Comparison

Theory Lessons vs Sonofield Ear Trainer

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

Head to head
About

Theory Lessons

Explore 39 animated music theory lessons covering fundamental concepts like scales, chords, and intervals. Deepen your understanding of musical structure and analysis with this comprehensive resource.

Highlights
  • 39 animated music theory lessons
  • Covers staff, clefs, and ledger lines
  • Explains note and rest duration
  • Details major and minor scales
  • Teaches intervals and chord inversions
  • Includes Roman numeral analysis
  • Features musical analysis examples
Read full description

Theory Lessons features 39 music theory lessons from musictheory.net, presented in their original animated versions. Complete lesson list: • The Staff, Clefs, and Ledger Lines • Note Duration • Measures and Time Signature • Rest Duration • Dots and Ties • Steps and Accidentals • Simple and Compound Meter • Odd Meter • The Major Scale • The Minor Scales • Scale Degrees • Key Signatures • Key Signature Calculation • Generic Intervals • Specific Intervals • Writing Intervals • Interval Inversion • Introduction to Chords • Triad Inversion • Seventh Chords • More Seventh Chords • Seventh Chord Inversion • Diatonic Triads • Roman Numeral Analysis: Triads • Diatonic Seventh Chords • Roman Numeral Analysis: Seventh Chords • Composing with Minor Scales • Voicing Chords • Analysis: O Canada • Nonharmonic Tones • Phrases and Cadences • Circle Progressions • Common Chord Progressions • Triads in First Inversion • Triads in Second Inversion • Analysis: Auld Lang Syne • Building Neapolitan Chords • Using Neapolitan Chords • Analysis: Moonlight Sonata

About

Sonofield Ear Trainer

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
Read full description

Sonofield Ear Trainer (SET) is a revolutionary ear training app designed to help you intuitively play the melodies you hear and imagine. Instead of relying on traditional old methods like intervals, SET focuses on helping you feel the unique character of each note within a key. By using sustained drones to create a tonal foundation, you’ll learn to recognize scale degrees based on their *feeling*, not just how they sound. The app offers a variety of ways to train: * Degrees Mode - Identify individual notes against the drone by feeling. The heart of SET. * Melody Mode - Identify short melodic phrases, preparing you for real music. * Voice Mode - Sing the requested scale degree into your microphone. * Pocket Mode - Hands-free training for when you're on the go. * Free Play - An interactive instrument for exploration. With its intuitive, color-coded interface, thoughtfully designed progression path, and multiple difficulty levels, SET adapts to your skill level while keeping practice engaging. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced musician, SET is your guide to unlocking true musical fluency through intuitive, feeling-based ear training. No ads or forced payments. The free version contains full foundations for feeling-based ear training. Download the ear training app now!

Screenshots

Theory Lessons4 screens
Sonofield Ear Trainer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sonofield Ear Trainer at Free against Theory Lessons's $2.99. Sonofield Ear Trainer also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 months). Theory Lessons's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and chart position (#13 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads 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

Sonofield Ear Trainer is free to download; Theory Lessons costs $2.99 up front. Sonofield Ear Trainer sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Theory Lessons asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sonofield Ear Trainer holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 126 and 376 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Theory Lessons's written reviews are positive against 89% of Sonofield Ear Trainer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Theory Lessons ships an update every 4 months, Sonofield Ear Trainer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Theory Lessons versus Sonofield Ear Trainer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTheory LessonsSonofield Ear Trainer
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (126 ratings)4.9 (376 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.1% of reviews88.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings126376 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#13 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.813.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB105 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developermusictheory.netSonofield Ear Trainer Education Ltd.

Customer experience

Theory Lessons

All ratings126 ratings
Positive84.1%
Neutral7.9%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive83.1%
Neutral5.8%
Negative11.0%

Sonofield Ear Trainer

All ratings376 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.1%
Written reviews151 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral6.6%
Negative4.6%

User reviews

Theory Lessons

From 126 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient and easy to use
  • 👍 Clear and concise explanations
  • 💡 Helpful visual aids and animations
  • 🤩 Excellent learning tool for beginners
  • 🔍 Comprehensive coverage of music theory

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Audio issues on some devices
  • 🔍 Limited content compared to website
  • 🤔 Keyboard-centric approach may not suit non-pianists
  • 💰 Paid app when website is free

Sonofield Ear Trainer

From 376 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

Theory Lessons

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Directional arrows and guidance symbols not working on iPad
  • Text panels cut off at the bottom and unable to be resized

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more advanced theory topics
  • Incorporate practice exercises and quizzes
  • Include support for other instruments beyond piano
  • Integrate with the Tenuto app for a more complete experience

Sonofield Ear Trainer

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • None reported

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

None

Theory Lessons

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Sonofield Ear Trainer

One-time4
  • Lifetime Pro$14.99
  • Lifetime Pro$17.99
  • Lifetime Pro2 variants$19.99
Show 1 more
  • Lifetime Pro$24.99

Questions

Is Theory Lessons free?
Theory Lessons costs $2.99, 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, Theory Lessons or Sonofield Ear Trainer?
Sonofield Ear Trainer is rated higher. Theory Lessons averages 4.4 out of 5 from 126 ratings, while Sonofield Ear Trainer averages 4.9 from 376 ratings.
Do Theory Lessons or Sonofield Ear Trainer have ads?
Neither Theory Lessons nor Sonofield Ear Trainer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Theory Lessons or Sonofield Ear Trainer?
Theory Lessons ships an update every 4 months, and Sonofield Ear Trainer every 9 days. Most recently, Theory Lessons was updated on October 15, 2026 and Sonofield Ear Trainer on October 17, 2026.

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