Comparison

Scaler 3 vs Fishtail

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

Head to head
About

Scaler 3

This music theory workstation helps you discover chords, explore harmony, and build complete musical ideas. It offers a redesigned workflow, expanded creative potential, and powerful new capabilities for songwriting and music production.

Highlights
  • Discover music's key with MIDI and audio detection
  • Access over 1,000 chord sets, keys, and modes
  • Build intelligent chord progressions with automatic voice-leading
  • Structure full musical ideas with Scenes and Arrange Page
  • Transform chords into melodies, basslines, and phrases
  • Explore harmony with Circle of Fifths and modulation tools
  • Host AUv3 plugins and interoperate with desktop versions
Features
Read full description

The world’s most popular music theory workstation, Scaler 3, is now available on iPad — updated to Scaler 3.3 with Multi-Bind, improved Detection, enhanced workflow and desktop interoperability. With a redesigned workflow, expanded creative potential and powerful new capabilities, Scaler 3 helps you discover chords, explore harmony and build complete musical ideas. The workflow doesn’t have to end with your finished chord progression - Scaler 3 can host AUv3 plugins and features a full arranger and mixer, letting it fit into your existing setup or become your entire creative environment for music theory. Browse Draw from over 1000 chord sets, keys and modes, organised by mood, artist and genre. Build chord progressions by dragging and dropping chords, and receive intelligent suggestions for what could come next. Create Explore harmonic possibilities using tools like the Sketch Pad, Explore page, Circle of Fifths and Modulation pathways. Scaler’s creative tools and music theory assistance help you move beyond common progressions and discover new musical ideas. Arrange Turn your progression into a full musical sketch with tracks for chords, bass, melodies and custom MIDI patterns. Use Multi-Bind to perform and loop multiple lanes at once, creating fast composition ideas and live performance workflows. Scaler 3 can generate MIDI for all sorts of instruments and adapt it to the needs of your song. Host AUv3 plugins to play your parts, transforming Scaler 3 into a powerful composition and MIDI production environment. Key Features • Discover your music’s key with MIDI and audio detection and explore compatible scales, modes and chord sets • Access over 1,000 chord sets, keys and modes organised by mood, genre and artist inspiration • Build intelligent chord progressions with automatic voice-leading • Use Scenes and the Arrange Page timeline to structure full musical ideas • Transform chords into melodies, basslines, arpeggios and phrases using Scaler’s Motions library • Explore harmony using the Circle of Fifths, chord substitutions, inversions and voicing tools • Experiment with modulation suggestions to move between keys • Record ideas directly with User Track and edit them in the piano roll • Perform one-finger chords and melodies using Bind MIDI • Route generated chords and performances to other music apps using AUv3 and MIDI output • Play progressions using internal instruments including pianos, synths and orchestral sounds • Works standalone or alongside apps like Logic Pro for iPad, GarageBand, AUM and Cubasis • Move between Scaler 3 on iPad and desktop by sharing presets, chord progressions and files Content • Thousands of chords, scales and harmonic possibilities • Artist chord sets created by musicians including Carl Cox, MJ Cole and The Temper Trap • Generate MIDI with hundreds of melodic phrases, basslines and performances • Internal instrument library including pianos, synths and orchestral sounds Perfect For • Songwriting • Music production • Composition • Learning harmony and music theory • Exploring new musical ideas What People Are Saying “Scaler 3 is an incredibly powerful music theory tool. It's a gamechanger for both beginners and seasoned producers.” -David Wills (Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins) “Scaler 3 opens up a whole new world of possibilities… a fantastic gateway into harmony and composition.” -Daryl Bennett (Grammy-nominated composer) “Scaler 3 has evolved into a fully-fledged compositional toolkit. A triumph.” -Sound On Sound “Scaler 3 delivers the most comprehensive, powerful set of composition tools you can get.” -Attack Magazine “Scaler 3 takes everything that made Scaler 2 brilliant and makes it even better.” -The Sound Test Room Awards • KVR Readers Choice Awards - Winner 2025 • Plugin Boutique Awards - Best Music Theory Software 2025 • Sanjay C #1 Tool - Top Plugin of 2025 • #1 Music Theory App - Future Music Magazine 2024

About

Fishtail

This app generates complete musical forms using algorithmic composition based on music theory. Users can shape, perform, and rearrange these compositions, routing seven musical channels to their chosen instruments via MIDI. It offers extensive control over keys, modes, and expressive elements.

Highlights
  • Algorithmic music generation
  • Multi-section compositions
  • Seven-channel MIDI output
  • Retain, reorder, and perform Takes
  • Multiple intonation systems
  • AUv3 MIDI plug-in support
  • Ableton Link integration
Features
Read full description

Fishtail is a generative MIDI instrument for iPhone and iPad. It composes complete musical forms, then lets you shape, perform, retain and rearrange them! Explore six composers, including Lumière’s evolving modal colour and Ritual Engine’s rhythmic energy. Roll D7 for a shaped recipe, then Generate and edit it. Fishtail does not use AI to generate music. Its musical output is created through algorhythmic generation grounded in musical theory. Build pieces from sections with independent keys, modes, meters, cadences and expressive treatments. Generate distinct Takes, compare them, reorder them and hand the next Take over at a natural whole-piece boundary. Fishtail produces MIDI rather than sound. Use it standalone or as an AUv3 MIDI plug-in, and route its seven musical channels to the instruments you choose. Ableton Link supports shared tempo and transport. Features: • Complete multi-section generative compositions • Seven-channel MIDI output • Retain, reorder and perform Takes • Seven intonation systems • Normal MIDI, pitch-bend and MPE output • MTS output • Ableton Link • .fishtail project save and recall • Standard MIDI and per-channel export • Experimental analogue CV file packages • Accessible light and dark interfaces No account, advertising, analytics or tracking. Tested in AUM

Screenshots

Fishtail3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Fishtail at every 3 days against Scaler 3's fortnightly. Scaler 3's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (165 vs 7). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Scaler 3 costs $12.99 and Fishtail $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Scaler 3 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Scaler 3 has 165 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Scaler 3's written reviews are positive against 50% of Fishtail's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Scaler 3 ships an update fortnightly, Fishtail every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Scaler 3 versus Fishtail: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScaler 3Fishtail
Price$12.99 — better$14.99
Rating4.7 (165 ratings) — better4.4 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews56.7% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings165 — better7
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.1 GB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperScaler MusicAMY NICOLA MCBRIDE

Customer experience

Scaler 3

All ratings162 ratings
Positive92.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews30 reviews
Positive56.7%
Neutral23.3%
Negative20.0%

Fishtail

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Scaler 3

No in-app purchases

None

Fishtail

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Scaler 3 free?
Scaler 3 costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fishtail free?
Fishtail costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Scaler 3 or Fishtail?
Scaler 3 is rated higher. Scaler 3 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 165 ratings, while Fishtail averages 4.4 from 7 ratings.
Do Scaler 3 or Fishtail have ads?
Neither Scaler 3 nor Fishtail shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Scaler 3 or Fishtail?
Scaler 3 ships an update fortnightly, and Fishtail every 3 days. Most recently, Scaler 3 was updated on October 25, 2026 and Fishtail on October 25, 2026.

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