Comparison

Better Ears vs iHarmony

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

Head to head
About

Better Ears

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
Read full description

Better Ears is the complete ear training and sight‑reading workout for musicians, students and teachers. Train your musical ear and master music theory — from interval recognition all the way to chord progressions and rhythm training. 15 exercises take you from absolute beginner to pro, at your own pace, with no rules and no pressure. NEW: RHYTHM TRAINING Sharpen your sense of timing with two brand‑new exercises. Hear a rhythm and clap or tap it back, or read rhythmic notation and perform it in time — with count‑in, metronome, triplets and time signatures like 3/4, 4/4 and 5/4. Clap straight into your device's microphone and Better Ears listens. YOU DECIDE HOW TO TRAIN There are no rules to follow. You decide when to start, what to practice and how often. 15 EXERCISES INCLUDED • Interval recognition • Scale recognition • Chord recognition • Chord progressions • Pitch recognition • Melodic dictation • Tempo recognition • Key signature recognition • Music reading • Interval music reading • Scale music reading • Chord music reading • Melody music reading • Rhythm recognition (new) • Rhythm reading (new) ANSWER WITH YOUR VOICE OR A REAL INSTRUMENT Built‑in pitch detection lets you answer by singing or by playing a real instrument (e.g. piano or guitar). Just sing or play the notes when the microphone button lights up red. CUSTOM CHORDS, SCALES & CHORD PROGRESSIONS The built‑in editor lets you add your own chords, scales and chord progressions. FOUR PRESET LEVELS + UNLIMITED CUSTOM LEVELS Start at Beginner, Easy, Normal or Professional — then build your own levels to focus exactly where you need to: church modes, those two pesky intervals, custom rhythms, whatever you like. 6 INSTRUMENTS & CUSTOM SOUNDFONTS Train with Acoustic Grand, Bright Acoustic Piano, Electric Grand, Drawbar Organ, Nylon and Steel Acoustic Guitar — or extend Better Ears with your own sounds via SoundFonts (.sf2). KEYBOARD & FRETBOARD Answer on a virtual piano keyboard or a virtual guitar fretboard. MIDI SUPPORT Route sound through an external MIDI device and even control Better Ears with a connected master keyboard. SYNC ALL OF YOUR DEVICES Keep your Mac, iPhone and iPad in sync via Dropbox. You choose what to sync: your own levels, your statistics, your settings — or all of it. STATISTICS Better Ears tracks your progress for every exercise and every question — right and wrong answers at a glance. WIKIPEDIA INTEGRATION The matching Wikipedia article is shown for each exercise, so the theory is always one tap away. REFRESHED DESIGN A modern, fully redesigned interface on iPhone, iPad and Mac — with full Dark Mode and crystal‑clear music notation.

About

iHarmony

This music theory reference app provides instant access to scales, chords, and harmonizations with audio playback. It supports multiple notation systems and offline use, making it a comprehensive tool for musicians of all levels.

Highlights
  • 1500+ scales, chords, and harmonizations
  • Chord harmonizations for every scale
  • Audio playback for every entry
  • Four notation systems
  • Full-text search
  • Offline functionality
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The ultimate music theory reference for every musician. iHarmony gives you instant access to scales, chords, harmonizations, and notes — all in one beautifully designed app. Whether you're preparing for a jam session, writing a song, studying jazz theory, or doing your music homework, iHarmony has the answer. • 1500+ scales, chords, and harmonizations • Chord harmonizations for every scale • Audio playback for every entry — train your ear while you study • Four notation systems: English (C, D, E), Italian (Do, Re, Mi), German (C, D, H), French (Ut, Re, Mi) • Full-text search — find any scale or chord in seconds • Works offline — no internet required Stop searching the web for: "What notes make up a G# diminished 7 chord?" "What are the degrees of the Bebop Dominant scale?" "What's the harmonization of D# Melodic Minor?" iHarmony answers these instantly. Over 1500 entries covering common and exotic scales alike — from the Lydian b7 to the Neapolitan, from Whole Tone to Hungarian Minor. Designed for guitarists, pianists, composers, music students, and professionals. Perfect for functional analysis of jazz standards, songwriting, and music education. Full VoiceOver and accessibility support. Dark mode supported. A must-have for every musician.

