, and a $9.99 lifetime unlock (US App Store, November 10, 2026; may change). We include it on review evidence: October and November 2026 reviews say it is free with ads and that you watch an ad to save each ringtone. Updated October 2026.
View in the App Store
RINGTONES for iPhone #
One of the oldest ringtone apps in the store, around since 2010 and now on version 10. It converts tracks from your library or a video into tones with start and end markers, fades, pitch and volume controls, records voices as ringtones, and bundles a soundboard-style library and live wallpapers. Reviews are split: several 2026 users made tones for free, while others hit a reward ad that never loaded, found music imports blocked, or were told GarageBand was required.
Good for: Maker plus voice recorder, long track record
Keep in mind: The developer says the app is free and that you never need to pay for tones. Its weekly-content subscription costs $7.99 a month or $34.99 a year after 3 free days, and there is a $4.99 Pro editing unlock (US App Store, November 10, 2026; may change). 2026 reviews average under 3 stars: constant ads, an ad that has to play before each tone, and some say tones from library music need the subscription. Updated November 2026.
View in the App Store
Ringtone Maker .
A bare-bones maker from an individual developer that does one thing: take a song, a video or a fresh recording, let you set the start and end on a trimmer, add a fade and save the tone, with a short tutorial for the GarageBand step on older iOS. No library, no wallpapers, no account. Reviewers from December 2025 to June 2026 repeat the same line, that it really is free and took two steps; one June 2026 review says a video came in without sound.
Good for: Simple free maker with no catalog
Keep in mind: The developer calls it completely free and the listing shows no in-app purchases; it runs ads instead, which several reviewers mention without much complaint. Last updated April 2026.
View in the App Store
Top Funny Ringtones
A soundboard of comedy clips and odd noises rather than songs: tap a colored button to hear a sound, star the ones you like, then save them as a ringtone or text tone. The developer, who publishes a dozen similar sound apps, explains that on iOS 26 you save a sound and use Share, then Use as Ringtone, and that older iOS needs a computer. That install step is what most of the one-star reviews are about; people expected the app to set the tone by itself.
Good for: Funny sound clips for tones and alerts
Keep in mind: The developer states that there are no in-app purchases and that ads pay for the app; the listing confirms nothing is for sale. Recent reviews are weak, about 2.8 stars for the latest 50, mostly from users who couldn't work out the installation. Updated October 2026 with an easier iOS 26 install flow.
View in the App Store
Ringtone Maker (SnapTone)
Listed as Ringtone Maker but called SnapTone inside, this small Dutch app extracts audio from your videos or files, lets you cut the part you want or record a new sound, and saves it as a ringtone. It has the fewest strings attached of any maker here: 2026 reviewers report no ads and no subscription, one has used it for a year without paying, and another found it far easier than GarageBand. One April 2026 review says the cut tool didn't respond.
Good for: Free maker with no ads or purchases
Keep in mind: The listing shows no in-app purchases and the developer invites you to download it for free; reviews through October 2026 confirm nothing is charged. Last updated March 2026, so check that the set-as-ringtone step still works on your iOS version.
View in the App Store
MusicToRingtone
A maker built around a circular slider: load a purchased song or an imported file, spin the ring to choose up to 30 seconds, add fades, echo or reverb, and save. On iOS 26 or later it hands the clip to the system's Use as Ringtone option; on older versions it goes through GarageBand. It also turns video into audio and supports VoiceOver. Reviews are uneven: long-time fans, but 2025 and 2026 reports of crashes, a file-too-big error, and an effect that vanished on export.
Good for: Maker with effects and VoiceOver support
Keep in mind: The developer says it is completely free with no subscription, and the only purchase is a $9.99 ad removal (US App Store, November 10, 2026; may change). You watch an ad to export. Recent reviews average about 3.4 stars, with bugs rather than paywalls as the complaint; the May 2026 update says it fixed the effects export. Apple Music streaming tracks are not supported.
View in the App Store
Ringtone DIY
A tiny maker whose whole pitch is setting a tone without a computer: record your family or your pet, clip a song, or screen-record something you lack as a file and let the app pull the audio out of the video. There is no library and barely a description, but a steady trickle of reviews since 2021 calls it simple and easy, the most recent in September 2025, and the app got an update in November 2026.
Good for: Recording your own voice as a ringtone
Keep in mind: The two-line listing doesn't discuss pricing, but the only purchase is Remove ads at $2.99 (US App Store, November 10, 2026; may change), so making tones is free with ads. Hardly any review mentions ads or payment. It is the least-rated app on the list, with 173 ratings.
View in the App Store
Questions and answers
How do you make a ringtone on iPhone for free?
