# Solo vs ScaleMate

The clearest difference is price: ScaleMate at $3.99 against Solo's $17.99. ScaleMate also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (100% vs 83%). Solo's advantage is ratings volume (657 vs 24) and chart position (#198 vs unranked). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Solo costs $17.99 and ScaleMate $3.99 up front. Solo sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. ScaleMate asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Solo against 4.8 for ScaleMate. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Solo has 657 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 83% of Solo's written reviews are positive against 100% of ScaleMate's.

Solo ships an update monthly, ScaleMate fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Solo | ScaleMate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $17.99 | **$3.99** |
| Rating | [4.7 (657 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solo-fretboard-visualization/id1537057699/reviews) | **[4.8 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scalemate-visualize-harmony/id1538285671/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **657** | 24 |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#198** | — |
| Size | 231 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Trio Software Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1537057701) | [Anton Schwartz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1330331588) |

## What reviewers say

### Solo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solo-fretboard-visualization/id1537057699)

**Currently charting:** #198 Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

Master your guitar fretboard with this interactive trainer. Learn note names, intervals, chord changes, and scales through guided exercises. Designed by professional guitarists, it offers customizable workouts for all skill levels.

**Highlights:** Fretboard visualization, Note name trainer, Interval shape memorization, Chord change outlining, Scale practice, Interactive fretboards, Customizable workouts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Custom Tunings | $1.99 | one-time |
| Custom Chord Progressions | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent practice tool
- 👍 Helps improve fretboard knowledge
- 👍 Versatile and configurable
- 👍 Detailed video tutorials
- 👍 Accurate note detection

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Note detection issues
- 🐛 App crashes
- 🐛 Lack of customization options
- 🐛 Unintuitive for beginners
- 🐛 Limited functionality for the price

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when launching the app
- Inconsistent note detection
- Inability to save progress or settings

**Requested features**

- Add ability to create custom chord progressions
- Integrate metronome functionality
- Provide visual representation of intervals on staff
- Add option to practice natural notes only
- Implement option to hear chord tones in the background


### 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 Solo free?

Solo costs $17.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is ScaleMate free?

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

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

ScaleMate is rated higher. Solo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 657 ratings, while ScaleMate averages 4.8 from 24 ratings.

### Do Solo or ScaleMate have ads?

Neither Solo nor ScaleMate shows ads.

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

Solo ships an update monthly, and ScaleMate fortnightly. Most recently, Solo was updated on October 29, 2026 and ScaleMate on October 24, 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.*