# ScaleMate vs RealPlay

The clearest difference is price: RealPlay at Free against ScaleMate's $3.99. RealPlay also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly) and ratings volume (164 vs 24). ScaleMate's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (100% vs 73%). On rating, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

RealPlay is free to download; ScaleMate costs $3.99 up front. RealPlay sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.29 per month. ScaleMate asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for ScaleMate against 4.7 for RealPlay. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: RealPlay has 164 ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of ScaleMate's written reviews are positive against 73% of RealPlay's.

ScaleMate ships an update fortnightly, RealPlay every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ScaleMate | RealPlay |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scalemate-visualize-harmony/id1538285671/reviews)** | [4.7 (164 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realplay/id6760606889/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 24 | **164** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 73.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 36 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Anton Schwartz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1330331588) | [RealPlay LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885286626) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### RealPlay

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/realplay/id6760606889)

Practice music with authentic backing tracks performed by professional musicians. Customize tempo, key, and mix for focused learning. Features over 100 standard chord progressions with an expanding library.

**Highlights:** Authentic backing tracks, 100+ standard chord progressions, Real-time tempo adjustment, Instrument isolation and mixing, Instant transposition to all keys

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| RealPlay Pro Monthly | $3.29 | per month |
| RealPlay Pro Yearly | $21.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ScaleMate free?

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

### Is RealPlay free?

RealPlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

ScaleMate is rated higher. ScaleMate averages 4.8 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while RealPlay averages 4.7 from 164 ratings.

### Do ScaleMate or RealPlay have ads?

Neither ScaleMate nor RealPlay shows ads.

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

ScaleMate ships an update fortnightly, and RealPlay every 5 days. Most recently, ScaleMate was updated on October 18, 2026 and RealPlay on October 19, 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.*