# Better Ears vs Better Ears Beginner

The clearest difference is price: Better Ears Beginner at Free against Better Ears's $4.99. Better Ears's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Better Ears Beginner is free to download; Better Ears costs $4.99 up front. Better Ears Beginner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Better Ears asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Better Ears against 4.5 for Better Ears Beginner. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 76 and 35 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Better Ears's written reviews are positive against 67% of Better Ears Beginner's.

Better Ears ships an update every 5 months, Better Ears Beginner every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Better Ears | Better Ears Beginner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (76 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-ears-ear-trainer/id284444548/reviews)** | [4.5 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-ears-beginner/id284445260/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **76** | 35 |
| Positive reviews | **70.8% of reviews** | 66.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 months** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 86 MB | 86 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MAMP GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1451068672) | [MAMP GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1451068672) |

## What reviewers say

### Better Ears

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-ears-ear-trainer/id284444548)

Enhance your musical abilities with a comprehensive ear training application. It offers 13 diverse exercises, from interval recognition to chord progressions, suitable for all skill levels. Customize your learning path with user-defined levels and instruments.

**Highlights:** 13 ear training exercises, Customizable chords, scales, and progressions, 6 instrument sound options, Virtual keyboard and fretboard, Vocal or instrument input, Preset and custom training levels, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for ear training
- 🚀 Flexibility to customize exercises
- 💡 Helpful for music students and professionals
- 🎓 Improves aural skills and music theory knowledge

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and glitches on some devices
- 🔊 Poor sound quality of instrument samples
- 💰 Expensive for the limited features
- 🤔 Confusing chord and interval naming conventions

**Reported bugs**

- Note recognition issues on lower strings
- Inconsistent behavior when customizing lessons
- Dropbox sync feature not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Add chord inversions and progressions
- Include melodic and rhythmic dictation exercises
- Provide more instrument sound options
- Improve statistics tracking and personalization
- Add support for bass clef and multiple clefs


### Better Ears Beginner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-ears-beginner/id284445260)

Enhance your musical skills and hearing with this comprehensive ear training app. It offers 13 diverse exercises, from interval recognition to chord progressions, with customizable training routines and instrument options. Track your progress and sync across devices for a seamless learning experience.

**Highlights:** 13 music theory and ear training exercises, Customizable training routines, User-created chords, scales, and progressions, Six instrument sound options, Pitch detection for vocal or instrument answers, Virtual keyboard and guitar fretboard, Cross-device synchronization

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock all functions | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Free beginner version
- 🚀 Helpful for learning music theory
- 💡 Useful for ear training and pitch recognition
- 🎹 Ability to play piano-like keyboard

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes after purchasing add-on
- 🔒 No Airplay support
- 👎 Insufficient training functionality
- 🔊 Poor sound quality
- 🤔 Confusing for true beginners

**Reported bugs**

- Reverts to beginner version after phone update
- Audio stops working after some time
- Keyboard unresponsive on iPad
- Chord spellings are incorrect

**Requested features**

- Add more instruments
- Include rhythm training
- Provide more customization options
- Implement a game-like format
- Add support for reading sheet music


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Better Ears free?

Better Ears costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Better Ears Beginner free?

Better Ears Beginner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Better Ears or Better Ears Beginner?

Better Ears is rated higher. Better Ears averages 4.6 out of 5 from 76 ratings, while Better Ears Beginner averages 4.5 from 35 ratings.

### Do Better Ears or Better Ears Beginner have ads?

Neither Better Ears nor Better Ears Beginner shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Better Ears or Better Ears Beginner?

Better Ears ships an update every 5 months, and Better Ears Beginner every 6 months. Most recently, Better Ears was updated on September 23, 2026 and Better Ears Beginner on September 14, 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.*