Comparison

AxeScales vs Bent Spool

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

Head to head
About

AxeScales

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Learn the Major and Minor Scales on Guitar. Select from Heptatonic (7 Note), Hexatonic (6 Note), Pentatonic (5 Note), Blues (6 Note), or Arpeggios (3 Notes), from any Root Note, for each Major and Minor Scale. (A total of 120 different combinations!) Shows the Scale Degree of each note in the Scale, with the Root Notes of each Scale highlighted. Each note will play when clicked. Fret numbers are shown below the Fretboard.

About

Bent Spool

This music app offers creative audio effects for live performance or use within other music apps. Explore rhythmic tremolo, pitched repeats, and looping fragments of your audio. It includes built-in overdrive and tape effects for unique sound shaping.

Highlights
  • Rhythmic tremolo effects
  • Pitched repeat sequences
  • Overlapping audio loops
  • Built-in overdrive and fuzz
  • Vintage tape effects
  • Standalone and AUv3 host support
Features
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Bent Spool is a creative effect that can transform simple musical parts into unexpected rhythms and melodies, played live or as an effect in your favorite host app. Shape a tremolo pulse, turn a note into a run of pitched repeats, or build a moving layer from fragments of what you just played. Drive the input with built-in overdrive or fuzz, add a core effect, then finally layer in vintage analog tape effects. THREE MODES TREM: a pulsing volume effect, from a rounded sine through triangle and sawtooth to a hard square gate. Syncs to your host's tempo or runs free. REPEAT: up to 64 pitched copies with their own decay and feedback, across five pitch stations from two octaves down to two octaves up. LOOPS: up to six overlapping fragments of your recent audio, spread across pitch, direction, read position and the stereo field. CHARACTER CHAOS adds movement that suits each mode: octave jumps in REPEAT, held or stalled pulses in TREM, wandering reversals and pitch drift in LOOPS. WEAR adds tape wear, magnetic saturation and digital crush after the active mode. At the input, OD is a softer clip; FUZZ is a harder distortion that sputters as it decays. PRESETS 48 factory presets: 10 TREM, 15 REPEAT, 15 LOOPS and an 8-preset Fuzz Tremolo pack. Unlock to save your own. FREE TO TRY TREM plays in full on the OD voice with ten presets. No time limit, no interruptions. A single $9.99 in-app purchase unlocks REPEAT, LOOPS, FUZZ, the rest of the presets and preset saving. No subscription. Runs as a standalone app or as an AUv3 effect in AUM, Loopy Pro and other AUv3 hosts, on iPhone and iPad.

Screenshots

AxeScales3 screens
Bent Spool4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Bent Spool at Free against AxeScales's $1.99. Bent Spool also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 days). AxeScales's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Bent Spool is free to download; AxeScales costs $1.99 up front. Bent Spool sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. AxeScales asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AxeScales ships an update every 3 days, Bent Spool daily. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
AxeScales versus Bent Spool: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAxeScalesBent Spool
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.2 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJoseph SvantnerPlastic Factory LLC

In-app purchases

None

AxeScales

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Bent Spool

One-time1
  • Bent Spool Unlock$9.99

Questions

Is AxeScales free?
AxeScales costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bent Spool free?
Bent Spool is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do AxeScales or Bent Spool have ads?
Neither AxeScales nor Bent Spool shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AxeScales or Bent Spool?
AxeScales ships an update every 3 days, and Bent Spool daily. Most recently, AxeScales was updated on November 8, 2026 and Bent Spool on October 31, 2026.

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