EarMaster alternatives in 2026: 9 ear training apps compared honestly
EarMaster is the most complete ear training app you can buy, which is also why it doesn't suit everyone. Here are nine alternatives, what each does better or worse than EarMaster, and current pricing.
EarMaster is the benchmark for ear training software. It has been around since the 1990s, has more than 4,000 exercises, grades your sight-singing through the microphone, and covers ABRSM and RCM exam material. If you need all of that, it’s hard to beat, and this article won’t pretend otherwise.
People look for alternatives for more specific reasons. They want something that runs in a browser. They find the mobile module pricing confusing. They want a free or one-time option. Or they want a narrower tool that does one skill in more depth. We make one of the alternatives (Fifths, a browser-based ear trainer), so we’ve tried to be clear about where it fits and where it doesn’t.
Pricing is as of October 2026, taken from official sites and the US App Store.
First, what EarMaster gets right (and what it costs)
According to EarMaster’s site, it runs on Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Pricing comes in a few forms:
- One-Year All-Access Pass: $49.95 for all your devices (shop).
- EarMaster Pro 7 desktop licence: $59.95 one-time for Windows/Mac, with a $14.95 Vocal Trainer add-on.
- iOS: a free download with modules sold separately. Bundles run $7.99–$14.99, the Vocal Trainer is $14.99, and single sections like “Interval Identification” are $1.99 (App Store).
- EarMaster Cloud: a separate per-seat product for schools, with a teacher dashboard.
Its standout features are sight-singing into the microphone with pitch and timing feedback, a deep rhythm section, jazz workshops, MIDI input, custom exercises and exam prep. If those are what you need, the best “alternative” may simply be the All-Access Pass.
Quick comparison
| App | Platforms | Price (Oct 2026) | Closest to EarMaster in… | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auralia | Desktop + cloud (schools) | From $39/student/yr (school plans) | Breadth, exam syllabi | Music schools and classrooms |
| Complete Ear Trainer | iOS, Android | Free; $6.99 one-time | Structured progression | Pay-once mobile learners |
| Fifths | Web | Free tier; $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr | Functional hearing, sing-back | Browser users who want stats on their weak spots |
| Theta Music Trainer | Web, iOS | Free levels; $9/mo or $39/yr | Breadth of skills | Game-style practice in a browser |
| Perfect Ear | iOS, Android | Free; Premium $14.99 | Wide coverage incl. rhythm | A low-cost all-rounder |
| Sight Singing Pro | iOS, Android | $8.99/mo, $89.99/yr or $259.99 once | Mic-graded sight-singing | Singers replacing EarMaster’s sight-singing |
| ToneGym | Web, iOS | Free tier; Pro $13.95/mo or $74.99/yr (iOS) | Daily workouts, many skills | Gamified daily habit |
| Functional Ear Trainer | iOS, Android | Free; Plus $19.99 | Scale-degree training | Hearing notes in a key |
| Tonedear / teoria / musictheory.net | Web | Free to use | Basic drills | Zero-cost practice |
The alternatives
1. Auralia (Rising Software)
The closest like-for-like competitor: a long-running, comprehensive aural-skills program aimed at schools and exam syllabi. Rising Software’s official pricing is for education. Auralia Cloud is $39 per student per year (minimum 10 students), there’s a $65 bundle with Musition (its theory companion), and multi-seat desktop licences are $195 per seat (minimum 5). We couldn’t find a current official price for individual learners.
Better than EarMaster at: classroom setup if your school already uses Rising Software products. Worse at: individual purchasing; it’s clearly sold to institutions. Choose it if: you’re a teacher or a student whose program provides it.
2. Complete Ear Trainer
A free iOS and Android app with a $6.99 one-time unlock. It has more than 150 drills in 28 chapters across intervals (24 of them, so compound intervals are included), chords, scales and melodic dictation. It’s the closest thing to EarMaster’s structured course progression at a fraction of the price.
Better than EarMaster at: price (one payment, not per module or per year); simple progression. Worse at: no sight-singing with mic grading, no exam-specific content, no desktop app. Choose it if: you mainly practice on your phone and want a course, not a toolbox.
3. Fifths (ours)
A browser-based ear trainer with nine sections: foundations, voice, tonality, scale degrees, intervals, chords, progressions, jazz harmony and rhythm. It’s built around functional hearing, meaning notes and chords heard as roles in a key, and around statistics that show which specific items you miss: the scale degrees, interval directions, chord qualities and keys. The Voice section uses microphone pitch detection for sing-back exercises: matching a note, singing the tonic, steps, skips, arpeggios and scales.
Better than EarMaster at: running in any browser with no install or signup for the first lessons; showing your weak spots without you digging for them; jazz harmony (extensions, altered dominants, modal interchange, voicings) in a simple subscription. Worse at: far less content (dozens of lessons versus EarMaster’s thousands); no sight-singing from notation or melodic dictation yet; no exam-syllabus material; no app-store apps yet, so on a phone you use the browser. Pricing: free tier with foundations, tonality, scale degrees, basic intervals and most of the Voice section. Pro is $4.99/month or $39.99/year. Choose it if: you want to learn to hear music in a key and like seeing exactly what’s tripping you up.
