# Play By Ear vs Sonofield Ear Trainer

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Play By Ear at none against Sonofield Ear Trainer's 5. Sonofield Ear Trainer's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sonofield Ear Trainer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Play By Ear asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sonofield Ear Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 82 and 389 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Play By Ear's written reviews are positive against 89% of Sonofield Ear Trainer's.

Play By Ear ships an update every 2 months, Sonofield Ear Trainer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Play By Ear | Sonofield Ear Trainer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (82 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/play-by-ear-ear-training/id361203621/reviews) | **[4.9 (389 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sonofield-ear-trainer/id6740409139/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 82 | **389** |
| Positive reviews | 81.7% of reviews | **88.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 24 MB | 105 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SuperNonstop.com, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/361203624) | [Sonofield Ear Trainer Education Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1789801335) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Sonofield Ear Trainer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sonofield-ear-trainer/id6740409139)

This app helps musicians develop their ear by focusing on the feeling of individual notes within a key, rather than traditional interval training. It uses sustained drones and offers various modes like identifying scale degrees, melodies, and singing exercises. The app adapts to your skill level with an intuitive interface and progression path.

**Highlights:** Feeling-based note recognition, Scale degree identification, Melody recognition training, Singing exercises, Hands-free training mode, Interactive exploration instrument

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Pro | $14.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro | $17.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro | $19.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent ear training tool
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly design
- 🎶 Effective for improving relative pitch
- 💡 Innovative use of drone and scale degrees
- 🎯 Helpful for aural skills development

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Challenging for true beginners
- 💭 Desire for more customization options

**Reported bugs**

- None reported

**Requested features**

- Option to switch between 12TET and just intonation
- Ability to reduce octave range
- Incorporate more timbre options for drone and notes
- Tracking and visualization of progress and learned skills
- Add interactive tutorial for level 1


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Play By Ear free?

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

### Is Sonofield Ear Trainer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Play By Ear or Sonofield Ear Trainer?

Sonofield Ear Trainer is rated higher. Play By Ear averages 4.4 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while Sonofield Ear Trainer averages 4.9 from 389 ratings.

### Do Play By Ear or Sonofield Ear Trainer have ads?

Neither Play By Ear nor Sonofield Ear Trainer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Play By Ear or Sonofield Ear Trainer?

Play By Ear ships an update every 2 months, and Sonofield Ear Trainer every 9 days. Most recently, Play By Ear was updated on October 23, 2026 and Sonofield Ear Trainer on October 28, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*