# Better Ears Beginner vs Penguin Drums

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Better Ears Beginner at 67% against Penguin Drums's 0%. Better Ears Beginner also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (35 vs 1). Penguin Drums's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Better Ears Beginner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Penguin Drums asks for nothing beyond the download.

Better Ears Beginner holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Better Ears Beginner has 35 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Better Ears Beginner's written reviews are positive against 0% of Penguin Drums's.

Better Ears Beginner ships an update every 6 months, Penguin Drums every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Better Ears Beginner | Penguin Drums |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-ears-beginner/id284445260/reviews)** | [3.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-drums/id1108326244/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **35** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **66.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 86 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MAMP GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1451068672) | [taisuke fujita](https://appshunter.io/developer/326103987) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Penguin Drums

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-drums/id1108326244)

This app simulates a drum kit on your device, allowing kids to play along with rhythms or use it as a MIDI controller. It offers a variety of drum sounds and supports multitouch for an interactive drumming experience.

**Highlights:** Multitouch drum pads, Variety of drum instruments, 12 example rhythms, MIDI over Bluetooth support, Simulates drum kit sounds

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Better Ears Beginner free?

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

### Is Penguin Drums free?

Penguin Drums is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Better Ears Beginner is rated higher. Better Ears Beginner averages 4.5 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Penguin Drums averages 3.0 from 1 ratings.

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

Neither Better Ears Beginner nor Penguin Drums shows ads.

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

Better Ears Beginner ships an update every 6 months, and Penguin Drums every 3 months. Most recently, Better Ears Beginner was updated on October 7, 2026 and Penguin Drums on October 12, 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.*