# EarMaster vs Basic Pitch

The clearest difference is price: EarMaster at Free against Basic Pitch's $1.99. EarMaster also leads on ratings volume (423 vs 11) and review sentiment (81% vs 67%). Basic Pitch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 22) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

EarMaster is free to download; Basic Pitch costs $1.99 up front. EarMaster sells 22 one-off in-app purchases. Basic Pitch asks for nothing beyond the download.

Basic Pitch holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EarMaster has 423 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 81% of EarMaster's written reviews are positive against 67% of Basic Pitch's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

EarMaster ships an update every 2 months, Basic Pitch every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | EarMaster | Basic Pitch |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.6 (423 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earmaster-music-theory/id1105030163/reviews) | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-pitch/id6448245188/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **423** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **81.2% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 306 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [EarMaster ApS](https://appshunter.io/developer/412621345) | [Carlos DeSoto](https://appshunter.io/developer/1505427949) |

## What reviewers say

### EarMaster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/earmaster-music-theory/id1105030163)

Enhance your musical abilities with comprehensive ear training, sight-singing, and rhythm exercises. This app offers thousands of lessons for all skill levels, from beginners to advanced musicians, and is used by top music schools.

**Highlights:** Ear training exercises, Sight-singing practice, Rhythm training, Vocal training, Beginner's course, Customizable exercises, Detailed progress stats

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (22)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Customized: Chord Progressions | $0.99 | one-time |
| Customized: Interval Singing | $0.99 | one-time |
| General Workshop: Scale Identification | $0.99 | one-time |
| General Workshop: Interval Comparison | $0.99 | one-time |
| Customized Exercise: Scale Identification | $0.99 | one-time |
| General Workshop: Rhythmic Sight-Reading | $1.99 | one-time |
| General: Chord Identification | $1.99 | one-time |
| General: Interval Singing | $1.99 | one-time |
| General: Interval Identification | $1.99 | one-time |
| General: Chord Progressions | $1.99 | one-time |
| Jazz: Chord Identification | $1.99 | one-time |
| Customized Exercise: Melodic Dictation | $1.99 | one-time |
| Customized Exercise: Melodic Sight-Singing | $1.99 | one-time |
| Jazz Workshop: Chord Progressions | $1.99 | one-time |
| General Workshop: Melodic Sight-Singing | $1.99 | one-time |
| Beginner's Course: Modules 5 to 13 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Beginner's Course bundle | $7.99 | one-time |
| Solfege Fundamentals | $9.99 | one-time |
| Customized Exercises bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| General Workshops bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| Jazz Workshops bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| Vocal Trainer | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent for sight reading and vocal singing
- 👍 Helpful for improving musicianship and sharpening ears
- 💡 Customizable exercises and lessons
- 🚀 Systematic and progressive approach
- 👍 Covers a wide range of topics (intervals, chords, rhythm, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Pitch recognition issues, especially for lower voices
- 🐛 Rhythm playback issues on some devices
- 💰 Expensive, with in-app purchases required for full access
- 🤔 Forced landscape mode on mobile devices

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and errors when loading certain exercises
- Inconsistent behavior with metronome and rhythm playback
- Issues with saving progress and restoring purchased content

**Requested features**

- Allow users to specify their vocal range
- Add more chord and chord progression options
- Implement a jazz-focused curriculum
- Improve feedback and error analysis for users
- Add support for different tuning systems


### Basic Pitch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-pitch/id6448245188)

This app makes music education engaging for all skill levels. It offers a gamified approach to ear training and sight-singing, essential skills for musicians. Learn to identify pitches, intervals, scales, chords, and rhythms through interactive exercises.

**Highlights:** Gamified music education, Ear training exercises, Sight-singing practice, Learn music theory concepts, Identify pitches and intervals, Chord and rhythm recognition

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is EarMaster free?

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

### Is Basic Pitch free?

Basic Pitch costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, EarMaster or Basic Pitch?

Basic Pitch is rated higher. EarMaster averages 4.6 out of 5 from 423 ratings, while Basic Pitch averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.

### Do EarMaster or Basic Pitch have ads?

Neither EarMaster nor Basic Pitch shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, EarMaster or Basic Pitch?

EarMaster ships an update every 2 months, and Basic Pitch every 5 weeks. Most recently, EarMaster was updated on September 28, 2026 and Basic Pitch on September 29, 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.*