# Functional Ear Trainer vs EarForge

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Functional Ear Trainer at 96% against EarForge's 63%. Functional Ear Trainer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and ratings volume (3.7K vs 292). EarForge's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (13.0 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 EarForge sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

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 3.7K ratings behind it against 292, 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 63% of EarForge's.

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, EarForge every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Functional Ear Trainer | EarForge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews)** | [4.6 (292 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earforge-learn-ear-training/id1429049063/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | 292 |
| Positive reviews | **96.1% of reviews** | 62.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 41 MB | 93 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Serhii Korchan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1088761925) | [Patcharapon Phasukdee](https://appshunter.io/developer/1156091836) |

## 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


### EarForge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earforge-learn-ear-training/id1429049063)

This app offers a structured ear training program designed to improve your sense of pitch and ability to recognize musical notes and chords. It features progressive lessons, personalized quizzes, and detailed progress tracking. Advanced users can create custom training sessions for specific musical elements.

**Highlights:** 30-level note recognition program, Chord identification lessons, Customizable note and chord training, Progress tracking with profile statistics, Ad-free experience (PRO), Exclusive themes (PRO)

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $19.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Functional Ear Trainer free?

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

### Is EarForge free?

EarForge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Functional Ear Trainer or EarForge?

Functional Ear Trainer is rated higher. Functional Ear Trainer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while EarForge averages 4.6 from 292 ratings.

### Do Functional Ear Trainer or EarForge have ads?

Neither Functional Ear Trainer nor EarForge shows ads.

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

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, and EarForge every 5 weeks. Most recently, Functional Ear Trainer was updated on October 14, 2026 and EarForge on October 8, 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.*