EarMaster vs Functional Ear Trainer
Both are ear training apps. EarMaster ear training, sight-singing, rhythm, and vocal training app; Functional Ear Trainer ear training focused on hearing scale degrees in context. Here is how they compare on the things that decide it.
About EarMaster
EarMaster is a music-education application for ear training, sight-singing, rhythm training, and related music-theory practice. Developed in collaboration with music educators and used by music schools, it provides a large, structured library of exercises suitable for all skill levels. It offers thousands of exercises covering interval, chord, scale, and melody recognition, melodic and harmonic dictation, and functional ear training using a functional keyboard. Sight-singing activities let users sing along with on-screen scores and receive instant feedback on pitch and rhythm accuracy, while rhythm workshops train timing through tapping and clapping with real-time evaluation. Users answer by singing or clapping, and the system uses adaptive learning to adjust difficulty to performance. Additional content includes Jazz and Blues workshops covering scales, harmony, and swing rhythms, tailored courses for exam preparation (such as ABRSM Aural and RCM), detailed progress tracking, customizable exercises, and cloud sync across devices. It is aimed at students, hobbyists, professional musicians, and music educators and schools. Available on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, with an EarMaster Cloud option for education. It follows a freemium model with a free version, paid editions of the application, and subscription-based personal and school/cloud licensing for syncing and classroom use.
About Functional Ear Trainer
Functional Ear Trainer is a mobile ear-training app built around the Alain Benbassat method, which teaches listeners to recognize tones by their function within a key rather than by memorizing isolated intervals. The app establishes a key by playing a short chord cadence and then asks the user to identify how a played note relates to that tonal center. Its core Basic Training mode plays a cadence followed by a single tone, and the user identifies the scale degree, training functional pitch recognition through repeated short sessions. An advanced mode extends this by playing two notes sequentially or simultaneously so users can identify scale degrees and the interval between them. The app is designed around short daily practice, and includes configurable playback and label settings, an optional intro game for new users, daily practice reminders, and the ability to share results. It is intended for musicians who want to improve relative pitch for playing by ear, improvising, and transcribing. The app is available on iOS and Android and follows a freemium model, with a substantial set of free exercises and additional features unlocked through paid upgrades.