# Better Ears Beginner vs Functional Harmony

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Functional Harmony at none against Better Ears Beginner's 1. Functional Harmony also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (83% vs 67%). Better Ears Beginner's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Functional Harmony holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Better Ears Beginner's written reviews are positive against 83% of Functional Harmony's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Better Ears Beginner | Functional Harmony |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-ears-beginner/id284445260/reviews) | **[4.9 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-harmony/id1564025162/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **35** | 24 |
| Positive reviews | 66.8% of reviews | **83.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 86 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MAMP GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1451068672) | [Dylan Shade](https://appshunter.io/developer/1564023750) |

## 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


### Functional Harmony

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-harmony/id1564025162)

This music theory app helps users spell chords and scales by entering a root note. It also identifies intervals when two notes are provided. Learn music theory concepts quickly and easily.

**Highlights:** Spell chords, Spell scales, Identify intervals, Enter root note for chords/scales, Enter two notes for interval identification

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**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 Functional Harmony free?

Functional Harmony is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Functional Harmony is rated higher. Better Ears Beginner averages 4.5 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Functional Harmony averages 4.9 from 24 ratings.

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

Neither Better Ears Beginner nor Functional Harmony shows ads.

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

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