# Scales & Modes vs Tenuto

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tenuto at none against Scales & Modes's 1. Tenuto also leads on ratings volume (668 vs 13) and review sentiment (94% vs 74%). Scales & Modes's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 15.8). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scales & Modes costs $1.99 and Tenuto $4.99 up front. Scales & Modes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Tenuto asks for nothing beyond the download.

Tenuto holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tenuto has 668 ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Scales & Modes's written reviews are positive against 94% of Tenuto's.

Scales & Modes ships an update every 4 months, Tenuto every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Scales & Modes | Tenuto |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$1.99** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.5 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scales-and-modes/id357172313/reviews) | **[4.7 (668 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tenuto/id459313476/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 13 | **668** |
| Positive reviews | 74.1% of reviews | **94.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#6** |
| Size | 23 MB | 11 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.3** | 15.8 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Smappsoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/333262587) | [musictheory.net](https://appshunter.io/developer/459313479) |

## What reviewers say

### Scales & Modes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scales-and-modes/id357172313)

Explore diatonic scales and modes with interactive visual and audio references. View notes on a musical staff, see fingerings for keyboard and guitar, and listen to scales in any key. Additional instrument fingerings are available via in-app purchase.

**Highlights:** Visual staff notation, Audio playback of scales, Keyboard fingerings, Guitar fingerings, Diatonic scale reference, Mode exploration

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Violin & Bass Add-on | $0.99 | one-time |


### Tenuto

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tenuto/id459313476)

**Currently charting:** #6 Top Paid · Music, #34 Top Paid (US App Store)

Enhance your musicality with a comprehensive suite of 24 customizable theory exercises and six essential musical calculators. Practice note and chord identification, ear training, and construct musical elements. Tools include accidentals, intervals, scales, chords, analysis symbols, and twelve-tone matrices.

**Highlights:** 24 customizable theory exercises, Note and chord identification, Ear training for intervals and scales, Musical construction exercises, Accidental calculator, Interval calculator, Chord calculator

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Essential for musicians
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Perfect app
- 👍 Wonderful app
- 👍 Highly recommend

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Wrong billing
- 🐛 Piano tone is so bad
- 🐛 Not good
- 🐛 Great but buggy
- 🐛 All sounds stopped working

**Reported bugs**

- Sound cuts out
- Unresponsive at times
- Freezes up
- Doesn't work well for guitar
- Incorrect chord/key associations

**Requested features**

- Cadences and inversions for ear training
- Chord progressions for ear training
- Melodic and harmonic minor modes for scale recognition
- 6th, 9th, 11th and 13th chord extensions for chord recognition
- Melodic dictation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Scales & Modes free?

Scales & Modes costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Tenuto free?

Tenuto costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Scales & Modes or Tenuto?

Tenuto is rated higher. Scales & Modes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Tenuto averages 4.7 from 668 ratings.

### Do Scales & Modes or Tenuto have ads?

Neither Scales & Modes nor Tenuto shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Scales & Modes or Tenuto?

Scales & Modes ships an update every 4 months, and Tenuto every 3 months. Most recently, Scales & Modes was updated on November 6, 2026 and Tenuto on November 6, 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.*