tuneUp Lite vs Active Ear
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
tuneUp Lite
Sharpen your musical ear with this engaging game that tests your ability to identify sharp or flat pitches. Progress through difficulty levels and compete globally. Unlock additional instrument sound packs through in-app purchases.
- Pitch identification game
- Adjustable difficulty levels
- Global leaderboards
- Multiple instrument sound packs
- Ear training for musicians
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Improve your ear for tuning and general intonation. Ranges from easy to expert, compete with people across the world! Pro version includes all sample packs. :::HOW TO PLAY::: The game is simple: Press the "1" button to play a pitch. Press the "2" to play the same pitch, slightly out of tune. If the "2" pitch is sharp (higher), press the sharp button. If the "2" pitch is flat (lower), press lower. Be careful, three lives only! Of course, if you have a great score and would like to keep going, you will have the opportunity to purchase one more life. -------------- Tuning is a very important skill, and working with tuneUp will improve your ear training skills. Through GameCenter, TuneUp tracks best scores. See if you can top one of the leaderboards! TuneUp gives you piano samples for free, and guitar, flute, and marimba through in-app purchase. So often on tv contest shows, a judge will say a performance was flat or sharp, but often incorrectly! With tuneUp, you will know better, and can become a better singer, guitar tuner, and improve your general musicianship. See the support site at http://www.tuneupapp.co/ with any questions or concerns.
Active Ear
Develop your musical ear with a comprehensive ear training app. It offers various exercises to help musicians identify pitches, intervals, chords, and progressions. Customize your learning with practice modes and test your knowledge with quizzes.
- Pitch Recognition
- Interval Training
- Chord Quality Identification
- Bassline Training
- Progression Training
- Chord Inversions
- Customizable Practice Mode
- Quiz Mode
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Active Ear is for musicians of all skill levels and instrument types. With dozens of exercises ranging from beginner to advanced, Active Ear focuses on teaching you to identify pitches, intervals, chords, and progressions using only your Ear. The Practice Mode of the app allows you to customize the challenges to focus only on areas you're interested in improving. Once you're confident with the Practice Mode, you test yourself in the Quiz Mode of the app to see how well you understand the concepts. Active Ear Comes with six Ear Training Programs: - Pitch Recognition - Interval Training - Chord Quality - Bassline Training - Progression Training - Chord Inversions
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Active Ear at none against tuneUp Lite's 5. Active Ear also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). tuneUp Lite's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. tuneUp Lite sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Active Ear asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for tuneUp Lite against 4.7 for Active Ear. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 22 and 50 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of tuneUp Lite's written reviews are positive against 94% of Active Ear's.
tuneUp Lite ships an update every 4 months, Active Ear monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | tuneUp Lite | Active Ear |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (22 ratings) | 4.7 (50 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 93.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 22 | 50 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | H Calvin Flegal | MCPHERSON'S MUSIC LLC |
Customer experience
tuneUp Lite
Active Ear
In-app purchases
tuneUp Lite
- 3 More Lives$0.99
- Flute Sample Pack$0.99
- Acoustic Guitar Pack$0.99
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- Marimba Sample Pack$0.99
- Complete Sample Pack$1.99
Active Ear
No in-app purchases








