# Scales & Modes vs Functional Ear Trainer

The clearest difference is price: Functional Ear Trainer at Free against Scales & Modes's $1.99. Functional Ear Trainer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (3.8K vs 13). Scales & Modes's advantage is iOS requirement (10.3 vs 15.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Functional Ear Trainer is free to download; Scales & Modes costs $1.99 up front. Scales & Modes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Functional Ear Trainer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Functional Ear Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Functional Ear Trainer has 3.8K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Scales & Modes's written reviews are positive against 96% of Functional Ear Trainer's.

Scales & Modes ships an update every 4 months, Functional Ear Trainer every 7 months. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Scales & Modes | Functional Ear Trainer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.5 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scales-and-modes/id357172313/reviews) | **[4.9 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 13 | **3.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews | **96.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 months** | Every 7 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 23 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.3** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Smappsoft](https://appshunter.io/developer/333262587) | [Serhii Korchan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1088761925) |

## What reviewers say

### Scales & Modes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scales-and-modes/id357172313)

Explore diatonic scales and modes with interactive visual and audio references. View notes on a musical staff, see fingerings for keyboard and guitar, and listen to scales in any key. Additional instrument fingerings are available via in-app purchase.

**Highlights:** Visual staff notation, Audio playback of scales, Keyboard fingerings, Guitar fingerings, Diatonic scale reference, Mode exploration

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Violin & Bass Add-on | $0.99 | one-time |


### Functional Ear Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926)

Develop your musical ear by learning to recognize tones within the context of a specific musical key. This app helps you understand the function of each note, improving your ability to transcribe, improvise, and play music by ear. Suitable for all ages and skill levels, with just 10 minutes of daily practice.

**Highlights:** Recognize tones in musical key context, Understand note function, Improve transcription skills, Enhance improvisation, Develop perfect pitch, Daily 10-minute practice

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Functional Ear Trainer Plus | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Effective ear training
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Customizable exercises
- 🎉 Noticeable improvement with regular practice
- 🎨 Visually appealing design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional audio glitches
- 💡 Lack of support for other instruments besides piano
- 💡 Desire for more advanced features (e.g. chord recognition)

**Reported bugs**

- Keyboard display issues when selecting all chromatic notes
- Inconsistent note resolutions in some exercises

**Requested features**

- Add support for multiple notes/chords at once
- Implement a mode for training key recognition
- Provide more customization options for exercises
- Include voice input to play the notes
- Add support for German/Norwegian key names


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Scales & Modes free?

Scales & Modes costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Functional Ear Trainer free?

Functional Ear Trainer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Scales & Modes or Functional Ear Trainer?

Functional Ear Trainer is rated higher. Scales & Modes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Functional Ear Trainer averages 4.9 from 3.8K ratings.

### Do Scales & Modes or Functional Ear Trainer have ads?

Neither Scales & Modes nor Functional Ear Trainer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Scales & Modes or Functional Ear Trainer?

Scales & Modes ships an update every 4 months, and Functional Ear Trainer every 7 months. Most recently, Scales & Modes was updated on October 24, 2026 and Functional Ear Trainer on October 24, 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.*