The Ear Gym

The Ear Gym is an Android and iOS app for ear training across intervals, chords, scales, rhythm, harmony, solfege, and perfect pitch. Exercises let users identify, compare, construct, read, sing, or play intervals with piano and guitar sounds. Guided Mode moves from beginner listening into intervals, chords, scales, rhythm, and harmony. Users can also tailor drills by selecting intervals, chords, scales, keys, clefs, octaves, instruments, and tempo. Further study areas include sight reading, melodic dictation, harmonic analysis, chord progressions, and cadences. Session statistics, streaks, and badges track practice, and the app listing says it works offline. A free start option offers drills at the user's own pace. One-time purchases unlock Guided Mode for $2.99, paid once, Free Mode for $2.99, paid once, or the Complete package for $4.79, paid once. The App Store description says the full app is unlocked with a one-time purchase and has no subscription or ads.

The Ear Gym offers a wide range of listening and music-theory exercises, with both guided learning and configurable drills. The free start provides drills at your own pace; its listed unlocks are one-time purchases.

It suits pianists, guitarists, singers, producers, and music students who want structured or customizable ear-training practice. Offline access may suit learners practicing without a connection.

Overview

The Ear Gym is a mobile ear-training and music-theory app for Android and iOS, suited to musicians who want both a guided learning path and control over individual drills. Its breadth is its main advantage; the free start is limited to self-paced drills, while guided and free modes are sold as one-time unlocks.

It combines listening practice with exercises in reading, singing, playing and analyzing music, and works offline. That makes it a practical option for solo practice across several skills, though the range may be more than someone seeking only a narrow interval trainer needs.

Key features

Guided Mode progresses from beginner listening through intervals, chords, scales, rhythm and harmony. Learners who want a sequence can follow that route instead of deciding what to study each session. Users who already know their weak spots can configure drills by interval, chord, scale, key, clef, octave, instrument and tempo; that flexibility is useful for targeted work, but requires more choices up front.

Interval exercises include identifying, comparing, constructing, reading, singing and playing, with piano and guitar sounds. The broader theory work includes sight reading, solfege, melodic dictation, harmonic analysis, chord progressions and cadences. Session statistics, streaks and badges give practice a sense of continuity, while adaptive difficulty can adjust the challenge. Offline access is helpful when a connection is unavailable.

Pricing

The free start costs nothing and provides drills at the user's own pace. It is a useful way to begin, but learners wanting the guided sequence or the fuller free-mode drill set must pay for an unlock. Unlock guided mode and Unlock free mode each cost $2.99, paid once; the Complete package costs $4.79, paid once. These are one-time in-app purchases, and the app has no subscription or ads.

The individual unlocks suit someone who knows which mode they want. The Complete package is the straightforward choice for a learner who wants both at a lower combined price than buying the two $2.99 unlocks separately. There is no recurring renewal to account for.

Platforms

The Ear Gym is available on Android and iOS, with offline practice on mobile. Its phone-based format fits short individual sessions; no desktop platform is established.

Who it's for

Pianists, guitarists, singers, producers and music students can all find relevant exercises, from instrument-specific interval work to rhythm and harmony. Beginners may benefit most from Guided Mode, while more experienced learners can use the configurable drills to focus practice. Someone looking for a desktop tool or a narrowly focused exercise may prefer a different fit.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Guided progression and configurable drills serve both learners who want direction and those who want precise control.
• Pros: Listening, performance, reading and theory exercises cover more than interval recognition alone.
• Pros: Offline use and one-time unlocks support practice without an ongoing subscription.
• Cons: The free start offers self-paced drills rather than the guided route, so users wanting a structured course must pay.
• Cons: The many drill settings may feel like extra setup for someone who simply wants a quick, fixed exercise.

Alternatives

Ear Training Software is a useful place to compare more options. Choose Perfect Ear if macOS support matters; it also has a free plan and one-time exercise packs. Auris is worth considering for web access and a free option with progress saved, though its yearly plan is billed monthly at €4.99 a month. Coco offers Android, iOS and web access, with daily workouts and challenges in its free tier, subject to daily limits.

Complete Ear Trainer may suit someone who wants a one-time full-version purchase at $6.99, paid once and access across mobile, desktop and web; its free access covers the first chapter of each mode. Functional Ear Trainer is another free-to-download option, with Android, iOS, macOS and Windows support. For a narrower focus on intervals, Note Precision: Intervals offers a free Level 1 with unlimited sessions and is available on mobile and desktop platforms. SightSing is a fit for iOS or web users focused on sight-singing, with its free tier covering levels 1–3 and a $4.99 a month plan for all 18 levels plus rhythm and interval training. ToneGym is another cross-platform freemium option, with basic training and learning tools in its free membership.

Verdict

The Ear Gym is a strong choice for mobile musicians who want listening drills connected to broader music theory, with a guided course for beginners and enough settings to target specific skills. Its main trade-off is that the free start does not include Guided Mode; look elsewhere if desktop access or a narrowly focused trainer matters more than breadth.