# Ear Trainer Lite vs Functional Ear Trainer

The clearest difference is rating: Functional Ear Trainer at 4.9 against Ear Trainer Lite's 4.7. Functional Ear Trainer also leads on ratings volume (3.7K vs 343). Ear Trainer Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ear Trainer Lite 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 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Functional Ear Trainer has 3.7K ratings behind it against 343, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Ear Trainer Lite's written reviews are positive against 96% of Functional Ear Trainer's.

Ear Trainer Lite ships an update every 4 months, Functional Ear Trainer every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ear Trainer Lite | Functional Ear Trainer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (343 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ear-trainer-lite/id398326427/reviews) | **[4.9 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/functional-ear-trainer/id1088761926/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 343 | **3.7K** |
| Positive reviews | 95.0% 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 | 92 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [thoor software AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/698240746) | [Serhii Korchan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1088761925) |

## What reviewers say

### Ear Trainer Lite

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ear-trainer-lite/id398326427)

Improve your musical ear with this free educational tool. It offers exercises for intervals, chords, and scales, with a virtual piano to help you learn. Track your progress with collected statistics.

**Highlights:** Interval comparison exercises, Chord identification exercises, Chord progression exercises, Scale identification exercises, Melody exercises, Virtual piano keyboard, Progress statistics

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to full version | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Effective ear training
- 💡 Helpful for improving music skills
- 🎉 Fun and engaging exercises

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sound quality issues
- 🔄 Repetitive exercises
- 🤔 Limited features in free version
- 🤷‍♂️ Difficulty progressing to harder levels

**Reported bugs**

- Sound not playing
- Compatibility issues with older devices

**Requested features**

- More interval training options
- Customizable difficulty levels
- Support for different instrument timbres
- Progress tracking and performance analytics


### 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 Ear Trainer Lite free?

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

### Is Functional Ear Trainer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Ear Trainer Lite or Functional Ear Trainer?

Functional Ear Trainer is rated higher. Ear Trainer Lite averages 4.7 out of 5 from 343 ratings, while Functional Ear Trainer averages 4.9 from 3.7K ratings.

### Do Ear Trainer Lite or Functional Ear Trainer have ads?

Neither Ear Trainer Lite nor Functional Ear Trainer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ear Trainer Lite or Functional Ear Trainer?

Ear Trainer Lite ships an update every 4 months, and Functional Ear Trainer every 7 months. Most recently, Ear Trainer Lite was updated on September 29, 2026 and Functional Ear Trainer on September 28, 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.*