You don't strictly need an app. On iOS 26 or later, put an MP3 or M4A file under 30 seconds in the Files app, long-press it, tap Share and choose Use as Ringtone; it then appears under Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone. On any recent iOS you can use GarageBand, Apple's free music app: start a project, drop the song in, trim it to 30 seconds, go back to My Songs, long-press the project, tap Share, then Ringtone, and Export. The ringtone maker apps on this list mostly make the trimming easier, then hand off to one of those two steps. Apple Music streaming tracks are protected and will not work.
How do I add a ringtone to my iPhone from one of these apps?
Apple does not let a third-party app set your ringtone, so every app here stops at a saved sound file and you take the last step. On iOS 26 and later that step is the share sheet: tap Share on the clip and pick Use as Ringtone. Before iOS 26 you either sent the clip to GarageBand and exported it as a ringtone, or dragged an .m4r file onto the connected iPhone from a computer, in the Finder on a Mac or in iTunes or the Apple Devices app on Windows. Once the tone is on the phone, choose it under Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone, or open a contact, tap Edit and set it for that person only.
What is the iPhone ringtone format?
The iPhone ringtone format is .m4r, which is ordinary AAC audio in an MP4 container with a different file extension; an .m4a file renamed to .m4r is a valid ringtone. Apple's long-standing limit for synced ringtones is 40 seconds, and 30 seconds for text and alert tones; the iOS 26 share-sheet route and GarageBand both ask for 30 seconds or less and offer to trim longer clips. MP3 files are not accepted when you sync from a computer, so they have to be converted, which is one reason many ringtone maker apps export m4r directly. On iOS 26 the Files app accepts MP3 and M4A for the Use as Ringtone option without conversion.
Is GarageBand a ringtone app, and is it free?
GarageBand is Apple's free music-making app, with no in-app purchases, and exporting a project as a ringtone is one of its sharing options. For years that export was the only way to install a custom tone without a computer, which is why so many ringtone apps end with a GarageBand walkthrough and why it shows up in ringtone searches with 118,000 ratings. It is not on this list because it is a recording studio rather than a ringtone app. The current version needs iOS 27; older iPhones get an earlier release. On iOS 26 or later you no longer need it, since the Files share sheet installs a clip in one tap.
Is RingTune free?
Ringtones for iphone: Ringtune, from ON5 INTELLI LP, is the second most-rated ringtone app in the US store with about 222,000 ratings, but we could not confirm that you can make or use ringtones in it without paying. Its listing never says what is free; the purchases are a Best Tones & Ringtone Maker subscription at $4.99 to $7.99 and Ringtones for iPhone at $34.99 a year (US App Store, November 10, 2026; may change). Reviews from October and November 2026 average about 2 stars and describe a 3-day trial that charged the full year at once, an ad on every tap unless you subscribe, and songs that would not become ringtones. So it is not on the list.
Are ClipTone, Garage Ringtones and TUUNES free?
Not in a way we could verify. ClipTone, about 122,000 ratings, says a subscription is required after a 3-day trial, at $3.99 to $7.99 a week or $24.99 to $39.99 a year (US App Store, November 10, 2026; may change); October 2026 reviews say you have to pay to make a ringtone. Garage Ringtones for iPhone, 53,000 ratings, doesn't say what is free and sells Custom Ringtones at $9.99 and VIP plans up to $49.99; its 2026 reviews split between 'free' and 'must subscribe'. TUUNES says it can be used for free, but its purchases are the ringtone maker itself at $4.99 to $49.99, coins and $1.29 tones; its website offers a week free, then $7.99 a week.
Can I use an Apple Music or Spotify song as my iPhone ringtone?
Not directly. Streaming tracks are protected, so neither the iOS 26 share sheet, GarageBand nor any ringtone maker app can cut them, and the apps on this list say as much when an import fails. What works is music you bought from the iTunes Store, an audio file you own, a video on your phone, or a screen recording of the part you want. Apps that advertise ringtones from Spotify or YouTube, such as iRingtone, pull the audio by other means and keep the full catalog behind a subscription, which is why they are not on the list. A simple recording of the song playing out loud is a free ringtone of your own making, if a lower-quality one.
How is the list ordered?
Places 1–10 are ordered by the number of ratings each app has in the US App Store, one app per developer. Only apps whose main job is ringtones, whether a library or a maker, and that let you get or make ringtones for free with no time limit qualify; trial-only apps, apps that keep saving or installing a tone behind a subscription, and apps not updated in three years are left out. No app of ours is on this list. A rating count shows how widely an app is used rather than how well it works; recent reviews for several of these apps sit well below their lifetime average, mostly because of ads, so read the notes.