# Functional Ear Trainer vs Simple Music Note Workout

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Functional Ear Trainer at 96% against Simple Music Note Workout's 0%. Functional Ear Trainer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (3.7K vs 1). Simple Music Note Workout's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Functional Ear Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Simple Music Note Workout sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Functional Ear Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Functional Ear Trainer has 3.7K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of Functional Ear Trainer's written reviews are positive against 0% of Simple Music Note Workout's.

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, Simple Music Note Workout fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Functional Ear Trainer | Simple Music Note Workout |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews)** | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-music-note-workout/id1160706552/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **96.1% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 41 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Serhii Korchan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1088761925) | [Guillaume Laurent](https://appshunter.io/developer/1160706551) |

## What reviewers say

### Functional Ear Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926)

Develop your musical ear by learning to recognize tones within the context of a specific musical key. This app helps you understand the function of each note, improving your ability to transcribe, improvise, and play music by ear. Suitable for all ages and skill levels, with just 10 minutes of daily practice.

**Highlights:** Recognize tones in musical key context, Understand note function, Improve transcription skills, Enhance improvisation, Develop perfect pitch, Daily 10-minute practice

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Functional Ear Trainer Plus | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Effective ear training
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Customizable exercises
- 🎉 Noticeable improvement with regular practice
- 🎨 Visually appealing design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional audio glitches
- 💡 Lack of support for other instruments besides piano
- 💡 Desire for more advanced features (e.g. chord recognition)

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard display issues when selecting all chromatic notes
- Inconsistent note resolutions in some exercises

**Requested features**

- Add support for multiple notes/chords at once
- Implement a mode for training key recognition
- Provide more customization options for exercises
- Include voice input to play the notes
- Add support for German/Norwegian key names


### Simple Music Note Workout

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simple-music-note-workout/id1160706552)

Practice note recognition on your instrument with this app. It helps you learn your fretboard or keyboard by identifying notes you play and offering three difficulty levels. Additional music notation and ear training exercises are available.

**Highlights:** Note recognition by ear, Instrument fretboard/keyboard learning, Pitch recognition feedback, Three difficulty levels, Music notation exercises (in-app purchase), Ear training exercises (in-app purchase)

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Music Notation and Ear Training Exercises | $0.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Functional Ear Trainer free?

Functional Ear Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Simple Music Note Workout free?

Simple Music Note Workout is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Functional Ear Trainer or Simple Music Note Workout?

Functional Ear Trainer is rated higher. Functional Ear Trainer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while Simple Music Note Workout averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Functional Ear Trainer or Simple Music Note Workout have ads?

Neither Functional Ear Trainer nor Simple Music Note Workout shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Functional Ear Trainer or Simple Music Note Workout?

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, and Simple Music Note Workout fortnightly. Most recently, Functional Ear Trainer was updated on October 16, 2026 and Simple Music Note Workout on October 3, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*