# Hooktheory II vs Sonofield Ear Trainer

The clearest difference is price: Sonofield Ear Trainer at Free against Hooktheory II's $19.99. Sonofield Ear Trainer also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (376 vs 28). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Sonofield Ear Trainer is free to download; Hooktheory II costs $19.99 up front. Hooktheory II sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sonofield Ear Trainer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Hooktheory II against 4.9 for Sonofield Ear Trainer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sonofield Ear Trainer has 376 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Hooktheory II's written reviews are positive against 89% of Sonofield Ear Trainer's.

Hooktheory II ships an update monthly, Sonofield Ear Trainer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hooktheory II | Sonofield Ear Trainer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $19.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.8 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-ii/id1148793641/reviews) | **[4.9 (376 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sonofield-ear-trainer/id6740409139/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 28 | **376** |
| Positive reviews | **92.0% of reviews** | 88.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 123 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Hooktheory LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/862112895) | [Sonofield Ear Trainer Education Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1789801335) |

## What reviewers say

### Hooktheory II

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hooktheory-ii/id1148793641)

This app helps you understand and create sophisticated music by teaching advanced chord progressions and melody techniques. Learn from interactive exercises and audiovisual examples inspired by popular artists. It's designed for musicians looking to enhance their songwriting skills.

**Highlights:** Learn seventh chords, embellishments, and secondary chords, Master minor harmony, modes, and modal mixture, Discover songwriting tactics from famous artists, Interactive exercises and audiovisual examples, Compose chords and melody in various scales, Utilize chord inversions and complex chord types

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Version | $19.99 | one-time |


### Sonofield Ear Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sonofield-ear-trainer/id6740409139)

This app helps musicians develop their ear by focusing on the feeling of individual notes within a key, rather than traditional interval training. It uses sustained drones and offers various modes like identifying scale degrees, melodies, and singing exercises. The app adapts to your skill level with an intuitive interface and progression path.

**Highlights:** Feeling-based note recognition, Scale degree identification, Melody recognition training, Singing exercises, Hands-free training mode, Interactive exploration instrument

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Pro | $14.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro | $17.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro | $19.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent ear training tool
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly design
- 🎶 Effective for improving relative pitch
- 💡 Innovative use of drone and scale degrees
- 🎯 Helpful for aural skills development

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Challenging for true beginners
- 💭 Desire for more customization options

**Reported bugs**

- None reported

**Requested features**

- Option to switch between 12TET and just intonation
- Ability to reduce octave range
- Incorporate more timbre options for drone and notes
- Tracking and visualization of progress and learned skills
- Add interactive tutorial for level 1


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hooktheory II free?

Hooktheory II costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Sonofield Ear Trainer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Hooktheory II or Sonofield Ear Trainer?

Sonofield Ear Trainer is rated higher. Hooktheory II averages 4.8 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Sonofield Ear Trainer averages 4.9 from 376 ratings.

### Do Hooktheory II or Sonofield Ear Trainer have ads?

Neither Hooktheory II nor Sonofield Ear Trainer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hooktheory II or Sonofield Ear Trainer?

Hooktheory II ships an update monthly, and Sonofield Ear Trainer every 9 days. Most recently, Hooktheory II was updated on October 8, 2026 and Sonofield Ear Trainer on October 17, 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.*