Comparison

ScalePlay vs AR Music Score

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
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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

About

AR Music Score

Features
Read full description

AR Music Score turns your Even Realities G1 smart glasses into a hands-free music stand. Your part floats in front of you, so you can turn the page without ever taking your hands off the instrument. Prepare your scores on your phone, then play. Import a PDF or a MusicXML file and the app lays your music out for the glasses' 576×136 monochrome display — a few staves at a time, crisp and readable. HANDS-FREE PAGE TURNS • Head lift — lift your head up to advance to the next line, then lower it back. • Timed clock — lines advance automatically at your score's tempo, biased slightly early so you always read ahead. • On-screen Back / Forward — always there when you want manual control. SHARPEST NOTES: MUSICXML Import a MusicXML export (from Sibelius, MuseScore, Dorico, Finale, and more) and the app re-engraves it on-device with Verovio — the notes are drawn fresh for the small display instead of shrinking a PDF. Cue times for the timed player are filled in automatically from the score's tempo. WORKS WITH WHAT YOU HAVE • Import PDF parts and slice them into frames with a simple capture box. • Bundle mode: show your PDF pages while borrowing tempo and cue times from a matching MusicXML. • Braced two-stave systems are grouped together for you. • Choose one or two systems per view — fewer page turns, or bigger notes. BUILT FOR THE INSTRUMENT • Preparing scores works fully offline — the glasses are only needed to play. • Streams to both lenses, and each eye recovers on its own if it briefly drops. • Your scores never leave your phone. No account, no tracking, no ads. Requires Even Realities G1 smart glasses. This app is not affiliated with or endorsed by Even Realities. "Even Realities" and "G1" are used only to describe compatibility.

Screenshots

AR Music Score4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: AR Music Score at Free against ScalePlay's $9.99. AR Music Score also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 26.0). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

AR Music Score is free to download; ScalePlay costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ScalePlay versus AR Music Score: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScalePlayAR Music Score
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoGame SoftwareLeonid Iogansen

In-app purchases

None

ScalePlay

No in-app purchases

None

AR Music Score

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ScalePlay free?
ScalePlay costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is AR Music Score free?
AR Music Score is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ScalePlay or AR Music Score have ads?
Neither ScalePlay nor AR Music Score shows ads.

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