Comparison

Cantonese Guru vs HarmoniQ

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

Head to head
About

Cantonese Guru

This app offers a structured approach to learning Cantonese, covering vocabulary, character writing, pronunciation, and listening. It functions as both a learning tool and a reference, supporting traditional and simplified Chinese characters. Users can create custom study lists and access a comprehensive dictionary.

Highlights
  • Vocabulary and character study
  • Stroke-by-stroke character writing
  • Tone and pronunciation training
  • Spaced repetition reviews
  • Listening and reading practice
  • Customizable study lists
  • Comprehensive Cantonese dictionary
Features
Read full description

Learning Cantonese Chinese takes time, structure, and consistency. Cantonese Guru is designed for learners who want to progress seriously and sustainably, from beginner to advanced levels. Whether you are studying Cantonese at university, preparing for language exams, or learning out of personal interest, the app helps you develop all essential skills at your own pace. Cantonese Guru works both as a learning app and as a daily Cantonese reference tool, helping you build real, lasting skills. It fully supports traditional and simplified Chinese characters, as well as Cantonese-specific forms. — A COMPLETE AND STRUCTURED APPROACH Cantonese Guru combines active learning, intelligent reviews, and high-quality reference tools to support long-term memorization. • Vocabulary and Cantonese character study • Stroke-by-stroke Chinese character writing • Tone and pronunciation training • Smart review sessions based on spaced repetition (SRS) • Listening and reading practice adapted to Cantonese — CUSTOM & DOWNLOADABLE STUDY LISTS Cantonese Guru lets you study efficiently with ready-made and personalized content. • Downloadable word lists inspired by common Cantonese textbooks and learning programs • Curated vocabulary sets by level and topic • Create your own custom lists directly from the dictionary • Focus your study on exactly what you need, at your own pace This flexible system allows you to work on specific themes, reinforce weak points, or build personalized study paths. — A SERIOUS LEARNING TOOL, NOT A GIMMICK APP Cantonese Guru includes: • A comprehensive Cantonese dictionary (140,000+ entries) • Search by Cantonese, Jyutping, Yale, or English • Radical- and key-based character search • Handwriting input for character lookup • Customizable word lists and detailed entry information • Reference tools dedicated to the Cantonese language The app is used as both a reference and learning tool by students, self-learners, and language enthusiasts who want to progress with method and clarity. — SUBSCRIPTIONS Full access to all features requires a subscription. • 1-week free trial (except lifetime plan) • Automatic renewal, cancel anytime Available plans: • 1 month • 6 months • 12 months • Lifetime (one-time purchase) — LEGAL INFORMATION Privacy Policy: https://www.xamisoft.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://www.xamisoft.com/cgu

About

HarmoniQ

This app offers conservatory-grade ear training with personalized lessons based on your unique musical profile. It analyzes your performance in detail, focusing on areas needing improvement to enhance your relative pitch skills.

Highlights
  • Personalized ear training lessons
  • Detailed musical analysis (intervals, chords, scales)
  • Dynamic difficulty adjustment
  • Melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic dictation
  • Interval, chord, and scale identification
  • Customizable practice sessions
Features
Read full description

