ToneGym Ear Training Studio vs Fretionary
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ToneGym Ear Training Studio
This app offers daily ear training games and tools for musicians and singers to improve skills like intervals, chords, and rhythm. It provides instant feedback, tracks progress, and includes community features for motivation. Users can start for free and upgrade for more advanced access.
- Daily ear training workouts
- Interval, chord, and rhythm training
- Melody memory and sight-singing
- Interactive music theory tools
- Progress tracking with TPI
- Community contests and motivation
- Chord Progression Generator
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ToneGym Is The Gym For Your Ears -> Short games. Sharp ears. Big wins. ToneGym is a daily ear training workout for musicians and singers who want real progress, fast. Play quick training games and build the skills you actually use when you play, sing, write, or teach: interval training, chord training, rhythm training, melody training, and sight-singing. DO TODAY’S WORKOUT: Open ToneGym and get a fresh daily workout built from short games that train real-world musicianship. You get instant feedback, bite-sized reps, and a difficulty curve that keeps you challenged without getting overwhelmed. WHAT YOU’LL TRAIN (EAR TRAINING + PRACTICAL MUSIC THEORY): • Intervals (ascending, descending, harmonic) • Chords (recognition, inversions, progressions) • Scales (identification, modes) • Rhythm (repetition and dictation) • Melody (memory and playback) • Sight-singing + solfeggi GAMES WITH PERSONALITY (AND A PURPOSE): - Meet your trainers: each game targets one core skill at a time, so your practice stays focused: • Chordelius: chord recognition • Solfègiator: solfege & sing-back drills • Rhythmic Parrot: rhythm repetition • Melody Jay: melody memory …plus a whole crew of ear-training games to keep the workout fresh. TOOLS YOU’LL ACTUALLY USE: - Go beyond games with interactive music tools you can apply right away: • Chord Progression Generator (with voice-leading playback) • Interactive Circle of Fifths • Sight-Singing Trainer • Scales, chords, intervals, vocal warmups, and more SEE YOUR PROGRESS CLIMB: - Track improvement with TPI (ToneGym Performance Index), personal bests, and skill stats, so you always know what’s getting stronger. PLAY WITH THE COMMUNITY: - Train alongside musicians worldwide, share wins, and join weekly Olympics contests for extra motivation. HEARING SAFETY: - ToneGym involves listening to various frequencies and tones. To protect your hearing, always start with your device volume at a low level and avoid listening at high volumes for extended periods. FREE TO START: - Start free anytime. Upgrade to Pro for more access, deeper stats, and a bigger training playground. Start Today’s Workout. Subscription Details: • Monthly and yearly subscriptions available • Payment charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation • Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period • Account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period • You can manage and cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings Terms of Use (EULA) : https://www.tonegym.co/site/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.tonegym.co/site/privacy
Fretionary
This app transforms your device into an interactive guitar fretboard, visualizing scales, chords, and progressions. It offers color-coded displays and real audio playback to aid music theory learning.
- Interactive fretboard visualization
- 14 scales and modes
- 25 chord types
- CAGED system shapes
- Chord progression builder
- Color-coded by function
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Fretionary turns your entire fretboard into a visual theory map. Stop hunting for scale shapes on YouTube. Stop forgetting which chord is which. Fretionary puts every scale, chord, and progression you need right on an interactive fretboard — color-coded, labeled, and playable with real guitar audio. FEATURES • 14 scales & modes — Major, Minor, Pentatonic, Blues, Dorian, Lydian, and more • 36 chord types with fingering diagrams — Triads, 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, Sus, Add, and more • CAGED system — all 5 shapes color-coded across the neck, with reference chord diagrams • 64 chord progressions — across Pop, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Latin, Motown, Gospel, Classical, Reggae, and more • Progressions builder — Common, Diatonic, or build your own from scratch • Practice drills — Name the Note, Find the Note, String Drill (Beginner to Advanced) • Identify — reverse chord lookup: tap any notes on the fretboard, get the chord name • Progress tracking — daily streak plus scales explored, chords learned, and progressions played • Interactive fretboard up to 24 frets — tap positions directly, focus on any range • Color-coded by function — roots, 3rds, 5ths, and extensions instantly visible • 9 alternate tunings — Standard, Drop D, Drop C, DADGAD, Open D/G/E, Eb Standard, and more • Real guitar audio — sample-based playback for every scale, chord, and progression • Built-in metronome (free) — BPM 40–240, six time signatures, tap-tempo • iPad optimized — full-screen fretboard with side-by-side controls FRETIONARY PRO Unlock all scales, chords, progressions, tunings, and practice modes. • Monthly: $7.99/month • Lifetime: $44.99 one time Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://fretionary.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Fretionary at 80% against ToneGym Ear Training Studio's 25%. Fretionary also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.8) and ratings volume (32 vs 4). ToneGym Ear Training Studio's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, 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. ToneGym Ear Training Studio sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $13.95 per month and Fretionary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Fretionary holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fretionary has 32 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of ToneGym Ear Training Studio's written reviews are positive against 80% of Fretionary's.
ToneGym Ear Training Studio ships an update weekly, Fretionary every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ToneGym Ear Training Studio | Fretionary |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (4 ratings) | 4.5 (32 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | 80.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 4 | 32 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 58 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SoundGym LTD. | Brandon Sumner |
Customer experience
ToneGym Ear Training Studio
Fretionary
In-app purchases
ToneGym Ear Training Studio
- ToneGym Pro Monthly Subscription$13.951 Month
- ToneGym Pro Yearly Subscription$74.991 Year
Fretionary
- Fretionary Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
- Fretionary Pro Annual$24.991 Year
- Fretionary Pro Lifetime$44.99
Questions
Is ToneGym Ear Training Studio free?
Is Fretionary free?
Which has better reviews, ToneGym Ear Training Studio or Fretionary?
Do ToneGym Ear Training Studio or Fretionary have ads?
Which is updated more often, ToneGym Ear Training Studio or Fretionary?
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