# PitchMe vs Functional Ear Trainer

> The free, single-purpose app that made functional ear training popular: a cadence establishes the key, then you name the scale degree you heard.

**Short answer.** Choose PitchMe if you want the same functional method applied to chords, harmony and intonation as well as single notes, wrapped in a game that gets you back tomorrow. Choose Functional Ear Trainer if you want one free, primarily focused on scale degrees.

Functional Ear Trainer is made by Kaizen9 (https://www.kaizen9.com/fet). Facts
last verified 2026-08-25.

"Not found" means we could not find the feature when we reviewed the app on 2026-08-25, not that it certainly does not exist. Apps change, and we do not track every release. Each app links to its own site — check anything that matters to your decision at the source.

All product names, trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. PitchMe is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the products compared here. They are named only to identify them.

## How each one teaches

- **PitchMe** — Establishes a key, then asks what you heard inside it:
  scale degrees, chord functions as Nashville numbers, notes within a sounding
  chord, and whether a note is in tune. Difficulty escalates by level rather
  than by setting.
- **Functional Ear Trainer** — Plays a I–IV–V–I cadence to fix a key centre, then plays one note for you to identify as a scale degree. Notes can be labelled with numbers, letters or do-re-mi.

## What Functional Ear Trainer does well

- The method is right. Priming a key and then asking for a scale degree is the canonical functional exercise, and it is the same principle PitchMe is built on.
- Free, with a long, sensible level ladder that starts with a handful of degrees and widens to multiple octaves and other scales.
- Widely used and well reviewed on both app stores.

## Where Functional Ear Trainer stops

- Single notes only. There is no chord training, so it does not cover hearing a progression.
- No harmony mode, so you never practise picking a note out of a sounding chord.
- No intonation work, so it trains labelling but not pitch resolution.
- No leaderboards, and little in the way of a game loop.

## Side by side

| What it trains | PitchMe | Functional Ear Trainer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Trains notes in a key** | Yes — Every mode establishes a key first, then asks what you heard inside it, labelled as scale degrees or solfège. | Yes — The cadence-then-scale-degree exercise is its entire design. |
| **Trains chords by function** | Yes — Chords are drilled as Nashville numbers — the 1, 4, 5, 6, then the 2, 3 and 7 — with inversions and non-diatonic chords unlocking later. | No — Single notes only. |
| **Trains hearing inside a chord** | Yes — A dedicated Harmony mode plays a chord and asks which note inside it you heard, including complex chords. | No — No chord-tone identification. |
| **Trains intonation in cents** | Yes — A dedicated Intonation mode asks whether a note is in tune, tightening from 15 cents to 5 cents as you improve. | No — No tuning or cents work. |
| **Removes crutches on a schedule** | Yes — Levels unlock a second octave, inversions, complex chords and extra scale degrees, and take the reference note away at level 3. | Yes — Levels widen from part of a scale to multiple octaves. |
| **Built around a daily habit** | Yes — Rounds run about a minute, with three lives, a combo multiplier and optional daily reminders. | Partial — Structured drills, but no game loop pulling you back. |
| **Leaderboards** | Yes — Global leaderboards and shareable scores. | No — No leaderboards. |
| **Price** | Free to download; optional subscription. No ads. | Free, with in-app purchases. |
| **Platforms** | iOS and Android. | iOS and Android. |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is PitchMe better than Functional Ear Trainer?

They use the same underlying method — establish a key, then identify what you heard relative to it — so neither is teaching you the wrong thing. Functional Ear Trainer does single notes only. PitchMe applies that method to chords, harmony and intonation as well, and adds levels, leaderboards and a game loop. If you want scale degrees alone and nothing more, Functional Ear Trainer is a fine free choice. If you want to hear progressions, PitchMe covers more of the skill.

### Can I use PitchMe and Functional Ear Trainer together?

Yes, and the overlap is small. Functional Ear Trainer is a deep drill on single scale degrees; PitchMe's Notes mode covers that ground and its Chords, Harmony and Intonation modes go where Functional Ear Trainer does not. Most people find one app they open daily is worth more than two they open occasionally.

## Other comparisons

- [PitchMe vs EarMaster](https://pitchme.moosedev.app/compare/earmaster): The textbook of ear training software: a large, structured curriculum covering intervals, chords, scales, rhythm, melodic dictation and sight-singing, on desktop and mobile.
- [PitchMe vs Tenuto](https://pitchme.moosedev.app/compare/tenuto): A clean, offline toolkit of about two dozen customisable music theory and ear training drills from the makers of musictheory.net, sold once rather than rented.
- [PitchMe vs Perfect Ear](https://pitchme.moosedev.app/compare/perfect-ear): A broad, long-established Android-first trainer covering intervals, scales, chords, rhythm, solfège, note reading and custom exercises, free with ads and a premium tier.
- [PitchMe vs ToneGym](https://pitchme.moosedev.app/compare/tonegym): A browser-based, heavily gamified ear training platform aimed at producers, with a daily workout of short games, weekly contests and a large community.
- [All comparisons](https://pitchme.moosedev.app/compare): the full matrix across every app above.

## Download PitchMe

- [PitchMe on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/sg/app/pitchme-train-relative-pitch/id1281567190)
- [PitchMe on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moosedev.pitchme)