Better Ears review
A flexible ear-training app for musicians who want custom practice and detailed progress tracking.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Better Ears is a paid ear-training and music-theory app for musicians, students, and teachers. It brings together exercises for intervals, scales, chords, pitch, rhythm, and music reading, with several ways to answer: users can sing, play a real instrument, use a virtual piano keyboard or guitar fretboard, or connect MIDI hardware. The combination suits learners who want more than a fixed lesson sequence, especially those building practice around specific theory topics or instruments.
Its strongest differentiator is customization. Better Ears includes preset difficulty levels, custom levels, and an editor for chords, scales, and chord progressions. Progress statistics cover both exercises and individual questions, giving learners a way to review performance over time. Six built-in instruments and custom SoundFont support add flexibility for different practice preferences. This makes the app a particularly good fit for musicians and teachers who want to shape drills rather than follow only a predetermined curriculum.
The ecosystem is practical for people working across supported devices: Better Ears is available on macOS, iOS, and Android, with Dropbox synchronization for levels, statistics, and settings. MIDI support also connects it to external keyboards and other compatible hardware. The trade-off is that the product is paid and does not include a free plan, while its wide subject coverage may be less suitable for someone seeking a narrow, guided course. Choose Better Ears for adaptable practice, hardware input, and progress detail; choose an alternative if you want a free starting tier or a more linear learning path.
Better Ears pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Covers intervals, scales, chords, pitch, rhythm, and music reading
- Supports singing, instruments, virtual keyboards, guitar fretboards, and MIDI
- Adds custom levels, progress statistics, SoundFont support, and Dropbox sync
- Where it doesn't
- No free plan is included
- Its mixed curriculum may feel broad rather than tightly specialized
- Advanced customization may require more setup than preset exercises
Better Ears fact sheet, pricing and score →
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