Comparison

ScaleMaster Pro vs 531 metronome

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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. • Over 200 scales from around the world • Scale visualization for your instrument in music notation and schematic • Reference instruments: piano, guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, violin, viola, cello, double bass • Scale documents recording instrument, position and more for current and future reference • Universal transposition of any scale or exercise • All common clefs for reading practice • 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.

About

531 metronome

This app provides a metronome designed for complex rhythms and time signatures. It offers features like tap tempo, background playback, and swing for subdivisions, helping musicians focus on rhythm and practice.

Highlights
  • Tap tempo
  • Background play & lock-screen control
  • Swing for subdivisions
  • Complex time signatures
  • Sub accents & rests
  • Infinite groove creation
Features
Read full description

531metronome is a metronome built for complex rhythm. • Tap tempo • Background play & lock-screen control • Swing for subdivisions (8th and above) • Complex time signatures • Sub accents & rests • Infinite groove creation • No ads, ever. Just rhythm and focus. Perfect for musicians, students and educators. A metronome to understand rhythm. 531metronome は、複雑なリズムや拍子を直感的に扱えるメトロノームです。 ・タップテンポ対応 ・バックグラウンド再生 & ロック画面操作 ・分母8以上でスイング対応 ・複雑な拍子にも対応 ・サブアクセント / 休符設定 ・無限のグルーヴ生成 ・広告は一切表示されません。リズムと演奏に集中できるメトロノームです。 ミュージシャンはもちろん 学生や教育者にも最適。 拍子を「理解する」ためのメトロノーム。

Screenshots

ScaleMaster Pro4 screens
531 metronome4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: 531 metronome at 100% against ScaleMaster Pro's 42%. 531 metronome also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

ScaleMaster Pro costs $4.99 and 531 metronome $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScaleMaster Pro ships an update every 2 months, 531 metronome every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ScaleMaster Pro versus 531 metronome: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScaleMaster Pro531 metronome
Price$4.99$2.99 — better
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size167 MB11 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperRoGame SoftwareAKIHIKO YOSHIDA

Customer experience

ScaleMaster Pro

Written reviews12 reviews
Positive41.7%
Neutral8.3%
Negative50.0%

531 metronome

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ScaleMaster Pro

No in-app purchases

None

531 metronome

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ScaleMaster Pro free?
ScaleMaster Pro costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is 531 metronome free?
531 metronome costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do ScaleMaster Pro or 531 metronome have ads?
Neither ScaleMaster Pro nor 531 metronome shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScaleMaster Pro or 531 metronome?
ScaleMaster Pro ships an update every 2 months, and 531 metronome every 5 days. Most recently, ScaleMaster Pro was updated on October 29, 2026 and 531 metronome on October 7, 2026.

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