Comparison

Ear training vs Music Buddy Pro

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

Head to head
About

Ear training

Develop perfect pitch and recognize notes, chords, and melodies by ear. This app offers a series of exercises to train your aural skills, with explanations and hints to help you learn at your own pace. Improve your ability to play along with songs or guess melodies.

Highlights
  • Develop perfect pitch
  • Recognize notes and chords
  • Identify intervals and chord progressions
  • Learn major and minor scales
  • Instrument-specific practice
  • Hint function
Features
Read full description

Would you like to be able to guess melodies by hearing them or be able to play accompaniment to your favorite songs on the guitar or piano? Ear training is the perfect app for you! This app will help you develop perfect pitch, and train your ear to recognize notes and chords in any key. The app consists of a series of exercises, which will gradually introduce you to all the notes and chords in the major and minor scales. You can also practice identifying intervals and chord progressions. Each exercise is accompanied by a clear and concise explanation, so you can understand the theory behind it. And if you get stuck, the app includes a handy hint function. The exercises are tailored to help you improve your aural skills, so you can develop at your own pace. You can also choose to practice in a particular key, or with a particular instrument. So why wait? Start training your ear today!

About

Music Buddy Pro

Master music theory with this app. Learn to recognize notes, key signatures, and intervals quickly through repetition and visual patterns. Supports multiple international note-naming systems and offers customizable learning modules for all skill levels.

Highlights
  • Note recognition
  • Key signature memorization
  • Interval training
  • Circle of fifths practice
  • Multiple note-naming systems
  • Customizable learning modules
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Music Buddy Pro – learn and memorize notes, key signatures (circle of fifths), and intervals, practice sight reading sheet music using flash cards principle.   Read sheet music quickly and effortlessly like a pro. Learn to recognize notes, key signatures, and intervals in the blink of an eye. Three independent learning modules in one app. Set aside five minutes a day for this app and you'll be reading sheet music like a professional musician in no time. The app uses an ingenious approach to memorizing information through repetition and visual patterns with a focus on hard-to-remember pieces of information.   The simple, elegant, and intuitive interface allows you to switch between different note-naming systems used in major countries around the world: • C D E F G A B (major + minor, 大调 + 小调, 大調 + 小調) • C D E F G A H (dur + moll) • Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si (mayor + menor, maior + menor, majeur + mineur, maggiore + minore) • Дo Рe Ми Фа Coль Ля Си (мажор + минор) • ハ ニ ホ ヘ ト イ ロ (長調 + 短調) • 도 레 미 파 솔 라 시 (장조 + 단조)   The learning experience starts by tapping the big frame with a graphical representation of selected options on the main screen of each module. A neat interface will efficiently teach you your coveted knowledge – after each session you will see a significant improvement. And you can follow your achievements on the Results screen, where everything is summarized in a beautiful chart.   Every module has a wealth of options that are accessible by tapping the Options button in the top right corner of the main screen of the module. On the following screen you can then choose options to your liking.   Notes module: This module will teach you to quickly recognize notes without thinking about it – you’ll look at them and you’ll simply know them. On the Options screen of this module you can choose from four clefs (treble, bass, alto, and tenor), you can set your own range of notes you want to learn (all notes, basic notes, notes above and below the staff, or your own selection), and you can also set the key (start with the simplest C major and make your way through toward the most challenging A flat minor).   Key Signatures module: This module will help you memorize the circle of fifths – a must for every musician. You will learn to recognize keys based on the number of sharps or flats in a key signature at the beginning of a staff. On the Options screen of this module, you can choose from two types of keys (major and minor), you can set your own range of key signatures you want to learn (from C major | A minor to C flat major | A flat minor) and you can also choose from four clefs here (treble, bass, alto, and tenor).   Intervals module: This module is especially helpful for pianists. Skilled pianists don't need to identify every note in a sheet. They recognize patterns based on the distance between notes (intervals) and automatically stretch their fingers accordingly. On the Options screen of this module, you can choose from two types of intervals (melodic and harmonic), you can set your own range of intervals you want to learn (from unison to octave), and you can also choose from four clefs here (treble, bass, alto, and tenor).   Each module keeps its own history of your results, accessible using a dedicated History button, and also contains a Music Theory section accessible via the button with the same name.   All exercises are accompanied by beautifully recorded sounds of a real acoustic grand piano. The sounds can be muted or unmuted for each module independently using a button below the staff on the Exercise screen or in the options of the particular module. The volume can be set globally for the whole app in Settings, or you can use the device hardware buttons.   Good luck on your journey toward becoming a great musician!

Screenshots

Ear training4 screens
Music Buddy Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Music Buddy Pro at 100% against Ear training's 33%. Music Buddy Pro also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.5). Ear training's advantage is price (Free vs $3.99) and ratings volume (248 vs 1). On in-app purchases and device support 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

Ear training is free to download; Music Buddy Pro costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Music Buddy Pro holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ear training has 248 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Ear training's written reviews are positive against 100% of Music Buddy Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ear training ships an update every 8 months, Music Buddy Pro every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 27, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Ear training versus Music Buddy Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEar trainingMusic Buddy Pro
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.5 (248 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings248 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 8 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlexey OvodVladimir Vasek

Customer experience

Ear training

All ratings245 ratings
Positive86.9%
Neutral5.7%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews129 reviews
Positive32.6%
Neutral14.7%
Negative52.7%

Music Buddy Pro

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Ear training

No in-app purchases

None

Music Buddy Pro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ear training free?
Ear training is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Music Buddy Pro free?
Music Buddy Pro costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ear training or Music Buddy Pro?
Music Buddy Pro is rated higher. Ear training averages 4.5 out of 5 from 248 ratings, while Music Buddy Pro averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ear training or Music Buddy Pro have ads?
Ear training shows ads; Music Buddy Pro does not.
Which is updated more often, Ear training or Music Buddy Pro?
Ear training ships an update every 8 months, and Music Buddy Pro every 5 weeks. Most recently, Ear training was updated on October 27, 2026 and Music Buddy Pro on October 27, 2026.

Other comparisons