Comparison

By Ear PRO vs Rokugen

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

Head to head
About

By Ear PRO

This app helps musicians transcribe songs by automatically analyzing chords from audio. It allows for slow playback of difficult phrases and visualizes chords on a piano roll for accurate copying. Users can also create their own transcriptions from scratch.

Highlights
  • AI chord analysis from audio
  • Pitch-preserving slow playback
  • Piano roll visualization of chords
  • Freehand transcription with chord insertion
  • Project saving and loading
  • MIDI export
Read full description

"How do they play that part?" — this app answers it. Every musician hits the same wall sooner or later: working a song out by ear. A song with no sheet music. A phrase you love. That intro. By Ear PRO takes that wall down with four tools. 1. A head start on the chords Import a track and you get a first reading of the chord progression. Your ears still decide — you just don't have to start from nothing. 2. Slow playback that keeps the pitch Play a fast phrase slowly without it dropping in pitch. Combine it with AB repeat and you can loop the hard part as long as you like. 3. Work it out while you watch the piano roll The chords sit on a piano roll in front of you. See it, hear it, and correct it until it matches what you heard. 4. Start from a blank roll and write it yourself Enter notes at your own pace from nothing at all. Insert chords as you go and build the structure while you work. ABOUT THE PRO PLAN A one-time purchase with a permanent licence. Buy it once and there is nothing more to pay. No subscription and no renewal. PRO unlocks: - Saving and opening projects (.csp) - MIDI export (.mid) - Everything added to PRO in the future RESTORING AFTER A NEW DEVICE OR REINSTALL If you bought it before, tap "Restore purchase" in the app to get it back at no cost. As long as you are signed in with the same Apple ID, PRO works on the new device with nothing more to pay. PAYMENT - Charges are billed to your Apple ID. - PRO is enabled as soon as the purchase is confirmed. - Payment is handled through Apple's In-App Purchase. PRIVACY AND TERMS Privacy policy: https://tenmais.jp/privacy.php?lang=en Terms of use (Apple standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ This app does not sell or pass your personal information to anyone. See the privacy policy above for details. SUPPORT Questions and requests are welcome: https://tenmais.jp/contact/?lang=en Working a song out by ear is the best training there is for understanding music. We hope this app makes your musical life richer.

About

Rokugen

Features
Read full description

Rokugen(六弦)は、ギター弾き語りのための「作る・弾く」がひとつになったアプリです。 演奏を録音するだけで譜面になり、そのまま練習まで。すべての処理が端末内で完結します。 ■ 録音が、譜面になる ・録音からコード進行・キー・BPM・歌メロ・歌詞・リズムを自動検出できます(編集での修正が前提です) ・ボーカルと伴奏の分離もアプリ内で実行。分離した音はパート別に再生可能 ・キーの選び直し、BPMの倍/半分修正もワンタップ。結果は何度でも再解析できます ・音源ファイル(wav / m4a / mp3)の解析にも対応 ■ コード譜はフリックで高速入力 ・C〜Bのキーを上下左右にフリックして m・7・M7・sus4 などを一瞬で入力 ・押さえ方(コードダイアグラム)は自動生成。候補から選ぶだけ ・拍の分割(8分・16分・3連)、セクションタグ、歌詞にも対応 ■ TAB譜・奏法もしっかり編集 ・数字キーパッドでサクサク入力、ハンマリング・プリング・スライドなどの記号も ・ストロークのダウン/アップ、キック/スネア/ハイハットのリズム打ち込み ・押さえた形からコード名を自動判定 ■ プレイヤーで練習 ・コード譜とTAB譜が同期スクロール。小節タップでどこからでも再生 ・自分の録音をボーカル/伴奏/ドラム別の音量で重ねて再生 ・譜面のギター音とリズムは個別にミュート可能 ・チューナー内蔵。曲のチューニング(変則チューニング対応)に合わせて調弦 ・カポと移調に完全対応。カポ位置の提案機能つき ■ そのほか ・パブリックドメイン曲のプリセット譜面(ストローク/アルペジオ/パーカッシブ) ・変則チューニングの作成・管理 ・ダークモード、iPad対応 ・録音や音源が外部サーバーに送信されることはありません ■ 使い方のイメージ ・曲名やチューニングなどの曲情報設定→コード譜面の作成→ストロークやアルペジオなどの奏法パターンの割り当て→タブ譜編集の流れを想定しています ・タブ譜まで必要ない場合はコード譜までの作成でも使用できます ・録音機能を使えばある程度の入力を省略できます(修正が前提) 音楽理論がわからなくても大丈夫。ヘルプに用語ミニ辞典と目的別ガイドを用意しています。

Screenshots

By Ear PRO4 screens
Rokugen4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: By Ear PRO at none against Rokugen's 1. By Ear PRO also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). Rokugen's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). On price 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. Rokugen sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. By Ear PRO asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

By Ear PRO ships an update every 3 months, Rokugen every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 4 level
By Ear PRO versus Rokugen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBy Ear PRORokugen
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size44 MB37 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKenichi AndoShinya Miyake

In-app purchases

None

By Ear PRO

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Rokugen

One-time1
  • Rokugen Pro$11.99

Questions

Is By Ear PRO free?
By Ear PRO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rokugen free?
Rokugen is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do By Ear PRO or Rokugen have ads?
By Ear PRO shows ads; Rokugen does not.
Which is updated more often, By Ear PRO or Rokugen?
By Ear PRO ships an update every 3 months, and Rokugen every 5 days. Most recently, By Ear PRO was updated on October 1, 2026 and Rokugen on September 21, 2026.

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