Comparison

ThumbJam vs Scale Numbers Piano

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

Head to head
About

ThumbJam

This app provides a powerful musical performance experience with over 40 high-quality instrument sounds and hundreds of scales. It allows users of all skill levels to play in any style, offering expressive controls and loop-building capabilities.

Highlights
  • Over 40 high-quality multi-sampled instruments
  • Hundreds of included scales for any style
  • Expressive controls using tilt and shake
  • Loop building and audio export
  • Extensive MIDI and Audiobus support
  • Powerful arpeggiator feature
Features
Read full description

ThumbJam is a powerful musical performance experience. You get over 40 high-quality real instruments multi-sampled exclusively for this app. Hundreds of included scales allow you to effortlessly play in any style from rock to classical, whether you are a musical novice or a seasoned professional. ---====--- Jordan Rudess, the world-renowned keyboardist for Dream Theater says: "ThumbJam stands at the very top of the overcrowded music app world. The sounds included absolutely rival those found in pro instruments and making music on the app is a total joy. The only problem I have with this app is that I did not make it myself! Luckily, I'm able to work with the developer and offer a few good feature ideas as well as some choice sounds from my personal collection!" ---======---- Even if you've only played air guitar, ThumbJam lets you sound like a pro. Pick an instrument and jam -- with all the scales to choose from you'll never hit a wrong note. The high quality instrument samples will make you sound like you just skipped years of music lessons. For the performing musician, this app is awesome for soloing on an instrument you didn't bring along. Play in any key, any style -- go from a string ensemble to a wailing guitar. ThumbJam was developed and tested by musicians to feel and sound like a real instrument. You'll be surprised at how expressive it can be, make sure to check out the videos and audio at thumbjam.com. ThumbJam makes use of tilt and shake to add vibrato, tremolo, note bends, and volume swells for more realistic and expressive results. It supports up to five (eleven on iPad) simultaneous touches and up to 32 voice polyphony, for each of up to 8 loaded instruments! Delay and stereo reverb add depth to the sound, and a resonant lowpass filter gives you more tone shaping power. Put on your headphones or plug in to your home stereo to experience some of the highest quality instruments in the App Store, even after all these years! Build your own loops from the ground up or import your favorites and jam from there. Layer as many loops as you want, with different instruments for each. Export your loops as audio files via WiFi. Copy and paste audio from other apps using AudioCopy/Paste as well the general pasteboard, via email, AudioShare, iTunes Document Sharing, Files, or open directly in another application. Supports Audiobus and InterApp Audio for streaming sound to/from other apps in real-time, including state save/restore with Audiobus 3. Extensive MIDI input and output support over WiFi or Bluetooth, with any CoreMidi compatible device, or other apps on the same iOS device with virtual MIDI. Now also supports Ableton Link for tight sync between apps on the same network. Supports MPE input and output (and did so before it was even a thing)! New powerful arpeggiator feature lets you play patterns with perfect time sync, from the screen or via MIDI control. The app includes a huge variety of scales, from western to eastern. Save your favorites for quick access, or create your own in-app. You can even import new scales in the Scala format for complete flexibility. You can also record your own multi-sampled instruments using a built-in or attached microphone, or from file import. Included instruments: + Cello, Violin, Viola + Upright Bass (plucked and bowed) + Several drumkits + Darabukka + Djembe + Electric Guitar + Electric Bass + Trumpet + Trombone + Tenor Sax + Flute + Low Whistle + Acoustic Guitar + Hammered Dulcimer + Mandolin + Cittern + Grand Piano + Drawbar Organ (2 types) + Rhodes + Pipe Organ + Synth Strings + Synth Choir + Theremin + Sawtooth Waveform + Sine Waveform + Triangle Waveform And from Jordan Rudess: + JR Zendrix + JR Smooth Steel Many more for immediate FREE download in the app including several drumkits, Mellotron, basses, banjo, tabla, ukelele, guitars and more! Go to the Sound menu under Download Samples....

About

Scale Numbers Piano

Compose melodies and chords simultaneously on your device. Record and loop your creations for improvisation and songwriting. Learn music theory and play popular songs with a unique scale number system, no prior knowledge needed.

Highlights
  • Play melody and chords together
  • Record and live loop compositions
  • Theory lessons and songbook
  • Scale number system for easy learning
  • Built-in sampler instruments
  • MIDI input for DAWs
Features
Read full description

This app lets you play melody and chords at the same time on your iPhone or iPad. Record and live loop your compositions for improvising or songwriting. Included theory lessons and songbook with hundreds of famous tunes which you can play with no previous music theory background. Great for songwriters, singers, producers, music students or if you just want to play some recognisable tunes. The whole app is based around simple scale numbers, which are the gold standard for understanding music. Either use the built-in sampler instruments to play on your device, or connect to your DAW for full midi input to your favourite synths. See a demo video of the app's features at scalenumbers.com __ Scalenumbers does not collect any user data: https://scalenumbers.com/termsandprivacy __ If you're having an issue, please email me at support@scalenumbers.com rather than leaving a review, as apple doesn't send developers any alerts when reviews are left, so I won't know you've tried to contact me.

Screenshots

ThumbJam4 screens
Scale Numbers Piano4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Scale Numbers Piano at Free against ThumbJam's $6.99. Scale Numbers Piano also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). ThumbJam's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads and device support 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

Scale Numbers Piano is free to download; ThumbJam costs $6.99 up front. Scale Numbers Piano sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. ThumbJam asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ThumbJam holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ThumbJam has 220 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of ThumbJam's written reviews are positive against 65% of Scale Numbers Piano's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ThumbJam ships an update every 4 months, Scale Numbers Piano fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
ThumbJam versus Scale Numbers Piano: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThumbJamScale Numbers Piano
Price$6.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (220 ratings) — better4.2 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews84.6% of reviews — better65.0% of reviews
Number of ratings220 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB340 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSonosaurus LLCScale Degrees LTD

Customer experience

ThumbJam

All ratings218 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.2%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews298 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral4.4%
Negative11.1%

Scale Numbers Piano

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive65.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative30.0%

Bugs and requests

ThumbJam

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Instrument muting when switching apps or opening help
  • Inconsistent behavior and freezing after recent updates
  • Inability to load/save recorded sets or mixes

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add chord mode for easier chord playing
  • Improve loop recording and syncing capabilities
  • Implement quantization options for tighter timing
  • Expand instrument library with more diverse sounds
  • Add support for Audio Unit (AUv3) to integrate with DAWs
Show 1 more
  • Improve interface for adjusting octave/span across multiple instruments

Scale Numbers Piano

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ThumbJam

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Scale Numbers Piano

One-time1
  • Full Version$2.99

Questions

Is ThumbJam free?
ThumbJam costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Scale Numbers Piano free?
Scale Numbers Piano is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ThumbJam or Scale Numbers Piano?
ThumbJam is rated higher. ThumbJam averages 4.7 out of 5 from 220 ratings, while Scale Numbers Piano averages 4.2 from 12 ratings.
Do ThumbJam or Scale Numbers Piano have ads?
Neither ThumbJam nor Scale Numbers Piano shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ThumbJam or Scale Numbers Piano?
ThumbJam ships an update every 4 months, and Scale Numbers Piano fortnightly. Most recently, ThumbJam was updated on November 6, 2026 and Scale Numbers Piano on November 3, 2026.

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