# Functional Ear Trainer vs Number System Trainer

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.

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

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.

Functional Ear Trainer ships an update every 7 months, Number System Trainer weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Functional Ear Trainer | Number System Trainer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews) | **[5.0 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/number-system-trainer/id6786437503/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.7K** | 10 |
| Positive reviews | 96.2% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 41 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Serhii Korchan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1088761925) | [Brandon Oaks](https://appshunter.io/developer/6786437505) |

## 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


### Number System Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/number-system-trainer/id6786437503)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**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 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 October 1, 2026 and Number System Trainer on September 14, 2026.

---

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