ScaleMaster Pro vs Mandolin by Ear
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
ScaleMaster Pro
Learn musical scales on your instrument with visual aids and adjustable tempo. Explore different scales, save your practice sessions, and discover new sounds for improvisation. Adapts to various instruments and tunings.
- Learn scales in notation and on instrument
- Adjustable tempo for practice
- Save custom scale documents
- Support for piano, guitar, bass, and more
- Custom tunings
- All common clefs for reading practice
- Scale transposition
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Just started piano lessons? Or maybe you picked up that cool looking headless guitar from an auction site and surprise, it's a baritone and in D! Or perhaps you've been playing violin for a while, but that new piece has you wondering about the harmonic minor scale. And if you picked up a mandolin this time instead of yet another guitar, you certainly want to see how your favorite pentatonic is played on that slim fretboard. Starting out can be rough, but learning continues as our interests evolve and that is fantastic. ScaleMaster is your go-to companion for learning scales on your instrument, and no matter how we look at it, scales will remain an essential part of our musical journey as beginners or professionals. Seeing any scale in music notation and on your instrument at the same time is pretty cool. No need to translate between the two. The notation shows you what to play, and your instrument shows you where your fingers go. Whether you're just starting out or need a quick reference, it's all right there. As you practice, you'll want to speed things up, slow them down. Maybe you've got your fingers organized after a couple weeks of working that harmonic minor mode, or you're working through a tricky passage. Adjust the tempo and keep pushing yourself. Save your scales too, that E Blues scale you've been working on, the exercises for your band's repertoire, or the scales you're exploring for that chord progression that keeps showing up. Each scale document remembers your instrument and where you left off. And that includes positions because for some of us an F Mixolydian scale looks very different in 5th position than it does in 3rd. But as for help with improvising, this is where ScaleMaster really shines. That Bbm7b5 chord keeps coming up, and you're tired of that same old scale. So, find the scales that work. Hear how they sound, and flip back and forth between different possibilities until something clicks. It's not about memorizing every scale, it's about discovering the ones that speak to you and expanding your vocabulary when you need it. If you're a pianist, you get a full 88-key interface. Guitar players get the 24 frets they want. String players can set custom tunings, that detuned E string on your violin, your new five-string banjo, or that Open D tuning for that one song. And when you're ready to work on reading music, switch clefs and practice with the same scales you know by ear. It all connects. โข Over 200 scales from around the world โข Scale visualization for your instrument in music notation and schematic โข Reference instruments: piano, guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, violin, viola, cello, double bass โข Scale documents recording instrument, position and more for current and future reference โข Universal transposition of any scale or exercise โข All common clefs for reading practice โข Dozens of tuning presets There are two main pillars to ScaleMaster Pro - reference and play. Finding good scale options for that old major chord is one thing, evaluating their sound another. For that you can generate scale patterns, change their tempo, key and sound to get a taste for what fluency would get you. Reference - as in reference instruments, alternate tunings, sound and notation alternatives and more. Playing along on the other hand is foremost excellent practice. You can slow things down or crank up the speed - ScaleMaster shows you where the notes are and play along if you want it to. Scales are a central topic for us musicians with many periods of interest. For a while we're into pentatonics but then get caught up in blues scales, church modes, exotic scales and more. ScaleMaster helps keep track and lets you sound things out.
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.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ScaleMaster Pro at $4.99 against Mandolin by Ear's $12.99. ScaleMaster Pro also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). Mandolin by Ear's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
ScaleMaster Pro costs $4.99 and Mandolin by Ear $12.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ScaleMaster Pro ships an update every 2 months, Mandolin by Ear every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScaleMaster Pro | Mandolin by Ear |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 โ better | $12.99 |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews | โ |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months โ better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | โ |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 11.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 140 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | RoGame Software | Oleg Sokolov |
In-app purchases
ScaleMaster Pro
No in-app purchases
Mandolin by Ear
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ScaleMaster Pro free?
Is Mandolin by Ear free?
Do ScaleMaster Pro or Mandolin by Ear have ads?
Which is updated more often, ScaleMaster Pro or Mandolin by Ear?
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