Comparison

Epic Ear vs ChordMaster

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

Head to head
About

Epic Ear

Features
Read full description

Epic Ear connects listening, notation, and the piano keyboard in one music-learning experience. Go beyond repeating sounds. See what you heard on the staff, find it on the keyboard, and build musical understanding with your ears, eyes, and hands. Start even if you are new to music Learn the staff, clefs, note names, rhythm, intervals, chords, progressions, and scales step by step. Guided scenes combine clear explanations with listening and hands-on interaction. Learn → Practice → Challenge • Learn: understand each concept through visual, interactive lessons. • Practice: repeat complete listening loops with reference sounds, piano, metronome, and spoken guidance. • Challenge: answer by ear, reveal the notation and keyboard, then play the answer yourself. Intervals, chords, progressions, and scales Four official curricula take you from foundations to advanced material. During training, notes on the staff and keys on the keyboard animate with the actual sound. Pause to inspect, replay the current loop, or move through the timeline. Build training around your goals Choose musical materials and playing styles to create custom training loops. Organize them in folders, add the loops you need to playlists, and keep listening across the app. See your progress Track challenge attempts, all-time and recent accuracy, mastery, challenge activity days, and challenge streaks. Long-term milestones unlock playful collectible trophies and animated celebrations. Explore freely in Playground Play the keyboard and explore the relationships between sound, notation, intervals, and chords at your own pace. Included for free • The complete Fundamentals course • Interval Chapters 1–4 • Chord Chapters 1–3 • Progression Chapters 1–3 • Scale Chapters 1–3 • Playground • Two custom training loops Epic Ear Pro unlocks the remaining official curriculum and unlimited custom loop creation and playback. If Pro ends, additional loops are never deleted; they remain safely stored in an inactive state. More features • Adjustable tempo, master volume, and per-track sound balance • Background playback with Lock Screen and Control Center controls • English, Korean, and Japanese • VoiceOver keyboard navigation and Dynamic Type support • No separate account required Privacy Policy: https://drfranken.net/apps/EpicEar/privacyPolicy_en.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

ChordMaster

This app is a comprehensive music tool for learning instruments, understanding harmony, and practicing effectively. It offers an interactive chord library, song creation features, and music theory exploration. Practice chord changes, identify notes, and train your ear with various exercises.

Highlights
  • Interactive chord library with instrument diagrams
  • Advanced search and analysis for chord identification
  • Creative song book with custom accompaniment patterns
  • Pro training for chord changes and ear training
  • Music theory exploration with Circle of Fifths
  • Multi-instrument support (Guitar, Piano, Ukulele, Bass)
Features
Read full description

Looking for a reliable, easy-to-use chord finder that also provides interactive practice sessions and music theory tools? Meet ChordMaster - your practical musical companion. Whether you are learning a new instrument or brushing up on your skills, ChordMaster provides tools to help you study chord fingerings, understand harmony, build song books, and practice more consistently. Here are the features you can enjoy right now: 1. INTERACTIVE CHORD LIBRARY * Quickly locate chords by filtering root notes and chord qualities such as Major, Minor, 7th, Sus, and more. * View instrument diagrams showing finger positions and layouts for the selected instrument. * Explore multiple ways to play the same chord in different positions. * Hear chord voicings with instrument playback and note-by-note arpeggios. 2. ADVANCED SEARCH & ANALYSIS * Identify possible chord names by choosing the notes you are playing. * Analyze a list of chords to find likely song keys and related harmonic options. Useful for transposing, arranging, and song accompaniment. 3. CREATIVE SONG BOOK & CUSTOM PATTERNS * Build and manage rhythm grids, lyrics-and-chords sheets, and MIDI-based song entries. * Create accompaniment patterns for Guitar, Ukulele, Bass, and Piano using a beat-based sequencer grid. * Add strums, arpeggios, mutes, slaps, body taps, and string-hit style actions depending on the selected instrument. * Import supported files such as MIDI, ChordPro-style chord sheets, and ChordMaster rhythm song backups. Export supported song formats as PDF chord charts, text/ChordPro, MIDI, WAV audio, or rhythm-song backups where available. 4. PRO TRAINING & PRACTICE * Connect supported MIDI keyboards for piano-focused input and practice feedback. * Practice reading note names and staff notation, then answer on the matching instrument diagram. * Practice chord changes with a visual timer, beat-based switching, and tempo controls. * Guess chord names from diagrams with guided study decks and review progress. * Train your ear to recognize chord qualities such as Major, Minor, Diminished, and Augmented. * Listen to chord progressions and identify the tonic key across different difficulty levels. 5. MUSIC THEORY & MULTI-INSTRUMENT * Explore key relationships, diatonic chords, and related harmony with an interactive fifths circle. * Study common progression patterns and how they relate to keys and harmonic movement. * Switch between Acoustic Guitar, Classical Guitar, Bass Guitar, Ukulele, and Piano with matching diagrams and playback. 6. QUICK ACCESS & UTILITIES * Save useful voicings or essential chords for quick access. * Return to chords you were studying directly from the home screen. * Look up chords, review saved material, and practice core exercises without requiring a constant connection. Download ChordMaster today to expand your chord vocabulary, understand harmony, and build a more consistent practice routine. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Epic Ear4 screens
ChordMaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Epic Ear at none against ChordMaster's shown. ChordMaster's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Epic Ear sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and ChordMaster sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Epic Ear ships an update fortnightly, ChordMaster every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Epic Ear versus ChordMaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEpic EarChordMaster
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDONGWOOK LEEThanh Nguyen

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Epic Ear

Subscriptions2
  • Epic Ear Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Epic Ear Pro Yearly$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Epic Ear Pro Lifetime$29.99
3 purchases

ChordMaster

Subscriptions2
  • ChordMaster Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
  • ChordMaster Pro Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year
One-time1
  • ChordMaster Pro Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Epic Ear free?
Epic Ear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ChordMaster free?
ChordMaster is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Epic Ear or ChordMaster have ads?
ChordMaster shows ads; Epic Ear does not.
Which is updated more often, Epic Ear or ChordMaster?
Epic Ear ships an update fortnightly, and ChordMaster every 10 days. Most recently, Epic Ear was updated on October 7, 2026 and ChordMaster on October 6, 2026.

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