Music Tutor (Sight vs Functional Ear Trainer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Music Tutor (Sight
This app helps you learn to read sheet music and improve your sight-reading abilities. Practice identifying notes in various clefs with timed or untimed sessions and track your progress. It offers MIDI support and a companion Apple Watch app for on-the-go practice.
- Sheet music reading practice
- Timed note identification
- Treble, bass, and alto clef support
- Customizable note practice range
- MIDI keyboard integration
- Apple Watch companion app
- App Clips for quick access
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Note: This free version is supported by ads. To remove advertisements, use the in-app purchase to upgrade or buy the paid version, Music Tutor Plus from the App Store. Learn to read sheet music and improve your sight-reading skills with Music Tutor. Develop your speed and accuracy in reading sheet music by identifying music notes in timed sessions. Choose to practice with notes in treble, bass and alto clefs in timed or untimed sessions. After each test, you can review your mistakes and see your progress. Other features of Music Tutor include: • Custom Practice Range - Set your own range of notes that you want to practice with. • Supports notes up to 4 ledger lines above or below the staff on any of the clefs. • Notes Reference Charts - For Treble, Bass and Alto clefs. • MIDI Support - Connect your keyboard or digital piano using Lightning to USB Camera Adapter and respond directly from your instrument. • Companion Apple Watch app using which you can practice recognising music notes on the go. • Supports App Clips and Advanced App Clip Experiences - a way to quickly access and experience a practice session with Music Tutor without having to install the complete app. For Advanced App Clip Experiences, an App Clip invocation URL can be configured using the documentation available at https://musictutorapp.com/appclip.
Functional Ear Trainer
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.
- Recognize tones in musical key context
- Understand note function
- Improve transcription skills
- Enhance improvisation
- Develop perfect pitch
- Daily 10-minute practice
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Have you (or maybe one of your friends) ever wanted to learn to transcribe or play music by ear? It is so important for a musician to know what you are hearing. A good musical ear helps when you are composing, improvising, transcribing melodies, or playing with others. Most likely you have already tried different programs to learn to recognize intervals or even to acquire perfect pitch. However, although such programs develop your ear, but can you actually play any melody you hear as soon as you listen to it? Imagine you could understand music... It is like when somebody is talking to you, you not only hear pleasant sounds, but you recognize words and their meaning. One day I came across Alain Benbassat's program called "Functional Ear Trainer" and have been using it ever since. It is based on Alain's method to learn to recognize tones. The main difference between the Functional Ear Trainer and other methods is that it teaches you to distinguish between tones in the context of a particular musical key. You begin to recognize the role (or function) of each tone in this key, which is incredibly similar to its role in other keys of the same scale. And it is *guaranteed* anyone can gradually develop this skill. It does not matter: - who you are - an absolute beginner in music or a virtuoso professional musician; - how old you are - a 3 yo kid or a 90+ adult; - what musical instrument you play (you don't even have to play one). The only requirement is to practice for 10 minutes a day. I was so excited about this ear trainer that I have developed a mobile app based on the Alain Benbassat method. I hope you will find it useful.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Functional Ear Trainer at 4.9 against Music Tutor (Sight's 4.2. Functional Ear Trainer also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (96% vs 75%). Music Tutor (Sight's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Music Tutor (Sight 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 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.2K and 3.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Music Tutor (Sight's written reviews are positive against 96% of Functional Ear Trainer's.
Music Tutor (Sight ships an update every 2 weeks, Functional Ear Trainer every 7 months. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Music Tutor (Sight | Functional Ear Trainer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (2.2K ratings) | 4.9 (3.8K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 74.8% of reviews | 96.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K | 3.8K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bijoy Thangaraj | Serhii Korchan |
Customer experience
Music Tutor (Sight
Functional Ear Trainer
User reviews
Music Tutor (Sight
From 2.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💡 Customizable note range and clef options
- 👍 Helpful for improving sight reading and note recognition
- 🚀 Efficient for quick practice sessions
- 👍 Tracks progress and accuracy
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent ads that disrupt the flow
- 🐛 Inability to close ads or see correct answers
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance and crashes
- 👎 Limited features compared to paid version
Functional Ear Trainer
From 3.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Effective ear training
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Customizable exercises
- 🎉 Noticeable improvement with regular practice
- 🎨 Visually appealing design
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional audio glitches
- 💡 Lack of support for other instruments besides piano
- 💡 Desire for more advanced features (e.g. chord recognition)
Bugs and requests
Music Tutor (Sight
Reported bugs
3 issues- Incorrect note sounds when playing higher/lower octaves
- Inability to restore purchases and remove ads
- Landscape mode not supported
Requested features
4 requests- Option to display both treble and bass clefs simultaneously
- Ability to select specific notes or intervals to practice
- More detailed statistics and progress tracking
- Inclusion of rhythm and chord recognition exercises
Functional Ear Trainer
Reported bugs
2 issues- Keyboard display issues when selecting all chromatic notes
- Inconsistent note resolutions in some exercises
Requested features
5 requests- 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
In-app purchases
Music Tutor (Sight
- Music Tutor Plus Upgrade$2.99
Functional Ear Trainer
- Functional Ear Trainer Plus$19.99
Questions
Is Music Tutor (Sight free?
Is Functional Ear Trainer free?
Which has better reviews, Music Tutor (Sight or Functional Ear Trainer?
Do Music Tutor (Sight or Functional Ear Trainer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Music Tutor (Sight or Functional Ear Trainer?
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