# Functional Ear Trainer vs Hearing

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Functional Ear Trainer at 97% against Hearing's 40%. Functional Ear Trainer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Hearing's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Functional Ear Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Hearing 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 120, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 97% of Functional Ear Trainer's written reviews are positive against 40% of Hearing's.

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, Hearing every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Functional Ear Trainer | Hearing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews)** | [4.6 (120 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearing-ear-training-piano/id1474241582/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 120 |
| Positive reviews | **96.7% of reviews** | 40.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 6 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 41 MB | 74 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) | [Alexey Ovod](https://appshunter.io/developer/1545142178) |

## 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


### Hearing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hearing-ear-training-piano/id1474241582)

Develop your musical ear with ear training exercises and melodic dictations. Practice identifying notes and transcribing music using various instruments and notation systems. Improve your sight-reading and singing skills to become a better musician.

**Highlights:** Ear training exercises, Melodic dictations, Note identification, Sight-reading practice, Multiple instrument support, Various musical notations

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**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 Hearing free?

Hearing is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Functional Ear Trainer is rated higher. Functional Ear Trainer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while Hearing averages 4.6 from 120 ratings.

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

Hearing shows ads; Functional Ear Trainer does not.

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

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, and Hearing every 6 months. Most recently, Functional Ear Trainer was updated on November 5, 2026 and Hearing on November 3, 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.*