Comparison

Pulse vs Magic Scroll!

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

Head to head
About

Pulse

This app provides a precise, haptic-driven metronome for musicians. It delivers strong, consistent taps felt through your iPhone or Apple Watch, aiding timing practice in noisy settings or for silent use. Customize tempo, haptics, and subdivision patterns for visual and tactile rhythm guidance.

Highlights
  • Haptic feedback for timing
  • Apple Watch app for standalone use
  • Customizable haptics and subdivisions
  • Visual and tactile rhythm cues
  • Precise tempo control
Features
Read full description

A precise, haptic-driven metronome for musicians. Pulse gives you strong, consistent taps you can feel through your iPhone or Apple Watch, making timing practice easier in noisy environments or when you don’t want sound. Set your tempo instantly, customise haptics and subdivision patterns, and stay locked into your rhythm with both visual and tactile cues. The Apple Watch app works on its own... perfect for rehearsals or discreet practice.

About

Magic Scroll!

Features
Read full description

Bring your own songs, play by your own rules. Enjoy auto-scrolling chord charts, a community library, and a distraction-free reader. Magic Scroll is a reader and platform embracing our tradition of sharing music. Built around traditional and folk music communities, Magic Scroll is designed to make it as simple as possible to play music, either by yourself or with the people around you! - Add your own music-- Songs you like, songs you've written, and even sheet music in midi, .abc, and .mxl format! - Save songs locally to share with friends, family, or bandmates. - Access your music offline anytime, anywhere. - Transpose any song or tune with ease. - Make personal edits to the songs in your library to suit your needs. - Change font size depending on what device you're viewing on. - Access chord diagrams across multiple instruments and alternate tunings. - Simplify chords for newer/less experienced players and readers. - Yes, we have autoscroll! It is magic, after all. - Metronome and a tuner packaged in to keep you sounding great! - Robust printing options for sharing music without screens! - Fully customisable themes and colours to create your best possible experience. (We have a dark mode!) - Submit your own music and collections so other players can enjoy them! And, unlike certain other music apps: - Totally ad-free. Totally subscription-free. Totally free of bloat, pop-ups, or hidden charges. - I'm serious. No "Pro" account, no freemium, no in-app purchases. Powered by donations. Powered by love. - I feel like I can't emphasise this hard enough. I don't want your money. I want you to make music. Problems? Feedback? I'm happy to help! You can contact me at https://spencercalifornia.music/ or on my socials @Spencer.California and I'll do my best to meet your needs! Please do not post bug reports or feature requests as an app store review!

Screenshots

Pulse4 screens
Magic Scroll!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Magic Scroll! at Free against Pulse's $0.99. Magic Scroll! also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On 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

Magic Scroll! is free to download; Pulse costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pulse ships an update every 4 months, Magic Scroll! weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pulse versus Magic Scroll!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulseMagic Scroll!
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB30 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGeorge KingSpencer Grant

In-app purchases

None

Pulse

No in-app purchases

None

Magic Scroll!

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pulse free?
Pulse costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Magic Scroll! free?
Magic Scroll! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pulse or Magic Scroll! have ads?
Neither Pulse nor Magic Scroll! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulse or Magic Scroll!?
Pulse ships an update every 4 months, and Magic Scroll! weekly. Most recently, Pulse was updated on October 3, 2026 and Magic Scroll! on October 15, 2026.

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