Comparison

Better Ears vs Theory Lessons

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

Theory Lessons

Explore 39 animated music theory lessons covering fundamental concepts like scales, chords, and intervals. Deepen your understanding of musical structure and analysis with this comprehensive resource.

Highlights
  • 39 animated music theory lessons
  • Covers staff, clefs, and ledger lines
  • Explains note and rest duration
  • Details major and minor scales
  • Teaches intervals and chord inversions
  • Includes Roman numeral analysis
  • Features musical analysis examples
Read full description

Theory Lessons features 39 music theory lessons from musictheory.net, presented in their original animated versions. Complete lesson list: • The Staff, Clefs, and Ledger Lines • Note Duration • Measures and Time Signature • Rest Duration • Dots and Ties • Steps and Accidentals • Simple and Compound Meter • Odd Meter • The Major Scale • The Minor Scales • Scale Degrees • Key Signatures • Key Signature Calculation • Generic Intervals • Specific Intervals • Writing Intervals • Interval Inversion • Introduction to Chords • Triad Inversion • Seventh Chords • More Seventh Chords • Seventh Chord Inversion • Diatonic Triads • Roman Numeral Analysis: Triads • Diatonic Seventh Chords • Roman Numeral Analysis: Seventh Chords • Composing with Minor Scales • Voicing Chords • Analysis: O Canada • Nonharmonic Tones • Phrases and Cadences • Circle Progressions • Common Chord Progressions • Triads in First Inversion • Triads in Second Inversion • Analysis: Auld Lang Syne • Building Neapolitan Chords • Using Neapolitan Chords • Analysis: Moonlight Sonata

Screenshots

Better Ears4 screens
Theory Lessons4 screens

Verdict

The call

Better Ears and Theory Lessons both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Theory Lessons's written reviews are positive against 71% of Better Ears's. Theory Lessons also leads on chart position (#13 vs unranked) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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 Theory Lessons $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Better Ears against 4.4 for Theory Lessons. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 79 and 126 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Better Ears's written reviews are positive against 83% of Theory Lessons's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Better Ears ships an update every 5 months, Theory Lessons every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Better Ears versus Theory Lessons: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBetter EarsTheory Lessons
Price$4.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.6 (79 ratings) — better4.4 (126 ratings)
Positive reviews70.8% of reviews83.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings79126 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#13 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.6 — better15.8
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMAMP GmbHmusictheory.net

Customer experience

Better Ears

All ratings76 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews236 reviews
Positive70.8%
Neutral12.3%
Negative16.9%

Theory Lessons

All ratings126 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral7.9%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive83.1%
Neutral5.8%
Negative11.0%

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

Theory Lessons

From 126 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient and easy to use
  • 👍 Clear and concise explanations
  • 💡 Helpful visual aids and animations
  • 🤩 Excellent learning tool for beginners
  • 🔍 Comprehensive coverage of music theory

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Audio issues on some devices
  • 🔍 Limited content compared to website
  • 🤔 Keyboard-centric approach may not suit non-pianists
  • 💰 Paid app when website is free

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

Theory Lessons

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Directional arrows and guidance symbols not working on iPad
  • Text panels cut off at the bottom and unable to be resized

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more advanced theory topics
  • Incorporate practice exercises and quizzes
  • Include support for other instruments beyond piano
  • Integrate with the Tenuto app for a more complete experience

In-app purchases

None

Better Ears

No in-app purchases

None

Theory Lessons

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Better Ears free?
Better Ears costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Theory Lessons free?
Theory Lessons costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Better Ears or Theory Lessons?
Better Ears is rated higher. Better Ears averages 4.6 out of 5 from 79 ratings, while Theory Lessons averages 4.4 from 126 ratings.
Do Better Ears or Theory Lessons have ads?
Neither Better Ears nor Theory Lessons shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Better Ears or Theory Lessons?
Better Ears ships an update every 5 months, and Theory Lessons every 4 months. Most recently, Better Ears was updated on October 29, 2026 and Theory Lessons on October 30, 2026.

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