ScalePlay vs Mandolin by Ear
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ScalePlay
This app generates intricate musical patterns and sequences using complex scale theory. It's a powerful tool for both music production and education, offering scale references, virtual instruments, and interactive playback features.
- Generates intricate ostinatos and sequences
- Applies complex scale patterns
- User-defined songforms and chord changes
- Scale references for hundreds of scales
- Nine virtual instruments and 128 sounds
- Visualizes scale relations
- Interactive playback with generated patterns
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ScalePlay is a generative music app capable of producing the most intricate ostinatos and sequences by applying complex scale patterns over user defined songforms and chord changes. It can be used in music production and is also a fantastic tool for music education. It includes scale references for hundreds of scales, nine virtual instruments and 128 instrument sounds. Its unique set of features allows the musician to visualize scale relations and to play along with generated patterns. Modern musicians often practice playing scales according to organizing principles like thirds. What is meant by that is to play a scale tone, then its third, then the second scale tone, the third on top of that one and so forth. The exercise would result in the scale tones 1, 3, 2, 4, 3, 5, etc. Not an easy feat at first, because before even getting started, one has to know the base scale. Playing patterns through different keys and scale types finally is a demanding task even for advanced musicians. ScalePlay constructs patterns like these and much more complicated ones by using two simple grids. Grids have been around in music apps for years, but they are based on half-tone steps and include all available notes of the spectrum. That leaves one difficulty on the table, namely that of correctly identifying the notes of a scale. These grids also don’t easily allow for patterning as in our scale in thirds. So a different solution is called for and ScalePlay provides just that and so much more. In the application songs are used as metaphor to organize different scale types into a harmonic context. They are constructed with chords which in turn determine what scale types are available at a given time. During playback the app then cycles through these virtual chords or as with TouchPlay allows to call them up at will. This architecture is very helpful for superimposing ScalePlay patterns over existing pieces and even practicing improvising over changes. For practicing ScalePlay shows a pattern's progression on the built-in instrument and also provides a music notation reference. One can slow things down to need and play along. With the pattern lock feature all patterns can be kept in the same general vicinity. So instead of raising all scale tones when a base chord moves from C to G for example, patterns stay in place. This allows guitarists to practice scale patterns over changes while remaining in the same position. ScalePlay is also a fabulous generative music app. That is because of the magic that happens when these self-repeating scale structures are put in motion. Fantastic music occurs. Since ScalePlay supports virtual MIDI and can be recorded into any iOS based DAW. It also features TouchPlay for advanced looping. With TouchPlay scale structures can be looped endlessly and out of order. The TouchPlay environment is superimposed over ScalePlay's main interface and allows live switching between different scale types with the tap of a finger in continuous or full pattern mode. Of course ScalePlay supports multi-app multitasking as well as split-view and split-screen to make this feature even more useful. Instruments • Banjo, Bass, Cello, Double Bass, Guitar, Mandolin, Piano, Viola, Violin Some other Features: • 211 scale types • Virtual MIDI • Advanced looping with TouchPlay • Full general MIDI instrument library
Mandolin by Ear
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Mandolin is a wonderful instrument that came to us from Italy. It retains that sublime musical character few other instrument can be compared to. Learn express yourself with this beautiful instrument in DAYS and WEEKS instead if YEARS. With our unique learning method you will accomplish just that! This is a very powerful ear training and learning tool for musicians who want a shortcut to fluency on the mandolin. With this tool you will be able to play the mandolin it is meant to be played by ear, any melody or solo, you will gain a very deep understanding of chords and the notes they consist of and are surrounded by, they tell you all about this in lessons, but you never actually get to ingrain it. Yet this is the most important skill there is for mastering the mandolin and play any music by ear. The app allows you to practice with just the smartphone or with your real mandolin. This exercise might look a little bit tedious, but trust us, you will see very powerful results in your music within days of using the app. You could call it hacking the mandolin. Provided you possess the basic notes and scale playing skills (youtube will teach you that very easily), you will learn to play the mandolin by ear in DAYS with Mandolin by Ear, something other musicians struggle for YEARS for and still not everyone gets there. You will. During the first month. How much money would you pay to obtain such a skill? Consider this your lucky day, because you are on your way for real musicianship whether it is your hobby or you want to pursue career in music, this app sets you up for the best results.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ScalePlay at $9.99 against Mandolin by Ear's $12.99. Mandolin by Ear's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
ScalePlay costs $9.99 and Mandolin by Ear $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ScalePlay ships an update every 3 months, Mandolin by Ear every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScalePlay | Mandolin by Ear |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 — better | $12.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (10 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 10 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 140 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RoGame Software | Oleg Sokolov |
In-app purchases
ScalePlay
No in-app purchases
Mandolin by Ear
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ScalePlay free?
Is Mandolin by Ear free?
Do ScalePlay or Mandolin by Ear have ads?
Which is updated more often, ScalePlay or Mandolin by Ear?
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