4. Theta Music Trainer
Fifty ear training games across 12 courses, on the web and iOS: intervals, chords, melody, rhythm and more. The first three levels of every game are free. An individual plan is $9/month or $39/year on the website.
Better than EarMaster at: running in a browser; feeling like play rather than coursework. Worse at: structured exam prep; sight-singing with feedback. Choose it if: you liked EarMaster’s breadth but not its schoolbook feel.
5. Perfect Ear
A broad, inexpensive iOS and Android app covering intervals, chords, scales, rhythm and solfège. It includes “sing it” pitch drills that use the microphone and a custom exercise editor. On iOS, Premium is $14.99, with individual packs from $0.99.
Better than EarMaster at: low cost for broad coverage on a phone. Worse at: depth; some older reviews report unreliable singing detection. Choose it if: you want EarMaster-like range for a much smaller budget.
6. Sight Singing Pro
If the EarMaster feature you actually use is sight-singing, this is the specialist. It grades each note green or red as you sing from a score. It supports fixed do, movable do or letter names, has more than 2,000 scores and ABRSM courses, and includes dictation and singing ear-training modes. It’s priced at $8.99/month, $89.99/year or $259.99 one-time, on iOS and Android.
Better than EarMaster at: focus and depth on sight-singing. Worse at: everything else (chords, progressions, rhythm breadth); not cheap. Choose it if: you’re a singer or choir member preparing for auditions or exams. See best ear training apps for singers.
7. ToneGym
A web-first, gamified platform with daily workouts of short games (Chordelius, Solfègiator, Rhythmic Parrot, Melody Jay), a performance score, contests, and a set of tools including a sight-singing trainer. It has a free Basic tier. In the iOS app, Pro is $13.95/month or $74.99/year; the website also offers a lifetime plan.
Better than EarMaster at: daily-habit design and community features. Worse at: structured depth; it’s pricier per month than most options here. More detail in ToneGym alternatives. Choose it if: streaks and scores keep you practicing.
8. Functional Ear Trainer
A focused app based on Alain Benbassat’s method. A cadence sets the key, a note plays, and you name its scale degree. It’s free on iOS and Android, with a $19.99 “Plus” in-app purchase on iOS, and it’s very highly rated.
Better than EarMaster at: making scale-degree hearing the entire, daily focus. Worse at: everything outside that one exercise. Choose it if: your goal is playing by ear and you’ll use another tool for the rest. Our functional vs interval ear training article explains why this exercise matters.
9. The free web tools: Tonedear, teoria.com, musictheory.net
- Tonedear has highly configurable interval, chord, scale, scale-degree and dictation exercises, free to use in the browser.
- teoria.com adds two- and four-voice dictation, and lets you answer on a MIDI keyboard.
- musictheory.net is fast and plain, with the iOS app Tenuto at $4.99 one-time.
Better than EarMaster at: price (free) and speed to start. Worse at: structure and progress tracking. Choose them if: you know what to drill and don’t want to pay.
How to choose
Start with the reason you’re leaving EarMaster:
- “I want it in a browser”: Theta Music Trainer, ToneGym, Tonedear, or Fifths.
- “I want to pay once”: Complete Ear Trainer ($6.99), Tenuto ($4.99), or EarMaster’s own $59.95 desktop licence.
- “I only use the sight-singing”: Sight Singing Pro.
- “I want to play by ear, not pass exams”: Functional Ear Trainer or Fifths.
- “I’m a teacher”: Auralia, or EarMaster Cloud.
- “I want free”: Tonedear, teoria, musictheory.net; most apps above also have free tiers.
And if you need the full range (sight-singing, rhythm, dictation, exam prep) in one place, the honest answer is that EarMaster is still the most complete package. The $49.95 All-Access Pass is reasonable for what it includes.
For a wider view, see our main best ear training apps roundup and the best interval training apps comparison.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to EarMaster? Yes. Tonedear, teoria.com and musictheory.net are free to use in a browser. Functional Ear Trainer, Complete Ear Trainer, Perfect Ear and Fifths are free to start, with paid upgrades. None matches EarMaster’s full range for free.
Does EarMaster have a web version? EarMaster’s site lists Windows, macOS, iOS and Android for individuals; EarMaster Cloud is a separate product for schools. If you specifically want a browser app for personal use, Theta Music Trainer, ToneGym, Tonedear and Fifths all run in the browser.
What’s the cheapest way to get EarMaster-level breadth? Perfect Ear (Premium $14.99 on iOS) and Complete Ear Trainer ($6.99) cover a lot of ground for very little. Neither has EarMaster’s mic-graded sight-singing.
Which alternative has sight-singing with microphone feedback? Sight Singing Pro is the dedicated option. Perfect Ear has singing drills. Fifths has sing-back exercises with pitch detection, but not sight-singing from notation yet.
Is EarMaster worth it in 2026? For conservatory-bound students, exam candidates and people who want sight-singing, rhythm and dictation in one product, yes. For someone who just wants to play songs by ear, a focused functional trainer is usually a better use of time.