Comparison

Ear Training App vs Music Theory Essentials

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

Head to head
About

Ear Training App

This app offers a gamified approach to learning music theory, covering intervals, rhythm, and sight-reading. It features a guided "Journey" mode for beginners and a "Free Play" mode for advanced musicians to hone specific skills.

Highlights
  • Gamified music learning
  • Interval recognition
  • Rhythm training
  • Sight-reading practice
  • AI personalized tips
  • Progress tracking
Features
Read full description

Train your musical ear through games. NoteHunter is two apps in one: a guided Journey that teaches music the way real teachers do, and a Free Play sandbox where serious musicians drill the skills they actually need. LEARN: A FULL MUSIC THEORY COURSE (NEW) Nine units and 47 short lessons cover how music actually works: the staff, note names, rhythm and meter, scales, keys and the circle of fifths, intervals, chords, and cadences. Every lesson plays what it teaches, and quick drills after each one make sure it stuck. THE JOURNEY (great for kids, parents, and beginners) A step-by-step path through four biomes: Meadow, Forest, Mountains, and Ocean. Each biome adds new skills in the order music education actually teaches them. Higher or Lower comparisons, melodic contour, Sol-Mi singing, intervals, rhythm patterns, and sight reading. A friendly Bear mascot walks the map with you. Meadow and Forest are free; Mountains and Ocean unlock with Premium. FREE PLAY (for musicians who know what they want to practice) Jump into any drill at any difficulty: • Note Practice: identify random notes across your chosen pitch range • Interval Training: recognize the distance between two notes • Rhythm Hunter: drag and drop beats, from quarter notes to complex syncopation • Sheet Reading: read notes from the staff with adjustable difficulty ranges INSIDE EVERY MODE • AI Coach gives personalized tips and explanations as you play • Add reference notes to ground your practice • Multiple time signatures (4/4, 3/4, 2/4, 6/8) • Track streaks, accuracy, and progress across all modes • Haptic feedback so you feel every beat • Piano, guitar, violin, and flute sounds • Game Center leaderboards and achievements For kids, parents, music students, singers, and any musician who wants stronger ears. Start free. Start now. The app offers subscriptions that unlock custom settings and unlimited play: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Music Theory Essentials

Learn the fundamentals of music theory with this comprehensive app. It offers a structured approach to understanding notes, rhythm, scales, chords, and more, suitable for beginners and experienced musicians alike. Explore the science and creativity of music in an engaging and accessible way.

Highlights
  • Structured learning path
  • Covers notes, rhythm, scales, and chords
  • Information on sound physics
  • Major-minor tonality
  • Harmonic functions and keys
  • Articulation and dynamics
Read full description

Discover Music Theory Essentials, the all-in-one app for learning music theory! Created for both beginner musicians who want to explore the secrets of music, and experienced artists who wish to refresh and organize their knowledge. Music Theory Essentials will take you on a musical journey where the next levels of learning naturally flow from the previous ones. Our application uses educational techniques that allow for the systematic and effective acquisition of knowledge. Enjoy learning without feeling cluttered or overloaded with information. In Music Theory Essentials you will find information about musical notes, rhythm, scales, intervals, chords, physical features of the sound, major-minor tonality, basic harmonic functions, keys, articulation, and dynamics. Everyone will find something for themselves here! The application was written by professional musicians Jerzy and Michał Kluzowicz. It is the result of their many years of teaching, academic, performing and, above all, composing experience (both are graduates of composition at the Academy of Music in Krakow, Poland). Dozens of people collaborated on the creation of Music Theory Essentials: programmers, graphic designers, managers, translators, testers, etc. We are all very happy to present the fruits of our work! Find out more about the team here: …………………………………………………………… We especially want to support teachers. For them, we have created a program that allows to access our premium application for free. If you are a teacher and want to get access to the free version of the application for your students, please contact us at mobile@netigen.eu. Music Theory Essentials is your ticket to the world of music. Whether you're an absolute beginner, budding artist, seasoned musician, teacher, or you are just interested in music generally, our app is here to help you discover the science, creativity, and beauty of music. Try it now! NOTE: The content of the application refers to European musical tradition. The application uses English names of the notes: C D E F G A B and internationally accepted names of the octaves (so-called IPN). ATTENTION! ! All rights reserved at WIPO. Unlawful use of intellectual property will be reported to the appropriate investigating authorities Privacy Policy: https://netigen.eu/en/privacy/ Terms and Conditions: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Ear Training App4 screens
Music Theory Essentials4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Music Theory Essentials at 100% against Ear Training App's 50%. Music Theory Essentials also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). Ear Training App's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 10 days vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Ear Training App sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Music Theory Essentials sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Music Theory Essentials holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Ear Training App's written reviews are positive against 100% of Music Theory Essentials's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ear Training App ships an update every 10 days, Music Theory Essentials monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Ear Training App versus Music Theory Essentials: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEar Training AppMusic Theory Essentials
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size139 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAkos KomuvesNETIGEN Kluzowicz sp. j.

Customer experience

Ear Training App

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Music Theory Essentials

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Ear Training App

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$24.99
8 purchases

Music Theory Essentials

Subscriptions2
  • 1 week subscription3 Days trial$3.997 Days
  • 6 months subscription$9.996 Months
One-time6
  • Chapter 1$1.99
  • Chapter 5$3.99
  • Chapter 4$6.99
Show 3 more
  • Access to all content$8.99
  • Chapter 3$8.99
  • Chapter 2$9.99

Questions

Is Ear Training App free?
Ear Training App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Music Theory Essentials free?
Music Theory Essentials is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ear Training App or Music Theory Essentials?
Music Theory Essentials is rated higher. Ear Training App averages 4.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Music Theory Essentials averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ear Training App or Music Theory Essentials have ads?
Music Theory Essentials shows ads; Ear Training App does not.
Which is updated more often, Ear Training App or Music Theory Essentials?
Ear Training App ships an update every 10 days, and Music Theory Essentials monthly. Most recently, Ear Training App was updated on October 24, 2026 and Music Theory Essentials on October 19, 2026.

Other comparisons