Pensato vs Bit Crusher
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pensato
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.
- Over 1400 scales and modes
- Smart-Finder for note input
- Circle of fifths integration
- Chord and note visualization
- Scale progression builder
- Built-in synthesizer
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Pensato allows you to explore over 1400 musical scales and modes. You can view the chords and notes of each scale for any root note. You can find scales by inputting notes on a piano keyboard, by picking from the circle of fifths or by choosing one of the auto-generated related scales. When you add multiple scales to your list you will be able to see what chords are shared between them. This is a great way to build up complex chord progressions and key modulations in your songs. You can use Pensato simply as a learning tool or to build up scale progressions while composing music. The main idea was to make an app that focused on scale progressions instead of chord progressions, allowing you to evolve your music with more richness and interest than if you were to stay in one key. Open up Pensato in front of you while composing music and easily visualize chords in various scales to help you write interesting progressions. *** FEATURES *** • Library with over 1400 different scales and modes. • Includes standard 7-note scales as well as scales ranging from 3 to 12 tones. • Explore simple minor/major scales or more advanced blues, diminished, bebop and exotic scales. • A Smart-Finder allows you to plug in notes on a piano and find all the scales that contain those notes. This is a great way to find scales that match a melody. • A Smart-Suggestion page shows you all closely-related scales to the previous scale in your list. • Use the circle of fifths to easily add closely related scales. • See all chords contained in a given scale (either simple triads or full 4-note chords). • View the notes of the scale on a piano keyboard. Great for learning new scales or easily referencing familiar scales. • Easily transpose all scales and notes. • Built in synthesizer lets you audition chords and scales. • Press and hold a chord to view its notes. • Add scales to your list so you can see what notes and chords they share. This is a great way to transition from scale to scale. • Your scale progression and settings are saved when you restart the app. • Customizable UI allows you to hide the piano notes, scale names or chords. • A "focus" mode allows you to remove all the UI so you can focus on the chords and notes. • Ability to add a random scale to your list. Great for inspiration or for starting out a new song. • Beautiful modern minimal UI design. Focus on the content, not the interface. • Universal iPhone/iPad app.
Bit Crusher
This app digitally degrades audio by reducing bit depth and sample rate. It emulates the sound of vintage samplers and early digital hardware, adding unique lo-fi distortion.
- Bit depth reduction (quantization)
- Sample rate reduction (decimation)
- Emulates vintage digital hardware
- Adds quantization noise
- Creates aliasing artifacts
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A digital degradation effect that combines two classic forms of lo-fi distortion: bit depth reduction (quantization) and sample rate reduction (decimation). Together they emulate the character of early digital samplers, 8-bit consoles, and vintage hardware with limited converter resolution. The signal is first quantized to a reduced number of bits, introducing the harsh harmonic distortion known as quantization noise. It is then resampled at a lower effective rate using a sample-and-hold stage, producing aliasing artifacts above the new Nyquist frequency.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Bit Crusher at 5.0 against Pensato's 4.7. Bit Crusher also leads on price ($1.99 vs $3.99). Pensato's advantage is ratings volume (15 vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Pensato costs $3.99 and Bit Crusher $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Bit Crusher holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pensato has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Pensato ships an update every 5 days, Bit Crusher every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pensato | Bit Crusher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (15 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 15 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 15 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nebojsa Petrovic | Callback Audio, LLC |
Customer experience
Pensato
Bit Crusher
In-app purchases
Pensato
No in-app purchases
Bit Crusher
No in-app purchases









