PitchMe vs 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.

The short answer

Choose PitchMe if you want functional relative pitch on your phone, free to start, with chord, harmony and intonation training that ToneGym's pitch games do not cover.

Choose ToneGym if you are a producer at a desk who wants mixing-focused ear training — EQ, compression, stereo field — alongside pitch, and a paid plan suits you.

ToneGym is made by ToneGym. Check these claims at the source. Last verified .

"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.

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.

ToneGym

A daily workout of five short games, each targeting one skill — intervals, chords, scales, rhythm, melody, sight reading — scored into a single performance index.

What ToneGym does well

Including the things it does better than PitchMe.

  • The gamification is excellent and the daily workout format is the right shape for building a habit — the same insight PitchMe is built on.
  • Weekly contests and a large community give it real competitive pull.
  • Producer-focused tools go well beyond pitch: EQ, compression and stereo-field ear training have no equivalent in PitchMe.
  • Runs in any browser, so it fits a desktop studio workflow.

Where ToneGym stops

The gaps that matter if relative pitch is what you are training.

  • Most games identify intervals and chords in the abstract rather than by function within a key.
  • No cents-level intonation mode.
  • It is a website. There is no native iOS or Android app, so it is not the thing you open in a queue for ninety seconds.
  • The free account is limited; full access is a paid plan. Check their site for current pricing.

Side by side

PitchMe compared with ToneGym, axis by axis
What it trainsPitchMeToneGym

Trains notes in a key

Whether you identify what you hear relative to a tonal centre, or as an isolated distance between two notes. This is the difference between an ear that works on real music and one that only works on quizzes.

Yes

Every mode establishes a key first, then asks what you heard inside it, labelled as scale degrees or solfège.

Partial

Some in-key games, but most identify intervals and chords in the abstract.

Trains chords by function

Whether chords are drilled by their role in a key (the 4, the 5, the 6) rather than only by quality (major, minor, diminished). Function is what you need to hear a progression.

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.

Partial

Chord and progression games, mostly by quality.

Trains hearing inside a chord

Whether you practise picking out individual notes within a sounding chord — the skill behind transcribing voicings, harmonising, and singing a part.

Yes

A dedicated Harmony mode plays a chord and asks which note inside it you heard, including complex chords.

Partial

Chord-tone games exist alongside a broad mixing-ear syllabus.

Trains intonation in cents

Whether you practise hearing that a note is slightly sharp or flat. Naming intervals is a labelling skill; hearing tuning is a resolution skill, and they train separately.

Yes

A dedicated Intonation mode asks whether a note is in tune, tightening from 15 cents to 5 cents as you improve.

Not found

No cents-level tuning drills.

Removes crutches on a schedule

Whether difficulty escalates on its own — dropping the reference note, adding inversions, widening the range — rather than leaving you to pick settings you are already comfortable with.

Yes

Levels unlock a second octave, inversions, complex chords and extra scale degrees, and take the reference note away at level 3.

Yes

The daily workout picks the games and the level for you.

Built around a daily habit

Ear training is decided by how many days you show up, not by how much content the app has. Whether the app is shaped like something you open every day.

Yes

Rounds run about a minute, with three lives, a combo multiplier and optional daily reminders.

Yes

A five-game daily workout is the centre of the product.

Leaderboards

Whether progress is visible against other people, which is what keeps a practice habit alive past the first fortnight.

Yes

Global leaderboards and shareable scores.

Yes

Weekly contests, a performance index and a large community.

Price

Cost to start and to keep going.

Free to download; optional subscription. No ads.

Limited free account; subscription or lifetime purchase. See their site for current pricing.

Platforms

Where it runs.

iOS and Android.

Web browser only — no native mobile app.

Frequently asked questions

Is PitchMe a mobile alternative to ToneGym?
Yes. ToneGym runs in a browser and has no native iOS or Android app, so it suits a desk and a studio session. PitchMe is a native mobile app built for a minute of practice wherever you are. The two also aim at different skills: ToneGym covers mixing-ear training such as EQ and compression, while PitchMe goes deeper on hearing notes and chords by their function in a key, plus intonation.
Is PitchMe cheaper than ToneGym?
Substantially. PitchMe is free to download with an optional subscription and no ads. ToneGym's free account is limited, and its paid plans are priced well above typical mobile app subscriptions.

Judge it with your own ears

PitchMe is free to download on iOS and Android, with no ads. One round takes about a minute.