# Better Ears Beginner vs Play By Ear

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Play By Ear at none against Better Ears Beginner's 1. Play By Ear also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Better Ears Beginner against 4.4 for Play By Ear. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 79 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of Better Ears Beginner's written reviews are positive against 82% of Play By Ear's.

Better Ears Beginner ships an update every 6 months, Play By Ear every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Better Ears Beginner | Play By Ear |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (35 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/better-ears-beginner/id284445260/reviews)** | [4.4 (79 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-by-ear-ear-training/id361203621/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 35 | **79** |
| Positive reviews | 66.8% of reviews | **81.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 86 MB | 24 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MAMP GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1451068672) | [SuperNonstop.com, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/361203624) |

## 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


### Play By Ear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-by-ear-ear-training/id361203621)

Develop your musical ear with this call-and-response ear training app. It uses pitch recognition, allowing you to play notes back on your instrument instead of pressing buttons. Practice melodies, chords, and intervals in a way that mirrors real musical performance.

**Highlights:** Pitch recognition for instrumental interaction, Hands-free, continuous play, Interval, chord, and melody exercises, Customizable tempo, Multiple key centers, Microphone calibration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for ear training
- 👍 Helps learn to read music
- 👍 Excellent for musicians
- 👍 Good for piano teachers
- 👍 Pitch recognition accuracy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent pitch detection
- 🐛 Issues with low notes
- 🐛 Glitchy chord recognition
- 🐛 False errors reported
- 🐛 Not ideal for beginners

**Reported bugs**

- No audio output
- App crashes frequently
- Pitch detection not working
- Plays single tone only
- Loses sound with timer/calls

**Requested features**

- Repeat option for phrases
- Limit scale patterns to selected scales/keys
- Profiles for multi-instrumentalists
- Test from the same root note sometimes
- Sign in and save practice data


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Better Ears Beginner free?

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

### Is Play By Ear free?

Play By Ear is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Better Ears Beginner or Play By Ear?

Better Ears Beginner is rated higher. Better Ears Beginner averages 4.5 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Play By Ear averages 4.4 from 79 ratings.

### Do Better Ears Beginner or Play By Ear have ads?

Neither Better Ears Beginner nor Play By Ear shows ads.

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

Better Ears Beginner ships an update every 6 months, and Play By Ear every 2 months. Most recently, Better Ears Beginner was updated on September 28, 2026 and Play By Ear on September 16, 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.*