Comparison

StarNest vs Absolute Ear

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

Head to head
About

StarNest

Features
Read full description

By holding music shows, concerts and auditions, incubating, cultivating, and brokering super individuals and their virtual images, stars across Asia can enter the Web3 era through the Star Nest ecosystem platform. Based on the concept of "Control the future, connect the world: allowing everyone to share ownership of the Internet" advocated in the Web3.0 era, with the help of the revolutionary technology of blockchain and smart contracts, through the online metaverse and offline Combining industrial resources to create a full-stack web3 music platform that integrates decentralized blockchain, metaverse and artificial intelligence technology, and truly implements "listenable + writable + owned", Star Nest will reshape music appreciation, music Music business formats such as creation, music auditions, star development, concerts and music shows, etc., build the Metaverse intelligent ecosystem community Star Nest Space, integrating online gaming and guessing elements throughout the process, forming a disruptive new music industry ecology Star with online and offline participation by all people. Nest realizes the joint construction, joint governance and joint sharing of fan users.

About

Absolute Ear

Master note recognition, melodic dictation, and interval training with a structured course. Progress at your own pace through over 60 units, with intelligent practice focusing on your weakest areas. Supports multiple instrument timbres and detailed statistics.

Highlights
  • Note recognition
  • Melodic dictation
  • Interval training
  • Intelligent practice
  • Multiple instrument timbres
  • Detailed statistics
  • Session history and streak tracking
Features
Read full description

ABSOLUTE EAR - EAR TRAINING Want to hear a melody and know exactly what notes it is? That's what Absolute Ear teaches. This is a structured ear training course that takes you from recognizing your first three notes all the way to mastering all 12 chromatic pitches, melodic sequences up to 5 notes long, all 13 musical intervals, chord recognition by function, and real chord progressions - at whatever pace works for you. WHAT YOU TRAIN NOTE RECOGNITION Hear a piano note. Name it. That's the foundation of playing by ear. Start with just C, E, and G. Unlock new notes as you demonstrate mastery. By the end, you'll identify all 12 chromatic notes across three octaves - including sharps - without needing a reference pitch. MELODIC DICTATION Identify sequences of 2, 3, 4, and 5 notes in a row. This is where note recognition becomes real musical memory. Each unit introduces new notes progressively, so you're never thrown in the deep end. INTERVAL TRAINING Master all 13 intervals: unison, minor 2nd, major 2nd, minor 3rd, major 3rd, perfect 4th, tritone, perfect 5th, minor 6th, major 6th, minor 7th, major 7th, and octave. Three tiers of difficulty: • Tier 1: Fixed C as your tonic - build the foundation • Tier 2: Random root per session - start to generalize • Tier 3: Root changes every question - true interval hearing CHORD RECOGNITION Hear a chord and identify it by its function in C major - not just its name. Every question starts with the I chord to anchor your ear, then you identify the target chord by scale degree. Five modules take you from the Big Three (I, IV, V) through all seven diatonic chords. You'll learn to hear the difference between the lift of IV, the tension of V, and the darkness of vi. CHORD PROGRESSIONS Once you know the chords, learn to hear how their order changes everything. A four-chord loop plays and you tap the degrees in sequence. Five modules cover the most common progressions in popular music - from the classic I-IV-V-I to the pop loop I-V-vi-IV - training you to recognize the patterns behind the songs you hear every day. HOW IT WORKS 60+ structured units span five exercise types across six chapters: single notes, note sequences, interval training, chord recognition, and chord progressions. Units unlock as you hit 80% accuracy - you move forward when you're actually ready. Each session is 30 focused questions. Listen. Answer. Get immediate haptic feedback. The app tracks exactly where you struggle and weights practice toward your weakest notes, intervals, and chords - so every session is time well spent. If you're flying through a session, an early-completion prompt lets you move on early. FEATURES • 60+ course units across five exercise types • Chord recognition by function - hear harmony, not just names • Chord progression training - recognize the loops behind real music • Intelligent practice: weak spots appear more often • Multi-octave training - notes across three octaves • 60+ badges to earn - including some hidden surprises • Detailed stats: per-note accuracy, confusion matrix, accuracy trends, daily practice time • Session history and streak tracking • Apple Sign In - progress saved to your account • Haptic feedback on every answer • No subscription required to get started WHO IT'S FOR • Musicians who want to play by ear without sheet music • Piano and guitar players who want to transcribe what they hear • Music students building aural skills for exams • Anyone who hears a melody and wants to know its notes • Songwriters who want to hear chord progressions by ear • Experienced players sharpening pitch, interval, and harmony awareness Start with three notes. Build from there. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.absoluteear.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.absoluteear.com/privacy

Screenshots

StarNest3 screens
Absolute Ear4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: StarNest at none against Absolute Ear's 3. StarNest also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). Absolute Ear's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Absolute Ear sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. StarNest asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StarNest ships an update every 3 weeks, Absolute Ear every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 11, 2026 and July 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
StarNest versus Absolute Ear: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarNestAbsolute Ear
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (7 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—7 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size65 MB117 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperSTAR NEST TECHDavid Ashworth

In-app purchases

None

StarNest

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Absolute Ear

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is StarNest free?
StarNest is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Absolute Ear free?
Absolute Ear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do StarNest or Absolute Ear have ads?
Neither StarNest nor Absolute Ear shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StarNest or Absolute Ear?
StarNest ships an update every 3 weeks, and Absolute Ear every 3 days. Most recently, StarNest was updated on September 11, 2026 and Absolute Ear on July 23, 2026.

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