ScaleGen vs guitarscaper
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ScaleGen
Generate and edit musical scales with intricate detail. Explore traditional and experimental tunings, audition your creations, and export them as MIDI files or to other applications. Ideal for composers and students seeking to expand their musical horizons.
- Generate and manipulate musical scales
- Detailed scale definition and editing
- Audition scales within the app
- Export as MIDI or to Gestrument
- Predefined scales from various traditions
- Explore microtonal and experimental tunings
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ScaleGen - the ultimate scale generator and editor! Generate and manipulate musical scales in any way you can imagine. You think you know what a scale is - think again. In ScaleGen you can do all that you would traditionally imagine when it comes to scales and pitch organisation, and then much, much more. Define or change scales in the most detailed and intricate way. Audition the scales you make from within the app or export it as a MIDI file or to our app Gestrument - the revolutionary gesture-instrument. This is the tool for anyone who wants to go beyond the traditional tonalities in whichever genre. ScaleGen comes with predefined scales of all kinds - from the traditional western scales and early music (Baroque/Renaissance) scales to asian scales from India, Indonesia and elsewhere as well as more conceptual scales based in the classical contemporary music. This is the ultimate tool for experimental composers in any genre as well as for musicians who want to explore new ways of thinking about music. The educational aspects of how pitches can be organised makes ScaleGen a must have for serious music students. But the directness of the app makes the learning both fun and artistically developing. What is a scale? For most people it is a collection of pitches within one octave, with equal temperament (all half tone steps equally long) or with microtonal intonation. That kind of scales are of course possible to make and edit in ScaleGen which gives you a keyboard with complete control of up to 24 pitches within one octave. But the most interesting things with ScaleGen is when you start to think of a scale as something more open. Consider these questions: What if your scale was different in every octave? Why must a scale always go from down to up? What if you could use a variation of the overtone series as a scale? How does it sound if you divide the octave in five steps instead of twelve? In ScaleGen we define a scale as any list of MIDI pitches that you can manipulate in many ways. You can start with a keyboard to input pitches, you can use the concept of the overtone series with multiplication of frequencies, you can define the number and size of the steps in the scale or you can import MIDI files and use them as scales. Then you can fine-tune your scale in a matrix with a number of tools. You can then try and play your scale directly in the app, using built-in sounds or control your favorite external synthesizer/app through MIDI. If you want to try and play on your newly created scales in another way we recommend you open them in the app Gestrument - the revolutionary gesture-instrument. But you can also save the scales as text, Scala, or MIDI files and open them in another program.
guitarscaper
This app generates evolving, ambient guitar soundscapes for relaxation, study, or background music. It also functions as a virtual instrument with performance tools and effects, offering two distinct musical moods.
- Generative ambient soundscapes
- Virtual instrument with keypads
- Performance loop recorders
- Built-in reverb and delay effects
- Auto-accompaniment and note hints
- Two musical moods (light and sad)
- Royalty-free use in recordings
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Guitarscaper is a generative music app and virtual instrument that’s easy on the ears and fun to play. Launch the app, and with a single tap of the auto-play button, guitarscaper will create evolving and ambient guitar-based soundscapes that are unique every time. While all of the guitarscaper sounds originated from a single electric guitar, many have been extensively processed to create an “impossible guitar” that can morph between orchestral-type swells and ethereal choir-like sounds. Think of it as guitar DNA taken to the next level! Guitarscaper in auto-play mode is the perfect companion for relaxing, studying or providing non-intrusive headphone music at work or on your commute. You can even set a timer so you can fall asleep to its gentle and soothing tones. You can also play guitarscaper as a virtual instrument using the dedicated keypads and performance loop recorders, and tailor the sounds with built-in reverb, delay and “character” effects parameters. And while you’re playing, guitarscaper can lend a hand by adding auto-accompaniment parts and even provides hints for notes it thinks might sound good depending on which notes you play! As a sample-based instrument, guitarscaper currently supports two “moods” – a light mood, based on the E major / pentatonic Yo scale, and a sad mood, based on the Em pentatonic scale. Please note that guitarscaper is not a chromatic or MIDI-compatible instrument, and it is unlikely to become one. You can also record and process the audio output of guitarscaper using any Inter-App Audio host that supports IAA Generators. You are free to use guitarscaper in your own recordings or live events and installations on a royalty-free basis. All I would ask for is a simple credit that includes the name of the app – “guitarscaper”. I hope you will agree the guitarscaper interface, while minimalist and a perhaps a little cryptic initially, will eventually become very easy to use. Please do take the time to read the quick-start guide which can be found on the website. This is also the best place to ask questions, get technical support or report any issues. Happy guitarscaping! *** Please note that this app is now in maintenance / bug fixes only mode as it relies on "deprecated" (by Apple) technology such as IAA. ***
Screenshots
Verdict
ScaleGen and guitarscaper both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of guitarscaper's written reviews are positive against 71% of ScaleGen's. guitarscaper also leads on chart position (#196 vs unranked) and price ($1.99 vs $3.99). ScaleGen's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.0). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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
ScaleGen costs $3.99 and guitarscaper $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for ScaleGen against 4.8 for guitarscaper. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12 and 21 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of ScaleGen's written reviews are positive against 100% of guitarscaper's.
ScaleGen ships an update every 29 months, guitarscaper every 43 months. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ScaleGen | guitarscaper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (12 ratings) | 4.8 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 70.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12 | 21 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 29 months — better | Every 43 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #196 — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 220 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gestrument AB | Rob Jackson |
Customer experience
ScaleGen
guitarscaper
In-app purchases
ScaleGen
No in-app purchases
guitarscaper
No in-app purchases








