# Functional Ear Trainer vs Ear Training University

The clearest difference is price: Functional Ear Trainer at Free against Ear Training University's $0.99. Functional Ear Trainer also leads on review sentiment (96% vs 53%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Ear Training University's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Functional Ear Trainer is free to download; Ear Training University costs $0.99 up front. Functional Ear Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ear Training University asks for nothing beyond the download.

Functional Ear Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Functional Ear Trainer has 3.8K ratings behind it against 76, 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 53% of Ear Training University's.

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, Ear Training University monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Functional Ear Trainer | Ear Training University |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.9 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews)** | [4.6 (76 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ear-training-university/id1354638884/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 76 |
| Positive reviews | **96.2% of reviews** | 53.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 41 MB | 91 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) | [Sean Thomas](https://appshunter.io/developer/1354638883) |

## 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


### Ear Training University

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ear-training-university/id1354638884)

This app systematically builds your relative pitch by combining video instruction with interactive singing and listening drills. It tracks your progress, offers customizable settings, and can send reports to your music teacher.

**Highlights:** Interval and chord identification drills, Singing and listening exercises, Video instruction, Progress tracking, Teacher progress reports, On-screen piano keyboard

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Functional Ear Trainer free?

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

### Is Ear Training University free?

Ear Training University costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Functional Ear Trainer or Ear Training University?

Functional Ear Trainer is rated higher. Functional Ear Trainer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while Ear Training University averages 4.6 from 76 ratings.

### Do Functional Ear Trainer or Ear Training University have ads?

Neither Functional Ear Trainer nor Ear Training University shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Functional Ear Trainer or Ear Training University?

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, and Ear Training University monthly. Most recently, Functional Ear Trainer was updated on October 29, 2026 and Ear Training University on October 22, 2026.

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