# Functional Ear Trainer vs Modes

The clearest difference is update cadence: Modes at every 3 weeks against Functional Ear Trainer's every 7 months. Functional Ear Trainer's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, Modes every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Functional Ear Trainer | Modes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 96.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 41 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Serhii Korchan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1088761925) | [GITC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1839082765) |

## 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


### Modes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/modes/id6757521945)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Access | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Functional Ear Trainer free?

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

### Is Modes free?

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

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

Neither Functional Ear Trainer nor Modes shows ads.

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

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, and Modes every 3 weeks. Most recently, Functional Ear Trainer was updated on October 14, 2026 and Modes on October 11, 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.*