A conservatory-grade relative pitch trainer that measures your ear's unique profile and dynamically builds lessons to eliminate your weak spots. POWERED BY EAR-IQ Ear-iQ measures every answer in musical terms. Interval distances, chord-tone geometry, scale degree differences, notes shared in the key, and per-note pitch and rhythm differences tell you far more than a simple right or wrong. YOUR EAR, IN DIMENSIONS YOU ALREADY USE - Intervals: perfect consonant, major, minor, simple lower, simple upper, imperfect consonant, dissonant, and compound - Chords: triads, open, major, minor, diminished, augmented, dominant, 6ths & 7ths, 9ths, 11ths & 13ths, altered - Scales: major & minor, diatonic modes, pentatonic & blues, dominant, symmetric, jazz modes, exotic, bebop - Scale degrees and melodies: tonic chord, tendency tones, major key, minor key, and chromatic - Chord progressions: tonic, predominant, dominant, major, minor, diminished, triads, sevenths, secondary dominants, modal mixture - Rhythmic dictation: note values, placement, syncopation, rests, tuplets, and meters - Melodic dictation: pitch, scale degree, interval, contour, and rhythm - Harmonic dictation: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass See each skill with its strengths and weaknesses SMART RECOMMENDATIONS Ear-iQ tracks the pairs you confuse and draws them back onto the answer grid, weighted by how often you confuse them, letting them drift back out as you improve. Every lesson targets what you need most, and the difficulty rises when your performance says you're ready. No configuration required. MELODIC DICTATION Transcribe an infinite stream of melodies on an interactive staff. The engine uses real cadences, harmonic functions, and voice-leading rules to create natural, resolving melodies in real keys, meters, and clefs, and grades pitch, scale degree, interval, contour, and rhythm separately. HARMONIC DICTATION Transcribe harmonies in two, three, or four parts on an interactive staff, including treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs. RHYTHMIC DICTATION Transcribe rhythmic patterns on an interactive staff. The engine tests precise note placement, rests, ties, syncopation, and tuplets across simple, compound, and asymmetric meters. INTERVALS Every interval from a perfect unison to a major thirteenth, ascending, descending, and harmonic. CHORDS Triads, sixths and sevenths, extended and altered chords, with enharmonic spellings graded by chord-tone geometry. SCALES Major, minor, diatonic modes, pentatonic and blues, symmetric, jazz, and bebop scales. SCALE DEGREES AND SCALE DEGREE MELODIES Learn harmonic functions inside a key, diatonic and chromatic, in major and minor, one note at a time or as whole melodies. CHORD PROGRESSIONS Identify chord progressions by their Roman numerals, in major and minor, including secondary dominants and borrowed chords. PRACTICE YOUR WAY Build a custom lesson from exactly the material you want, or start from a preset for any skill. Save custom lessons and shape your own learning path. Once you choose the skills you're working on, or define your own, your recommendations will follow. REAL INSTRUMENTS Recordings of real instruments across seven octaves: piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, oboe, clarinet, English horn, trumpet, French horn, and trombone, plus a pure sine tone. Every one is free in custom practice. FOR MUSIC STUDENTS, CASUAL LEARNERS, AND PROFESSIONALS Start with the fundamentals and let the engine raise the challenge as your ear improves, up to the advanced material tested in college placement and conservatory exams. Free lessons every day, no account required. Privacy Policy: https://harmoniqmusic.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Cantonese Guru4 screens
HarmoniQ4 screens

Verdict

The call

Cantonese Guru and HarmoniQ are too close to call on the numbers: across 9 compared parameters — price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Cantonese Guru sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and HarmoniQ sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Cantonese Guru against 5.0 for HarmoniQ. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 7 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cantonese Guru ships an update every 10 days, HarmoniQ weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Cantonese Guru versus HarmoniQ: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCantonese GuruHarmoniQ
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings37 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size463 MB72 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSamuel REAUDMatthew James Clower

Customer experience

Cantonese Guru

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

HarmoniQ

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Cantonese Guru

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • Six Months7 Days trial$17.996 Months
  • Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime subscription$42.99
  • Lifetime subscription$79.99
6 purchases

HarmoniQ

Subscriptions2
  • HarmoniQ Pro7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • HarmoniQ Pro$29.991 Year
One-time4
  • Tiny Bundle of Diamonds$0.99
  • Small Bundle of Diamonds$1.99
  • Medium Bundle of Diamonds$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Buy me a coffee$5.99

Questions

Is Cantonese Guru free?
Cantonese Guru is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HarmoniQ free?
HarmoniQ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cantonese Guru or HarmoniQ?
Cantonese Guru and HarmoniQ are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 7 ratings respectively.
Do Cantonese Guru or HarmoniQ have ads?
Neither Cantonese Guru nor HarmoniQ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cantonese Guru or HarmoniQ?
Cantonese Guru ships an update every 10 days, and HarmoniQ weekly. Most recently, Cantonese Guru was updated on November 7, 2026 and HarmoniQ on November 6, 2026.

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