Best scale app for guitar, bass, ukulele and piano
ScaleSpace is the scale app to pick if you want to see how scales fit together. It stacks up to three scales on one neck and marks the notes they share, which none of the other apps here list. It covers guitar, bass, ukulele and piano in one place. The whole tool is free on the web, and the iPhone, iPad and Android apps cost $3.99 once, with no subscription.
Facts on the other apps come from their App Store and Google Play listings and their own websites, checked November 4, 2026. Prices in US dollars. Where a listing does not mention a feature, the table says "Not listed".
Where ScaleSpace is ahead
These are the reasons to choose ScaleSpace. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.
| Feature | ScaleSpace | smartChord | TONALY | Fretonomy | ScaleBank | Piano Companion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Several scales on one neck | Up to three, stacked or overlaid, with the notes they share marked. | Not listed. One scale at a time in its docs. | Not listed. | Not listed. | Not listed. | Lists related scales by name. Showing them together: not listed. |
| Free on the web | The whole tool: every scale, all four instruments, the Scale Finder and PDF export. No account. | Song tools online. No scale tool listed. | No web version listed. | A free web tool with 12 scales. | No web version listed. | A free web scale finder for piano. |
| Price | Free on the web. The apps are $3.99 once. No subscription, no ads. | Free with in-app purchases from $1.49 to $23.99. Google Play lists ads. | Free trial, then $2.99 a week, $29.99 or $39.99 a year, or $79.99 for life. | Free with in-app purchases: Premium $2.99 or $23.99, all instruments $99. | Free with in-app purchases. All Access is $4.49 a month. | Free with in-app purchases. Pro is $5.99 a month, $39.99 a year or $69.99 for life. |
| Hear the scale in one hand position | The apps play it from the root through every string in one position and back. Hold any note to play from there. | Plays the scale up or down. | Plays the scale. | Not listed. | Audio samples of the scales. | Plays the scale in a loop. |
Where they are close
Most of these apps do these things. Choose on the rows above, not these.
| Feature | ScaleSpace | smartChord | TONALY | Fretonomy | ScaleBank | Piano Companion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instruments | Guitar (6 and 7-string), bass, ukulele and piano. | 40, including guitar, bass, ukulele and piano. | Guitar, bass, ukulele, piano, violin, viola and cello. | Guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin and banjo. | Guitar. | Piano. |
| 4, 5 and 6-string bass | All three. | All three, plus 7-string. | 4 and 5-string. | All three. | No bass. | No bass. |
| Left-handed and capo | Both. Flip the neck for left-handed playing, and set a capo that scale positions and chord shapes work from. | Both: a left-handed mode and capo support. | Left-hand mode. Capo: not listed. | Left-handed mode. Capo: not listed. | Left-handed support. Capo: not listed. | Not needed on piano. |
| Find a scale from its notes | Scale Finder: tap the notes you played and it names every scale that contains them. | Reverse Scale Finder. | Not listed. | Finds the scale of a riff you write as tab. | Reverse Riff Finder: tap in a melody. | Reverse mode, on screen or from a MIDI keyboard. |
| Alternate tunings | 9 on 6-string guitar, including drop, open and DADGAD. Down and drop tunings on 7-string guitar and every bass. | 450+, and your own. | 100+, and your own. | Common tunings, and your own. | In a separate Alt Tunings app. | Not needed on piano. |
| Where it runs | Web, iPhone, iPad and Android. | Android. | iPhone, iPad and Mac. | iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android. | iPhone, iPad and Mac. | iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac. |
The apps compared
- ScaleSpace by Sprung Interactive. Web, iPhone, iPad and Android. 24 scales, modes and arpeggios in all 12 keys, on a 24-fret neck or a keyboard.
- smartChord by s.mart Music Lab. Android. Lists 1,100 scales. 4.7 from 57,500 reviews on Google Play.
- TONALY by Christian Hengst Daniels. iPhone, iPad and Mac. Lists 80+ scales and modes. 4.8 from 6,377 ratings on the App Store.
- Fretonomy by Strong Apps. iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android, plus a web scales tool. Lists 950+ scales. 4.6 from about 2,500 ratings on the App Store, 4.2 from 2,700 reviews on Google Play.
- ScaleBank by Better Notes. iPhone, iPad and Mac. Lists dozens of scales and patterns. 4.8 from 1,039 ratings on the App Store.
- Piano Companion by Songtive. iPhone, iPad, Android and Mac, plus a web scale finder. Lists 10,000+ scales. 4.8 from 1,328 ratings on the App Store, 4.7 from 23,400 reviews on Google Play.
Questions and answers
What is the best scale app for bass?
ScaleSpace, if you want to see scales across the whole neck and compare them. It covers 4, 5 and 6-string bass in standard, down and drop tunings, shows the five pentatonic boxes, and stacks up to three scales so you can see the notes they share. It is free on the web. Fretonomy and smartChord also cover 4, 5 and 6-string bass, and they list far more scales and your own tunings. All three have a left-handed mode.
Is there a free scale app?
Yes. The ScaleSpace website is free, with every scale, all four instruments and no account. The ScaleSpace apps cost $3.99 once. Fretonomy has a free web tool with 12 scales, and Piano Companion has a free web scale finder for piano. smartChord, TONALY, Fretonomy, ScaleBank and Piano Companion are free to download, with paid upgrades or subscriptions for the full app.
Can I see two scales at once?
Yes, in ScaleSpace. Add a second or third scale and it draws them on the same neck or keyboard with the shared notes marked, or stacks them one above the other. None of the other apps here list this. Piano Companion names related scales, but its listing does not say it shows them together.
Does ScaleSpace work on iPad?
Yes. The App Store app runs on iPhone and iPad, and the website works in Safari on iPad. TONALY, Fretonomy, ScaleBank and Piano Companion also run on iPad. smartChord is on Android only.
How is ScaleSpace different from Chordial?
Chordial is a free iPhone and iPad app that maps chords and scales on guitar, bass, ukulele, banjo and mandolin, with a left-handed view and your own tunings. Its last update was in September 2023. ScaleSpace adds piano, stacks up to three scales to compare them, runs on Android and the web, and got its latest update this month.
Try ScaleSpace
Open the free web app now, no account needed. Or get the app for iPhone, iPad or Android for $3.99 once.