Comparison

Active Ear vs MIDIculous Learning Software

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

Head to head
About

Active Ear

Develop your musical ear with a comprehensive ear training app. It offers various exercises to help musicians identify pitches, intervals, chords, and progressions. Customize your learning with practice modes and test your knowledge with quizzes.

Highlights
  • Pitch Recognition
  • Interval Training
  • Chord Quality Identification
  • Bassline Training
  • Progression Training
  • Chord Inversions
  • Customizable Practice Mode
  • Quiz Mode
Features
Read full description

Active Ear is for musicians of all skill levels and instrument types. With dozens of exercises ranging from beginner to advanced, Active Ear focuses on teaching you to identify pitches, intervals, chords, and progressions using only your Ear. The Practice Mode of the app allows you to customize the challenges to focus only on areas you're interested in improving. Once you're confident with the Practice Mode, you test yourself in the Quiz Mode of the app to see how well you understand the concepts. Active Ear Comes with six Ear Training Programs: -
Pitch Recognition -
Interval Training -
Chord Quality -
Bassline Training
 -
Progression Training
 - Chord Inversions

About

MIDIculous Learning Software

This music learning software allows users to play MIDI files with high-quality virtual instruments. It offers features to manipulate pitch, key, and tempo for various media, and enables teachers to create synchronized learning files for students.

Highlights
  • High-quality MIDI file player
  • Load and manipulate MIDI, Audio, and Video files
  • Create and share proprietary LMS/LMV learning files
  • Virtual instrument display with animated colorization
  • VST/AU/AAX plugin support
  • Resizable interface and detachable widgets
Features
Read full description

High Quality MIDI File Player: MIDIculous is the most feature-rich music learning software for students and teachers. At its core it is a high quality MIDI File Player where you can use the stock General MIDI soundest or you can use AUv3 apps already installed on your iPad. ————— Learning Tool for Musicians: If you upgrade to the Pro Expansion, you will gain the ability to load virtually any MIDI, Audio, and video file to be able to change the pitch, key, transpose, and loop in order to learn from the various different media sources. We recommend trying to find the MIDI file as this is the only file format that allows you to view the actual note data using our beautiful virtual instruments. ————— Proprietary LMV and LMS Files: LMV and LMS respectively stands for Live-MIDI-VIDO and Live-MIDI-Sync. Out of the box, MIDIculous can play these files for free. These are proprietary files that can contain a combination of MIDI, Audio, and/or video at the same time. So picture this super learning file that contains multi-channel MIDI and a video file all in one, where a student can see the video AND see the notes of the MIDI in sync at the same time, such that when the user wants to change the pitch, loop, or slow down the video to learn, all of the comments are precisely in sync with one another. A teacher who purchases the Pro version will be able to make this proprietary file and send this file to all of their students and the student can view this file using the FREE player. This makes for the most amazing supplemental tool and resource for their students. ———— Online Learning Display: With the most beautifully designed virtual instruments (Bass, Guitar, Drums, Keyboard, Organ) a teacher can display or project their screen through avenues such as Zoom, Ecamm, and OBS for a virtual seminar or session with their student. Allowing the student to see the animated colorization of instruments allows for a better teaching and learning experience. ———— The FREE Versions Allows: 1. FREE Version plays LMS and LMV files 2. Full MIDI Input and Instruments Display 3. Play Plugins through LMS/LMV Files The Pro Version Unlocks: 1. Play all supported media files 2. Detach Instruments and Widgets 3. Load as a Plugin in your DAW 4. Create LMS and LMV files for students ———— Main Highlights: • Completely new source code and architecture • Comes as a VST/AU/AAX Plugin • New Resizable Interface and widgets • All components detachable and colorable (Score, Chords, Instruments, Pedals) • Plugin Manager to Manage Plugins • Updated Animated Modwheels • Updated Animated 3-Foot Pedals (Sustain, Soft, Sostenuto) • Updated recognition of sharps, accidentals, and enharmonics  ———— Main Features • Vector based UI for crisp HD graphics • Resizable GUI and Distortion modes • Load MIDI Files with full sound, Sysex changes, tempo, and key signatures recognized • Load Audio Files • Load Video Files • Load LMS (Live-MIDI Sync) which is a MIDI and an Audio file in one file for detailed instructions from teachers with MIDI data.  • Load LMV (Live-MIDI Video) which is a Video and Audio file together for enhanced visual lesson with MIDI data.  • Change Pitch, Tempo for file or loop points for Audio, MIDI, and Video • High Quality Re-Pitch algorithm with adjustable re-pitching and slow-down modes • Score View • Solfege Notation with two international standard version options • Create Loop points • Save all settings and loop points to a .midiculous file • GM Sound source through OS • Set the Root Tempo and Root Key.  • Split keyboard options for MIDI Input and for MIDI file playback • Panic button for stuck notes • Dedicated MIDI input that can be mixed with MIDI notes.  • Viewable Sustain pedal view • Detachable objects with fully customizable colors • Keyboards to have multiple keyboard views • VST/AU/AAX Plugin Capable • MIDI Forwarding Options • Dedicated Plugin Manager to isolate crashed plugins

Screenshots

Active Ear4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Active Ear at 94% against MIDIculous Learning Software's 50%. Active Ear also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (monthly vs every 7 months). MIDIculous Learning Software's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). On price 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. MIDIculous Learning Software sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Active Ear asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Active Ear ships an update monthly, MIDIculous Learning Software every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and July 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Active Ear versus MIDIculous Learning Software: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterActive EarMIDIculous Learning Software
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (50 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews93.8% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings50 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 7 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.111.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB314 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMCPHERSON'S MUSIC LLCMIDIculous LLC

Customer experience

Active Ear

All ratings50 ratings
Positive94.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive93.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.3%

MIDIculous Learning Software

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

Active Ear

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

MIDIculous Learning Software

One-time2
  • MiDIculous Signature Keys$9.99
  • Pro Expansion$12.99

Questions

Is Active Ear free?
Active Ear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MIDIculous Learning Software free?
MIDIculous Learning Software is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Active Ear or MIDIculous Learning Software have ads?
Neither Active Ear nor MIDIculous Learning Software shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Active Ear or MIDIculous Learning Software?
Active Ear ships an update monthly, and MIDIculous Learning Software every 7 months. Most recently, Active Ear was updated on June 10, 2026 and MIDIculous Learning Software on July 13, 2026.

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