Pentatonics vs Graphony
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
Pentatonics
This app visualizes five-note scales and their connection to chords, offering a unique way to explore musical expression. It helps musicians improvise, compose, and understand harmony with clear visual aids and smart filtering options.
- Pentagon scale-chord visualizer
- Six curated pentatonic scales
- Smart chord filtering
- Two-way transposition
- Layered interval insight
- Highlight chord tones
- Save favorite combinations
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Pentatonics - Take Five Less notes. More music. Visualized. Step back. Level up. Unlock a new world of musical expression with Pentatonics, the visually driven music theory tool that transforms five-note scales into endless creative possibilities. Whether youβre improvising, composing, or exploring harmony, Pentatonics shows you how to say more with less. What Makes It Different Visualize the Scale-Chord Connection A one-of-a-kind pentagon visualizer shows exactly how a scale maps onto a chord, highlighting chord tones, extensions, tensions, and color with instant clarity. Six Curated Pentatonics These arenβt basic box patterns. Each scale is chosen for its harmonic purpose: β’ Minor 7 (1, b3, 4, 5, b7) β’ Minor 6 (1, b3, 4, 5, 6) β’ Minor 7b5 (1, b3, 4, b5, b7) β’ Major b6 (1, 2, 3, 5, b6) β’ Major b2 (1, b2, 3, 5, 6) β’ Whole-Tone (1, 3, #4, #5, b7) Smart Chord Filtering Choose from 14 chord filters to match the sound you want: Major, Minor, Dominant β plus altered, sus, and extended voicings like #11, b9, b13, and more. Two-Way Transposition Transpose chord and scale roots independently. Practice in any key. Compose in any context. Teach with full flexibility. Layered Interval Insight Switch between note names and scale degrees to understand how each note functions inside the harmony. Highlight Chord Tones Color-coded overlays show you roots, thirds, sevenths, and more β helping you target the strongest notes in your lines. Smart Starting Points Pentatonics finds 47 unique entry points where each scale fits the chord best β based on harmonic fit, not guesswork. Across all keys and chords, thatβs 7,896 ways to explore expressive sounds. Stay in the Flow β’ Save your favorite combinations for fast recall β’ History tracking keeps your recent choices just a tap away β’ Built-in suggestions point you to the most musical options Who Itβs For β’ Musicians breaking out of tired scale shapes β’ Improvisers searching for expressive new ideas β’ Composers seeking color and clarity β’ Teachers looking to simplify complex harmony β’ Students learning how theory works in real music Explore. Visualize. Improvise. Pentatonics isnβt just a scale reference. Itβs a launchpad for creative growth. Built for modern iOS with a clean, fast interface powered by SwiftUI, itβs designed to keep you thinking less about theory β and more about sound. Take five β and play like never before!
Graphony
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Graphony is a composition environment for academic and experimental composers. Rather than entering notes one at a time, you design a piece from the top down by drawing graphs of its musical parameters, then export a MusicXML score to complete in your notation software and render an audio version using sounds you record yourself. JUMPSTART A COMPOSITION WITH GRAPHS Set the length, meter, and tempo, then draw a curve over time for each parameter: - Pitch content (register and range) - Event duration - Density (how many events sound at once) - Dynamics - Connectivity, motivic patterns, and the amount of pitch-altering effects The graphs are the generative blueprint of the piece. Reshape a curve and the material follows, so you can audition many versions of an idea in minutes. Reference curves from your other parameters are shown underneath, keeping every decision in context. EXPORT A MUSICXML SCORE Graphony writes a clean MusicXML file you can open in Sibelius, Dorico, Finale, or MuseScore, then edit and complete by hand. The score is a point of departure, not a finished product: it is fully yours to refine and notate. HEAR IT WITH YOUR OWN SOUNDS Record short sound samples, label them, and Graphony renders an audio version of the piece using those recordings. Each sound carries its own reference pitch, dynamics, articulation, and effects, so the realization reflects your own sonic material rather than a generic synthesizer. FOR EXPERIMENTAL PRACTICE - Absolute pitch contour: the pitch graph maps to a real concert-pitch register, so the notation means what it says. - Microtonal quarter-tones, chromatic-stepped glissandi, and detected chords notated on a single stem. - A palette of per-sound effects: glissando, scratch, harmonic distortion, reverse, inverted pitch, and granular fragment. - "Notate as C" writes a sound's notes on a single placeholder middle C, so you can set their pitches by hand later. - Sound roles (sustainer, punctuator, doubler, texture) are distinguished by notehead. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything stays on your device. Graphony has no accounts, no ads, and collects no data. Your graphs, recordings, scores, and audio never leave your iPhone or iPad unless you choose to share them. Graphony is built to get an experimental idea out of your head and onto the page quickly: design it as graphs, hear it in your own sounds, and carry the score into your notation software to finish.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Graphony at Free against Pentatonics's $0.99. Graphony also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). Pentatonics's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Graphony is free to download; Pentatonics costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pentatonics ships an update every 9 days, Graphony every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pentatonics | Graphony |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free β better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | β |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days β better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | β |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.0 β better |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Oliver Richard Erich Naumann | Leonid Iogansen |
In-app purchases
Pentatonics
No in-app purchases
Graphony
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Pentatonics free?
Is Graphony free?
Do Pentatonics or Graphony have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pentatonics or Graphony?
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