Comparison

Mandola by Ear vs Sightreading Exercises

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

Head to head
About

Mandola by Ear

Features
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Mandola is a wonderful instrument that came to us from Italy. It retains that sublime musical character few other instrument can be compared to. Learn to express yourself with this beautiful instrument in DAYS and WEEKS instead if YEARS. With our unique learning method you will accomplish just that! This is a very powerful ear training and learning tool for musicians who want a shortcut to fluency on the mandola. With this tool you will be able to play the mandola it is meant to be played by ear, any melody or solo, you will gain a very deep understanding of chords and the notes they consist of and are surrounded by, they tell you all about this in lessons, but you never actually get to ingrain it. Yet this is the most important skill there is for mastering the mandolin and play any music by ear. The app allows you to practice with just the smartphone or with your real mandola. This exercise might look a little bit tedious, but trust us, you will see very powerful results in your music within days of using the app. You could call it hacking the mandola. Provided you possess the basic notes and scale playing skills (youtube will teach you that very easily), you will learn to play the mandola by ear in DAYS with Mandola by Ear, something other musicians struggle for YEARS for and still not everyone gets there. You will. During the first month. How much money would you pay to obtain such a skill? Consider this your lucky day, because you are on your way for real musicianship whether it is your hobby or you want to pursue career in music, this app sets you up for the best results.

About

Sightreading Exercises

Master sight-reading on any instrument with 60 progressive levels and songs. Practice with your real instrument, receive instant feedback, and improve your musical fluency. Supports a wide range of instruments, clefs, and key signatures.

Highlights
  • 60 progressive levels
  • Instrument-specific customization
  • Built-in tuner
  • Supports all modern clefs
  • Wide range of key and time signatures
  • Real instrument input detection
  • Pitch meter for accuracy
Features
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Customized for instruments, including full orchestra settings: Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Guitar, Bass, Clarinet (Bb and A), Oboe, Bassoon, Flute, Piccolo, French Horn (double horn setting F / Bb), Trumpet (C / Bb), Saxophone (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone), Trombone (Tenor and Bass), Tuba, Harp. Complete your entire music learning journey by practicing in different modes: Flash Cards, Music Theory, Full Flow Sheet Music, and Practice Real Songs. Features available in all modes: - The app shows sheet music, listens to your playing, and provides feedback. Even on grand stave with multiple notes at a time. This is called polyphonic detection system. - Melodic Randomness: control how random the generated notes are - Hints (instrument-specific) - Keyboard (Piano) - Fingerboard chart (Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass) - Fretboard chart (Guitar, Bass) - Fingering (Clarinet, Flute; more coming soon) - Pitch meter for intonation (Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Trombone) - Intonation accuracy check for microtonal instruments: - Green tick: perfect intonation - Yellow tick: Acceptable hit but slightly out of tune - Voice Control: restart the exercise without touching the screen 1. Flash Cards - Levels 1 to 20 (beginner) - Levels 21 to 40 (intermediate) - Levels 41 to 60 (advanced) - Custom levels (12 keys, all accidentals including double-sharp and double-flat) 2. Music Theory - Scales - Major scales (12 keys, up to 3 octaves) - Harmonic minor and melodic minor scales (12 keys, up to 3 octaves) - Chromatic scales (adjustable range) - Chords (up to 3 octaves) - Major Triad, Minor Triad, Major Seventh, Minor Seventh, Dominant Seventh, Diminished Seventh, Augmented Triad, Diminished Triad, Suspended Seventh, Suspended Second, Suspended Fourth, Major Ninth, Minor Ninth, Dominant Ninth, Added Ninth, Major Eleventh, Minor Eleventh, Dominant Eleventh - Rhythms - Note types - Semibreve (Whole) - Minim (Half) - Crotchet (Quarter) - Quaver (Eighth) - Semiquaver (Sixteenth) - Rests - Dotted notes - Triplets - Time signatures 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/4, 3/8, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 - Intervals - Exercises for faster recognition of any chromatic intervals in any keys - Aural Training - Rhythm & Metre - Melody & Memory - Intervals & Pitch - Chords & Harmony 3. Full Flow Sheet Music (practice sight-reading with real sheet music. Hit the right note, or practice playing in rhythm with the metronome) - Levels 1 to 20 (beginner) - Levels 21 to 40 (intermediate) - Levels 41 to 60 (advanced) - Custom levels (12 keys, 8 time signatures, 10+ note types, all accidentals including double-sharp and double-flat) 4. Practice Real Songs (over 170 famous songs by different composers) - Songs organized by - Albums (13 music books) - Composers (Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Tchaikovsky, Haydn, Schubert, Schumann, Handel, Chopin, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Bizet, Brahms, Vivaldi, Johann Strauss, Paganini, Pachelbel, Czerny, Rachmaninoff, Scott Joplin, Clementi, Edvard Grieg, Ravel, Scarlatti, Weber, Sibelius, Saint-Saëns, Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Erik Satie, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Antonín Dvořák, Edward Elgar, Jules Massenet, Richard Wagner, and more) - Grades (Grade 1 to 7) Tools for day-to-day practice are also available: - Tuners - Full-range chromatic tuner: A0 to C8 - Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Guitar, Bass, and tuners for transposing instruments, such as Clarinet, French Horn, Trumpet, and Saxophone - Metronome (classic metronome that lets you adjust BPM by sliding the pendulum weight up and down)

Screenshots

Mandola by Ear2 screens
Sightreading Exercises4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sightreading Exercises at Free against Mandola by Ear's $12.99. Sightreading Exercises also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 40 months). Mandola by Ear's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.8). On 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

Sightreading Exercises is free to download; Mandola by Ear costs $12.99 up front. Sightreading Exercises sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mandola by Ear asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mandola by Ear ships an update every 40 months, Sightreading Exercises every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Mandola by Ear versus Sightreading Exercises: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMandola by EarSightreading Exercises
Price$12.99Free — better
Rating—4.4 (23 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—23 — better
Update frequencyEvery 40 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.8
Further details — not scored
Size173 MB335 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperOleg SokolovRC Game

In-app purchases

None

Mandola by Ear

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Sightreading Exercises

One-time1
  • Buy Full Version$12.99

Questions

Is Mandola by Ear free?
Mandola by Ear costs $12.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sightreading Exercises free?
Sightreading Exercises is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mandola by Ear or Sightreading Exercises have ads?
Neither Mandola by Ear nor Sightreading Exercises shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mandola by Ear or Sightreading Exercises?
Mandola by Ear ships an update every 40 months, and Sightreading Exercises every 5 days. Most recently, Mandola by Ear was updated on September 17, 2026 and Sightreading Exercises on October 24, 2026.

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