By Ear PRO vs ABLooplay
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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"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.
ABLooplay
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Loop any part of a track and slow it down without changing the pitch. Loop the sentence you can’t catch and compare your voice, or learn a song by ear at half speed in any key. It works with videos too, and as an everyday music player. ■ From here to there, again and again Watch the waveform and tap A and B — only that part repeats. Pause to pick the gaps by eye, and add a pause between repeats to say it back. Missed a sentence? Tap “Loop This Sentence”: it finds the pauses around it and loops it, no A or B needed. ■ Auto-split by sentence (Pro) Auto-split › By sentence cuts wherever the sound stops for 1 second or more, making a section for every sentence at once. Set “Plays before moving on” to 3 and long lessons play through on their own. Pro also adds unlimited sections and an equalizer to bring bass, vocals, drums, guitar or piano forward. ■ Compare with your voice Record yourself with “Record Voice”, then tap “Original → You” to hear both back to back and catch differences in pronunciation and intonation. ■ Half speed, same pitch From 0.5× to 2× without changing the pitch. “Speed up a little each loop” adds 0.05× per play up to 1×, and the key shifts up to ±6 semitones to match your instrument. Zoom to 3 s and slide the waveform to land on the first word or note, or nudge A and B by ±0.1 s. ■ A–B loops for videos, too In the Videos tab, paste a video link and it plays in the app; tap “A Start” and “B End” to loop the part in between. Your own videos (MP4, MOV) from the Files app are listed by folder, with a waveform for setting sections. Play counts, pauses, speed and voice comparison work as for songs. Videos from a link have no waveform or Auto-split, and videos stop when you leave the app. ■ Practice log and favorites Each day you practice 1 minute or more in AB Repeat gets a stamp on the Log tab’s calendar (a star on goal days). Tap a day to see your time and loops, and set a practice reminder there. Tap the star next to “Section 1 of 3” to save a section to a folder, then loop it right away from “Favorite Sections”. ■ An everyday music player, too Tap a song in the Music tab and a large player slides up; swipe down to browse while it plays. ≡ gives you up next, shuffle, repeat, speed and a sleep timer, and the speech bubble shows lyrics. Search by title, artist or album, and control it from the Lock Screen. ■ Adding audio Import MP3s from the Files app, singly or by folder, or copy them in from a computer. m4a, wav, aiff, unprotected songs from your music library, podcast episodes and audio from videos in Photos work too. Tracks are sorted by editable ID3 tags (artist → album → song), and empty tags are filled from file and folder names. ■ Also • LRC scripts and subtitles (SRT, VTT) show each sentence and check your dictation • A hands-on tutorial with 8 English sentences • Two columns and keyboard control on iPad; a vertical tab strip on the foldable iPhone Duo • Speed, sections and key are saved per song • No ads. Your files and recordings stay on your device; the app only goes online for podcasts and videos from a link ■ Without Pro, and Pro Without Pro you get the basics: up to 3 sections per song or video, Loop This Sentence, ±0.1 s, speed, key, speed-up, pauses, repeat counts, voice comparison, the practice log, favorites, 2 playlists, and unlimited videos, both your own and from a link. ABLooplay Pro adds auto-split, unlimited sections, the equalizer and unlimited playlists. Choose an auto-renewing subscription or a purchase that never renews. • Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase • Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period • Manage or cancel in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions • Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ • Privacy Policy: https://tatsu456.github.io/ablooplay/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: ABLooplay at every 9 days against By Ear PRO's every 3 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
By Ear PRO ships an update every 3 months, ABLooplay every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | By Ear PRO | ABLooplay |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kenichi Ando | TAKAYUKI TAKEMOTO |
In-app purchases
By Ear PRO
No in-app purchases
ABLooplay
No in-app purchases









