Comparison

ChordLab vs ScaleCoach Pro

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ChordLab

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
Read full description

ChordLab is a specialist tool and calculator of sorts for modern four-part voice leading. Everyone has heard these colors in the arrangements of Big Bands - the horn riffs in the Jetsons carton song for example. With ChordLab we can in a way flip through all possible permutations of these chords. More theoretical background is available in the documentation. This is not a general chord app for beginning instrumentalists. To the intermediate player, however, ChordLab can be a source of great inspiration and introduction to many new color choices. Four-part harmony may feel restrictive on instruments capable of more than 4 voices, but for a small choir for example it is a basic fact of life. It has become a staple in modern music as well as it allows the accompanist to declutter the spectrum in a sense by playing fewer notes. Root and fifth substitutions are applied automatically when dialing up a chord in ChordLab. Simply like that. Once the quality of a chord has been set it can then be viewed and listened to in all standard and not so standard drop voicings and moved through its inversions. This is of particular importance to guitar players as quite a few voicings are impossible to play and one may be left with rather few options. Chord spelling is also the main feature of ChordLab's Apple Watch app. ChordLab has an interactive Circle of Fifths. With it we can look up key signatures for major and minor scales as well as all other modes derived of the major scale. So it is possible for example to display key signatures for all mixolydian scales and simultaneously highlight the other degrees for that mode. Additionally ChordLab displays degree structures for a key in standard Roman numerals. This is extremely useful when putting together chord progressions. Roots of the current harmonic domain are highlighted in white and can be tapped to audit the associated chords. The chord finder feature in ChordLab allows you to search its database for 3 or 4 note structures to determine their harmonic quality. To find a chord in its database ChordLab uses the enharmonically simplest solution and does not require you do know whether a note is called G# or an Ab. This is especially useful for guitarists that seldomly encounter chords in root position due to the tuning of the instrument. Features include: • Chord spelling for all common chords • Notation and textual representation of chord tones • Chord finder for triads and seventh chords • Alto, bass, tenor, treble clefs, TAB and grand staff • All inversions and standard voicings • Virtual piano and guitar instruments • Chord tone labeling in instrument views • All common open and alternate tunings presets (guitar) • Automatic root and fifth substitution • Apple Watch app There is a lot of functionality built into ChordLab, but as with any tool it is what we make of it. If chord spelling is a term in your vocabulary ChordLab should be of interest. Or maybe you want to grow your chord reportoire. Putting music theory into words often makes it sound overly complex yet nobody would say that orange or purple are complicated. ChordLab lets you play and work with colors in a sense and shows you how to play them on your instrument. It is very a unique tool for musicians, song-writers, professionals and music students and one that you will find yourself coming back to again and again.

About

ScaleCoach Pro

This app helps musicians master scales and arpeggios with instant pitch detection. It offers various scale modes, custom scale programming, and a polyphonic piano with adjustable tuning. Users can test their intonation and receive feedback on accuracy.

Highlights
  • Major and Melodic Minor scale modes
  • Custom scale and melody programming
  • Polyphonic piano with 7 octaves
  • Adjustable tuning (415-466 Hz)
  • Built-in metronome
  • Pitch detection and intonation feedback
  • S.W.Y.P. (See What You Play) feature
Features
Read full description

ScaleCoach is designed for instant pitch detection based scale/arpeggio training. ScaleCoach is a high-end app, that will help you master all the scales you need, in an easy and entertaining way.   ScaleCoach is an important tool in teaching music. Train alone or challenge each other. Who can hit it spot on!   ScaleCoach is your new musical best friend.   On our website scalecoach.com you will find out more about this outstanding app and see a demonstration. FEATURES - Major modes - a collection of diatonic scales from the Major mode - Melodic Minor modes - collection of the scales from Mel. Minor mode - Symmetric + collection of symmetric scales and Blues, Pentatonic etc. - Program your own scales or melodies and save them. - 7 octaves of grand piano - Polyphonic piano - Master tuning from 415 - 466 Hz  - Built-in metronome - Tempo conversion from 20-480 notes per minute - Note names on/off - Preplay note on/off - Play scales up or down // up-down or down-up - Move scales up - down - repeat - play once - S.W.Y.P. "See What You Play" either as single tone or multiple tones - S.W.Y.P. includes on screen Hz detector - Score 0-100 point - 7 languages ScaleCoach is the first and only app that lets you play all the scales and at the same time check your intonation.   When you have learnt your scale you can test yourself and see if your intonation is correct. You will get feedback whether you sing or play either a false note or in tune. DESCRIPTION Intonation forms part of the basis in music when you're playing by yourself or with others. It is therefore very valuable to be able to test your intonation and with ScaleCoach you can test it with any instrument.   That includes all fretless instruments as violin, chello, double-bass and all other instruments as trumpet, saxophone etc. The singers can learn how to sing in tune. ScaleCoach will support you regardless of your level and let you choose the tempo. In the S.W.Y.P (See What You Play), you will be able to see what you sing or play on the ScaleCoach piano. B or H? With ScaleCoach you can have them both. Play wirelessly from your device to your Apple TV and AirPlay-enabled speakers and share your masterpiece in coaching yourself and music buddies.

Screenshots

ChordLab4 screens
ScaleCoach Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ChordLab at 5.0 against ScaleCoach Pro's 2.0. ChordLab also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 36 months) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.6). ScaleCoach Pro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (50% vs 21%). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ChordLab holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 2 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 21% of ChordLab's written reviews are positive against 50% of ScaleCoach Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ChordLab ships an update every 3 months, ScaleCoach Pro every 36 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
ChordLab versus ScaleCoach Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChordLabScaleCoach Pro
Price$3.99$3.99
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better2.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews20.8% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 36 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.1 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoGame SoftwareHans Toft-Olsen

Customer experience

ChordLab

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive20.8%
Neutral16.7%
Negative62.5%

ScaleCoach Pro

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

ChordLab

One-time10
  • 01 Keyboard Pack$0.99
  • 02 Guitar Pack$0.99
  • 03 Bass Pack$0.99
Show 7 more
  • 04 Strings Pack$0.99
  • 05 Mallets Pack$0.99
  • 06 Winds Pack$0.99
  • 07 Synths Pack$0.99
  • 08 Folk Pack$0.99
  • 09 Winds Pack 2$0.99
  • 10 Folk Strings Pack$0.99
None

ScaleCoach Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ChordLab free?
ChordLab costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is ScaleCoach Pro free?
ScaleCoach Pro costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ChordLab or ScaleCoach Pro?
ChordLab is rated higher. ChordLab averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while ScaleCoach Pro averages 2.0 from 2 ratings.
Do ChordLab or ScaleCoach Pro have ads?
Neither ChordLab nor ScaleCoach Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ChordLab or ScaleCoach Pro?
ChordLab ships an update every 3 months, and ScaleCoach Pro every 36 months. Most recently, ChordLab was updated on October 31, 2026 and ScaleCoach Pro on November 1, 2026.

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