Comparison

Functional Ear Trainer vs Number System Trainer

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Functional Ear Trainer

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
Read full description

Have you (or maybe one of your friends) ever wanted to learn to transcribe or play music by ear? It is so important for a musician to know what you are hearing. A good musical ear helps when you are composing, improvising, transcribing melodies, or playing with others. Most likely you have already tried different programs to learn to recognize intervals or even to acquire perfect pitch. However, although such programs develop your ear, but can you actually play any melody you hear as soon as you listen to it? Imagine you could understand music... It is like when somebody is talking to you, you not only hear pleasant sounds, but you recognize words and their meaning. One day I came across Alain Benbassat's program called "Functional Ear Trainer" and have been using it ever since. It is based on Alain's method to learn to recognize tones. The main difference between the Functional Ear Trainer and other methods is that it teaches you to distinguish between tones in the context of a particular musical key. You begin to recognize the role (or function) of each tone in this key, which is incredibly similar to its role in other keys of the same scale. And it is *guaranteed* anyone can gradually develop this skill. It does not matter: - who you are - an absolute beginner in music or a virtuoso professional musician; - how old you are - a 3 yo kid or a 90+ adult; - what musical instrument you play (you don't even have to play one). The only requirement is to practice for 10 minutes a day. I was so excited about this ear trainer that I have developed a mobile app based on the Alain Benbassat method. I hope you will find it useful.

About

Number System Trainer

Learn and master the Nashville Number System for music. This app offers interactive modules to help musicians of all levels understand chord progressions, transpose songs, and improve their ear training. It's designed for quick learning and on-the-fly musical communication.

Highlights
  • Interactive learning modules
  • Chord reading and identification
  • Instant transposition
  • Ear training exercises
  • Visual chord shapes
  • Circle of 4ths & 5ths reference
Features
Read full description

Number System Trainer teaches you the Nashville Number System — the method worship musicians and session players use to learn songs fast, transpose on the fly, and communicate with any musician in any key. Whether you're a beginner who only knows 3 chords or an experienced worship leader, this app meets you where you are. 6 INTERACTIVE MODULES • Learn — A 5-step intro to how the number system works • Read Charts — 4 levels from basic chords to slash chords • Transpose — Move full progressions to any key instantly • Ear Training — 3 levels, identify chords just by listening • Play Along — See piano and guitar shapes in every key, with capo tips built in • Circle of 4ths & 5ths — Tap any key to see all 7 chords No login required. Works instantly.

Screenshots

Functional Ear Trainer4 screens
Number System Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Number System Trainer at none against Functional Ear Trainer's 1. Number System Trainer also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 7 months). Functional Ear Trainer's advantage is ratings volume (3.7K vs 10). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Functional Ear Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Number System Trainer asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Functional Ear Trainer against 5.0 for Number System Trainer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Functional Ear Trainer has 3.7K ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 96% of Functional Ear Trainer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Number System Trainer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, Number System Trainer weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Functional Ear Trainer versus Number System Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFunctional Ear TrainerNumber System Trainer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (3.7K ratings)5.0 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews96.2% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.7K — better10
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSerhii KorchanBrandon Oaks

Customer experience

Functional Ear Trainer

All ratings3,749 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews612 reviews
Positive96.2%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.0%

Number System Trainer

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Functional Ear Trainer

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Number System Trainer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Functional Ear Trainer

One-time1
  • Functional Ear Trainer Plus$19.99
None

Number System Trainer

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Functional Ear Trainer free?
Functional Ear Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Number System Trainer free?
Number System Trainer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Functional Ear Trainer or Number System Trainer?
Number System Trainer is rated higher. Functional Ear Trainer averages 4.9 out of 5 from 3.7K ratings, while Number System Trainer averages 5.0 from 10 ratings.
Do Functional Ear Trainer or Number System Trainer have ads?
Neither Functional Ear Trainer nor Number System Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Functional Ear Trainer or Number System Trainer?
Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, and Number System Trainer weekly. Most recently, Functional Ear Trainer was updated on September 28, 2026 and Number System Trainer on September 14, 2026.

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