# Ear Trainer Lite vs Active Ear

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Active Ear at none against Ear Trainer Lite's 1. Active Ear also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Ear Trainer Lite's advantage is ratings volume (343 vs 50) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ear Trainer Lite sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Active Ear asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Ear Trainer Lite against 4.7 for Active Ear. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ear Trainer Lite has 343 ratings behind it against 50, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Ear Trainer Lite's written reviews are positive against 94% of Active Ear's.

Ear Trainer Lite ships an update every 4 months, Active Ear monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and June 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ear Trainer Lite | Active Ear |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (343 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ear-trainer-lite/id398326427/reviews) | [4.7 (50 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/active-ear-ear-trainer/id1541508221/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **343** | 50 |
| Positive reviews | **95.0% of reviews** | 93.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 92 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.1** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [thoor software AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/698240746) | [MCPHERSON'S MUSIC LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1541508223) |

## 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


### Active Ear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/active-ear-ear-trainer/id1541508221)

Develop your musical ear with a comprehensive ear training app. It offers various exercises to help musicians identify pitches, intervals, chords, and progressions. Customize your learning with practice modes and test your knowledge with quizzes.

**Highlights:** Pitch Recognition, Interval Training, Chord Quality Identification, Bassline Training, Progression Training, Chord Inversions, Customizable Practice Mode, Quiz Mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ear Trainer Lite free?

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

### Is Active Ear free?

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

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

Ear Trainer Lite and Active Ear are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 343 and 50 ratings respectively.

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

Neither Ear Trainer Lite nor Active Ear shows ads.

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

Ear Trainer Lite ships an update every 4 months, and Active Ear monthly. Most recently, Ear Trainer Lite was updated on September 29, 2026 and Active Ear on June 10, 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.*