Comparison

EarTester vs Chords

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

Head to head
About

EarTester

This app helps you practice and maintain your ear training skills. It automatically replays incorrect interval guesses and displays them in music notation, using high-quality audio samples. It's designed to gauge your progress and keep your musical abilities sharp.

Highlights
  • Interval ear training
  • Automatic replay of wrong guesses
  • Display intervals in music notation
  • High-quality audio samples
  • Progress tracking
  • Skill level evaluation
Read full description

EarTester is a free companion application to EarMan. It tests your ear training skills at a proficiency level achieved when completing the EarMan curriculum. Intervals are automatically replayed when a wrong guess is made and are sounded together with a maximum range of 6 octaves. In addition the replay button in the toolbar can be used. EarMan considers 80% as a passing grade, but you might want to aim higher. EarTester uses the same high quality samples that are used in EarMan and also displays intervals in music notation. Ear training skills are not static. Even after having completed the EarMan curriculum it is a good idea to challenge yourself from time to time to see whether it is advisable to have another go at it. EarTester can also be used in conjunction with EarMan to simply gauge the progress that is being made or maybe just to evaluate your skill level in general. The main point is to keep your skills up. If you do a quick session on EarTester and find yourself anywhere near the 80% region, it is high time to get back to practicing. The good news is that like a well-maintained body, your ears will get back to their usual selves faster every time.

About

Chords

This music trainer helps you learn piano, guitar, and ukulele by practicing notes, intervals, chords, and scales. It offers exercises to master music theory, solfeggio, and harmony, with options to use a MIDI keyboard or microphone for interactive learning.

Highlights
  • Learn musical intervals
  • Master piano and guitar chords
  • Study musical scales and modes
  • Practice with MIDI keyboard
  • Recognize notes by ear via microphone
  • Learn music theory and solfeggio
Features
Read full description

How to memorize piano or guitar chords? How to learn to build musical intervals? How to learn scales and modes? Chords is your music trainer to help you learn piano, guitar or ukulele sheet music. By doing the exercises, you will be able to remember the names of notes, intervals, chords, scales. You can practice piano chords and scales using a MIDI keyboard. If you want to learn ukulele or guitar chords, you can use a microphone. Our application can recognize notes by ear. We offer you three basic exercises in mastering music theory: Musical intervals. In the classes on building musical intervals, you will master the basics of musical theory, solfeggio and harmony. You will learn how to quickly build musical intervals from any note. Get used to recognizing notes and musical intervals by ear. Our app, like a real music teacher, will give you musical tasks throughout the day. Chords for piano and guitar. You will learn major, minor, triad, and seventh chords. You can watch jazz, blues guitar chords. As you practice, you will have the opportunity to use a MIDI keyboard or microphone so you can learn guitar tabs or learn piano chords. Musical modes and scales for piano and guitar. Knowledge of musical scales and modes is required for every musician. You will learn natural, harmonic, melodic major and minor scales. Remember the Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian musical modes. Memorize the notes and rules for constructing musical scales. Studying music theory, solfeggio, harmony, will help you compose songs, write blues and jazz improvisations and melodies. Solve chord progressions. Build guitar tabs. Train your ear for music. Learn to read sheet music. Play musical intervals. If you study independently, with a music teacher, do exercises for the piano, guitar, then you will become a successful musician.

Screenshots

EarTester4 screens
Chords4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Chords at 68% against EarTester's 16%. Chords also leads on rating (4.6 vs 1.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). EarTester's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. EarTester sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Chords asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chords holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chords has 57 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 16% of EarTester's written reviews are positive against 68% of Chords's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EarTester ships an update every 4 months, Chords every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
EarTester versus Chords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEarTesterChords
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (2 ratings)4.6 (57 ratings) — better
Positive reviews15.8% of reviews68.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings257 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoGame SoftwareAlexey Ovod

Customer experience

EarTester

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive15.8%
Neutral5.3%
Negative78.9%

Chords

All ratings57 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral5.3%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive68.1%
Neutral12.8%
Negative19.1%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

EarTester

One-time2
  • Session Control$0.99
  • Interval Songs$0.99
None

Chords

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is EarTester free?
EarTester is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chords free?
Chords is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, EarTester or Chords?
Chords is rated higher. EarTester averages 1.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Chords averages 4.6 from 57 ratings.
Do EarTester or Chords have ads?
Chords shows ads; EarTester does not.
Which is updated more often, EarTester or Chords?
EarTester ships an update every 4 months, and Chords every 9 days. Most recently, EarTester was updated on October 10, 2026 and Chords on October 20, 2026.

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