Comparison

WorldScales vs Apihima

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

Head to head
About

WorldScales

Explore musical scales beyond equal temperament. Tune individual keys, experiment with diverse presets, and create your own tunings. Connect MIDI keyboards for a fully customizable microtonal music experience.

Highlights
  • Individual key tuning (+- 100 cents)
  • 35+ high-quality sampled instruments
  • MIDI In for external keyboard control
  • Preset scales (Western, Byzantine, Oriental)
  • Save custom scales and tunings
  • Frequency ratio, frequency, or cents input
  • Audio effects (reverb, compressor)
Features
Read full description

WorldScales Discover a world beyond standard tuning. Not all scales are created equal. WorldScales lets you explore the rich diversity of musical tuning systems from around the globe, freeing you from the limitations of modern equal temperament. Most modern instruments are tuned using the equal-tempered system, which divides the octave into twelve equally spaced notes. While this tuning has dominated Western music for centuries, many cultures and historical traditions use alternative systems that create unique colors, moods, and expressions. From Byzantine chant and Middle Eastern maqamat to ancient European tunings and custom microtonal scales, WorldScales opens the door to a broader musical universe. Whether you're a musician, composer, educator, researcher, church musician, or simply curious about alternative tuning systems, WorldScales gives you the tools to experiment, learn, and create. Features • Tune every note of the octave individually with precision up to ±100 cents. • Over 35 high-quality sampled instruments, including piano, violin, organ, oud, kanun, choir voices, and more. • MIDI input support. Connect an external MIDI keyboard and perform microtonal music using custom tunings. • Extensive collection of Western, Byzantine, Oriental, and world music scale presets. • Diatonic Mode: Play using only the white keys while automatically disabling the black keys, making it easier to perform scales without accidental chromatic notes. Perfect for educational use, Byzantine music, traditional melodies, and musicians who prefer a simplified playing experience. • Create, save, and recall your own custom scales and tuning systems. • Enter tunings using cents, frequency ratios, or exact frequencies. • Visual keyboard display showing scale notes and root positions. • Instantly transpose scales by changing the root note while preserving all interval relationships. • Built-in audio effects including reverb and compression. • Polyphonic instruments with multiple velocity layers for enhanced realism. • Designed for musicians, composers, educators, and students interested in microtonal music and world musical traditions. Explore New Musical Possibilities WorldScales combines powerful tuning tools with a diverse collection of instruments, making sophisticated microtonal performance accessible to everyone. Whether you want to explore ancient traditions, recreate historical tunings, discover world music scales, experiment with microtonality, or simply play in Diatonic Mode using only the white keys, WorldScales provides an intuitive and flexible environment for learning, performing, and creating music. Expand your musical horizons. Tune beyond the ordinary.

About

Apihima

This app generates authentic sustained drone tones for Byzantine and Psaltic music. It offers traditional modes, microtonal tuning, and practice tools like a metronome and pitch detection. Ideal for chanters, choir members, and students of Orthodox liturgical music.

Highlights
  • Authentic Byzantine modes
  • Microtonal tuning system
  • Customizable scale intervals
  • SoundFont synthesis
  • Built-in metronome
  • Real-time pitch detection
  • Background audio playback
Features
Read full description

Apihima is a professional ison (drone) generator designed for Byzantine and Psaltic music. Whether you're a cantor, choir member, or student of Orthodox liturgical music, Apihima provides the authentic sustained drone tones essential for Byzantine chant practice and performance. AUTHENTIC BYZANTINE SOUND • 8 traditional Byzantine modes (Glasuri) with accurate microtonal intervals • 72-komma tuning system for authentic Eastern Orthodox musical scales • Customizable scale intervals for advanced practitioners • Rich, warm tones using professional SoundFont synthesis PRACTICE TOOLS • Built-in metronome with adjustable tempo and beat subdivisions • Real-time pitch detection to help match your voice to the ison • Separate Voice and Ison channels with independent volume control • Background audio playback for uninterrupted practice FLEXIBLE & INTUITIVE • Touch or toggle playback modes • Monophonic or polyphonic note options • Fine-tune pitch with microtonal semitone and komma adjustments • Works in portrait and landscape orientations Perfect for: • Byzantine chanters and choir directors • Orthodox Christian liturgical musicians • Students learning Psaltic music • Anyone exploring Eastern Mediterranean musical traditions Apihima brings the ancient tradition of Byzantine ison to your pocket, with the precision and flexibility modern musicians need.

Screenshots

WorldScales4 screens
Apihima4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Apihima at Free against WorldScales's $19.99. Apihima also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). WorldScales's advantage is ratings volume (23 vs 2). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases 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

Apihima is free to download; WorldScales costs $19.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Apihima holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: WorldScales has 23 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
WorldScales versus Apihima: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWorldScalesApihima
Price$19.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (23 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings23 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size192 MB187 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKelfar TechnologiesCosmin Stahie

In-app purchases

None

WorldScales

No in-app purchases

None

Apihima

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WorldScales free?
WorldScales costs $19.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Apihima free?
Apihima is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WorldScales or Apihima?
Apihima is rated higher. WorldScales averages 4.7 out of 5 from 23 ratings, while Apihima averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do WorldScales or Apihima have ads?
Neither WorldScales nor Apihima shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WorldScales or Apihima?
WorldScales ships an update every 2 months, and Apihima every 2 months. Most recently, WorldScales was updated on November 6, 2026 and Apihima on November 5, 2026.

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