Better Ears Beginner vs Windtone by Sonofield
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Windtone by Sonofield
This app offers a meditative ear training experience for musicians. It generates endless wind-chime melodies based on chosen scales, with adjustable complexity and real-time note labels. Enjoy a relaxing practice environment with natural ambiences and a tonic reference.
- Scale degree recognition
- Over 30 preset scales
- Real-time note labels
- Adjustable melodic complexity
- Natural background ambiences
- Tonic reference chime
- Playable chimes
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Windtone is a meditative ear training app for musicians who want to develop scale degree recognition. Simply choose a scale, relax, and tune in to an endless stream of gentle wind-chime melodies. Features: - Over 30 preset scales, sorted by family or mood - Real-time note labels: scale degrees, solfege, or letter names - Wind-gust inspired melody generation - Four levels of melodic complexity - Relaxing natural background ambiences - Tonic reference chime to keep your ear anchored - Playable chimes you can tap and strum - No user tracking - No ads - Free forever Windtone is a unique and immersive ear training experience that you can adapt to match your ability level. Its calming interface and pristine sounds create the perfect space for relaxed practice and extended training sessions. Listen while you work, walk, or wind-down at night.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Windtone by Sonofield at none against Better Ears Beginner's 1. Windtone by Sonofield also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. Better Ears Beginner sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Windtone by Sonofield asks for nothing beyond the download.
Windtone by Sonofield holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 35 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Better Ears Beginner's written reviews are positive against 100% of Windtone by Sonofield's.
Better Ears Beginner ships an update every 6 months, Windtone by Sonofield every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Better Ears Beginner | Windtone by Sonofield |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (35 ratings) | 5.0 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 35 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 86 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MAMP GmbH | Sonofield Ear Trainer Education Ltd. |
Customer experience
Better Ears Beginner
Windtone by Sonofield
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
Windtone by Sonofield
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Better Ears Beginner
- Unlock all functions$4.99
Windtone by Sonofield
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Better Ears Beginner free?
Is Windtone by Sonofield free?
Which has better reviews, Better Ears Beginner or Windtone by Sonofield?
Do Better Ears Beginner or Windtone by Sonofield have ads?
Which is updated more often, Better Ears Beginner or Windtone by Sonofield?
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