Screenshots

Better Ears4 screens
iHarmony4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: iHarmony at 4.8 against Better Ears's 4.6. iHarmony also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 5 months) and chart position (#191 vs unranked). Better Ears's advantage is ratings volume (79 vs 12) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On review sentiment, ads, 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

Better Ears costs $4.99 and iHarmony $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

iHarmony holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Better Ears has 79 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Better Ears's written reviews are positive against 77% of iHarmony's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Better Ears ships an update every 5 months, iHarmony every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Better Ears versus iHarmony: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBetter EarsiHarmony
Price$4.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.6 (79 ratings)4.8 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.9% of reviews77.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings79 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#191 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB13 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperMAMP GmbHAlberto De Bortoli

Customer experience

Better Ears

All ratings79 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral1.3%
Negative8.9%
Written reviews237 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral12.2%
Negative16.9%

iHarmony

All ratings12 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive77.3%
Neutral10.9%
Negative11.8%

User reviews

Better Ears

From 79 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

iHarmony

From 12 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Quick and easy to use
  • 🎶 Great for learning scales and chords
  • 💡 Useful for songwriting and composition
  • 🎵 Provides audio playback of scales/chords
  • 📚 Comprehensive music theory reference

Room to improve

  • ❌ Audio issues (no sound, distorted sound)
  • 🎛️ Some incorrect notation/spelling
  • 🎨 Outdated UI/design
  • ❓ Confusing navigation/layout
  • 🔊 Sound not matching notes

Bugs and requests

Better Ears

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

iHarmony

Reported bugs

19 issues
  • Audio not working on iPhone
  • Database null error
  • Speaker distortion at high volume
  • Playback sounds stilted/uneven
  • Info link works irregularly or doesn't appear
Show 14 more
  • Audio engine buffer fills up quickly
  • Some sounds do not match notes
  • Cb Major scale has wrong pitch
  • App stops working in latest version
  • Dominant 7 chords listed as Major 7
  • Major 7 chords listed as Major 7+
  • Major and Dominant 9 chords incorrect
  • Text is very small in Harmonies section
  • No sound from speakers
  • Audio playback not working after upgrade
  • App is completely empty
  • Some chords have incorrect notation
  • Accidental symbols in wrong place
  • Audio engine buffer fills up quickly

Requested features

40 requests
  • Save favorite scales
  • Add more exotic scales
  • Allow harmonic playback (all notes simultaneously)
  • Provide other theory features (harmonic substitutions, polychords, inversions)
  • Add a search function for chords/scales
Show 35 more
  • Display scales/chords on a staff
  • Add a chord scratch pad for saving/exporting
  • Include minor major seventh chords
  • Add suspended 2 chords and others
  • Option to hear unarpeggiated chords
  • Allow choosing ascending OR descending scale playback
  • Add Roman numeral labelling
  • Interactive circle of fifths
  • Notated examples
  • Include scale formulas
  • Add George Russell Lydian Chromatic Concept scales
  • Zoom functionality or larger font
  • Piano keys indicated
  • Allow controlling playback speed
  • Repeat/loop function for listening
  • Link scales to chords they are used over
  • Show modes associated with chords
  • Search function by typing scale/chord symbols
  • View of chords/scales on a staff
  • North American style chord formatting
  • Better GUI/organizational method
  • Make it a universal app (iPhone/iPad)
  • Separate ascending/descending scale playback
  • Add dominant and altered dominant chords
  • Hear inversions of scales/chord types
  • Nashville # system in harmonies
  • All chords available in notes section
  • Tabs for instruments
  • Easy Beats direction for updates
  • Fix Cb Major scale pitch
  • Show the 8th note/tonic in listening
  • End scales on the ONE
  • Full screen without frames for viewing windows
  • Larger viewing windows
  • Better icon design

In-app purchases

None

Better Ears

No in-app purchases

None

iHarmony

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Better Ears free?
Better Ears costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is iHarmony free?
iHarmony costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Better Ears or iHarmony?
iHarmony is rated higher. Better Ears averages 4.6 out of 5 from 79 ratings, while iHarmony averages 4.8 from 12 ratings.
Do Better Ears or iHarmony have ads?
Neither Better Ears nor iHarmony shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Better Ears or iHarmony?
Better Ears ships an update every 5 months, and iHarmony every 5 weeks. Most recently, Better Ears was updated on November 6, 2026 and iHarmony on November 6, 2026.

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