# Pensato vs ScaleMate

Pensato and ScaleMate both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of ScaleMate's written reviews are positive against 82% of Pensato's. Pensato's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.5). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Pensato costs $3.99 and ScaleMate $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pensato against 4.8 for ScaleMate. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 24 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Pensato's written reviews are positive against 100% of ScaleMate's.

Pensato ships an update every 5 days, ScaleMate fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 18, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pensato | ScaleMate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | $3.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pensato/id1453592849/reviews) | **[4.8 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scalemate-visualize-harmony/id1538285671/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 15 | **24** |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 15 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 17.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nebojsa Petrovic](https://appshunter.io/developer/639977744) | [Anton Schwartz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1330331588) |

## What reviewers say

### Pensato

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pensato/id1453592849)

Explore over 1400 musical scales and modes with this app. Visualize chords and notes for any root, find scales via keyboard input or circle of fifths, and discover shared chords between multiple scales to build complex progressions.

**Highlights:** Over 1400 scales and modes, Smart-Finder for note input, Circle of fifths integration, Chord and note visualization, Scale progression builder, Built-in synthesizer

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### ScaleMate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scalemate-visualize-harmony/id1538285671)

This app provides an interactive reference for understanding music scales and jazz harmony. It allows users to hear, visualize, and manipulate scales to deepen their comprehension of musical concepts. Features include expert write-ups, practical usage tips, and animated transformations between scales.

**Highlights:** Hear scales as melodies, Visualize scales on circle of fifths, Expert scale write-ups, Manipulate scales and hear changes, Full library of scales, Automatic scale recognition, Animated scale transformations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pensato free?

Pensato costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ScaleMate free?

ScaleMate costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Pensato or ScaleMate?

ScaleMate is rated higher. Pensato averages 4.7 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while ScaleMate averages 4.8 from 24 ratings.

### Do Pensato or ScaleMate have ads?

Neither Pensato nor ScaleMate shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pensato or ScaleMate?

Pensato ships an update every 5 days, and ScaleMate fortnightly. Most recently, Pensato was updated on October 18, 2026 and ScaleMate on October 18, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*