# ChordLab vs ScaleMate

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ScaleMate at 100% against ChordLab's 22%. ScaleMate also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). ChordLab's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

ChordLab costs $3.99 and ScaleMate $3.99 up front. ChordLab sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. ScaleMate asks for nothing beyond the download.

ChordLab holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ScaleMate has 24 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of ChordLab's written reviews are positive against 100% of ScaleMate's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

ChordLab ships an update every 3 months, ScaleMate fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ChordLab | ScaleMate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordlab/id315157583/reviews)** | [4.8 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scalemate-visualize-harmony/id1538285671/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **24** |
| Positive reviews | 21.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 40 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 17.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [RoGame Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/285831223) | [Anton Schwartz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1330331588) |

## What reviewers say

### ChordLab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chordlab/id315157583)

Explore modern four-part voice leading and chord permutations. This tool helps intermediate musicians discover new chord voicings and understand harmonic structures. Features include a Circle of Fifths, chord finder, and virtual instruments.

**Highlights:** Four-part voice leading calculator, Chord finder for triads and seventh chords, Interactive Circle of Fifths, Virtual piano and guitar instruments, All inversions and standard voicings, Apple Watch app for chord spelling

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 01 Keyboard Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 02 Guitar Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 03 Bass Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 04 Strings Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 05 Mallets Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 06 Winds Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 07 Synths Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 08 Folk Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| 09 Winds Pack 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 10 Folk Strings Pack | $0.99 | one-time |


### 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 ChordLab free?

ChordLab costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is ScaleMate free?

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

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

ChordLab is rated higher. ChordLab averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ScaleMate averages 4.8 from 24 ratings.

### Do ChordLab or ScaleMate have ads?

Neither ChordLab nor ScaleMate shows ads.

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

ChordLab ships an update every 3 months, and ScaleMate fortnightly. Most recently, ChordLab was updated on September 25, 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.*