Comparison

Better Ears Beginner vs Ear Training

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

Head to head
About

Better Ears Beginner

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
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

Ear Training

This app offers a structured system to improve your ear training and listening skills, from basic note recognition to complex melodies. It provides personalized practice modes, clear progress tracking, and mistake analysis to help users of all levels enhance their musical comprehension.

Highlights
  • Structured learning paths
  • Beginner to advanced modules
  • Rhythm-focused training
  • Level and free practice modes
  • Detailed progress stats
  • Mistake review and analysis
  • Personalized settings
Features
Read full description

Want to improve your ear training and listening skills but not sure where to start? Aural provides a structured training system from single-note listening to melody. With about 10 minutes a day, level progression and free practice, plus clear stats and mistake review, every step of your progress becomes visible. Whether you are a beginner, a student preparing for music exams, or a teacher strengthening practical listening, you can find a rhythm that fits. ------------------------------------ CORE FEATURES Structured learning paths, from beginner to advanced - Beginner path: Single notes -> scale degrees -> intervals -> chords (including inversions) -> rhythm and melody cloze, in staged progression. - Exam sprint path: Find weak spots, strengthen weak modules, drill exam-style question types, and review mistakes before full runs. - Rhythm-focused path: From beat feel and basic patterns to syncopation, rests, and rhythm + melody integration. Levels + free practice, two flexible modes - Level mode: Each level has clear goals, mastery targets, and pass conditions; listen -> answer -> get instant feedback. - Free practice: 9 modules including single note, scale degree, interval, chord, chord inversion, cadence, key/mode, melody cloze, and rhythm. Clear stats for targeted improvement - Overview: practice sets, accuracy, and total time with week/month/all-time filters. - Module mastery: progress by module with practice recommendations. - Level progress: completion status across stages and levels. - Module-level trends: accuracy trends and mistake review to fix weak areas. Personalized settings for your own plan - Adjustable difficulty, pitch range, reference tone, playback length, and speed. - Global training settings, history management, and subscription unlock for all modules and advanced stats. ------------------------------------------------ WHO IT IS FOR - Beginners: start from basic pitch awareness with single-note listening. - Exam prep / auditions: use structured paths + exam drills + mistake review. - Music teachers: assign ear-training practice and track progress. - Intermediate learners: freely focus on intervals, chords, cadences, and melody cloze. ------------------------------------------------ WHY AURAL - Structured learning path, not random question stacking. - Short sessions (about 8-10 minutes) that fit daily routines. - Trackable progress with mastery, trends, and mistake review. Download Aural and start your structured ear-training journey. 10 minutes a day, from beginner to confident listening. - The subscriptions are $1.99 weekly with free trial - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that service, where applicable`` - Terms of use:https://support.staveai.com/AuralTerms_en.html - Privacy of use: https://support.staveai.com/AuralPrivacy_en.html

Screenshots

Better Ears Beginner4 screens
Ear Training4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Better Ears Beginner at 4.5 against Ear Training's 4.0. Better Ears Beginner also leads on ratings volume (35 vs 2). Ear Training's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (95% vs 67%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Better Ears Beginner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Ear Training sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Better Ears Beginner holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Better Ears Beginner has 35 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 67% of Better Ears Beginner's written reviews are positive against 95% of Ear Training's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Better Ears Beginner ships an update every 6 months, Ear Training every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Better Ears Beginner versus Ear Training: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBetter Ears BeginnerEar Training
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (35 ratings) — better4.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews66.8% of reviews95.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings35 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.615.6
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB97 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMAMP GmbH凯 张

Customer experience

Better Ears Beginner

All ratings35 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral5.7%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews217 reviews
Positive66.8%
Neutral8.3%
Negative24.9%

Ear Training

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive95.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Better Ears Beginner

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Reverts to beginner version after phone update
  • Audio stops working after some time
  • Keyboard unresponsive on iPad
  • Chord spellings are incorrect

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more instruments
  • Include rhythm training
  • Provide more customization options
  • Implement a game-like format
  • Add support for reading sheet music

Ear Training

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Better Ears Beginner

One-time1
  • Unlock all functions$4.99
2 purchases

Ear Training

Subscriptions1
  • Weekly Subscription · Aural Pro3 Days trial$1.997 Days
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access · Aural Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Better Ears Beginner free?
Better Ears Beginner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ear Training free?
Ear Training is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Better Ears Beginner or Ear Training?
Better Ears Beginner is rated higher. Better Ears Beginner averages 4.5 out of 5 from 35 ratings, while Ear Training averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Better Ears Beginner or Ear Training have ads?
Neither Better Ears Beginner nor Ear Training shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Better Ears Beginner or Ear Training?
Better Ears Beginner ships an update every 6 months, and Ear Training every 9 days. Most recently, Better Ears Beginner was updated on October 18, 2026 and Ear Training on October 22, 2026.

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