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Best Music Theory Learning Apps for iPhone (2026)

7 apps tiered S through F · Ranked by AppTierList, computed, never sold · JSON

Part of Music Learning.

Quick answer

TONALY: Songs, Scales & Theory is the top-ranked of the 7 tiered music theory learning apps on iPhone, at S tier with 4.7/5 from 9,205 ratings.

Tier list

Top 5

  1. 1
    ★ 4.7 · 9.2K ratings · Free + IAP
    Best overall
  2. 2
    ★ 4.7 · 20.5K ratings · Free + IAP
    Most rated
  3. 3
    ★ 4.6 · 3.3K ratings · Free + IAP
    Most recently updated
  4. 4
    TenutoA tier
    ★ 4.8 · 1.3K ratings · $4.99
  5. 5
    ★ 4.5 · 2.6K ratings · Free + IAP

Key takeaways

  • TONALY ranks #1 of the 7 tiered music theory learning apps, S tier with a score of 93 out of 100.
  • Piano Chords and Scales has the most App Store ratings here: 20,477, averaging 4.7/5.
  • 4 of the 7 tiered apps reach S or A tier.

What belongs in this list

Learn to read and understand music notation, scales, chords and the rules of music.

Not here: learning to play an instrument alone; a metronome or tuner alone; sheet music library alone; music notes flashcards without lessons alone; a song player alone

How we pick

For this list we ask the App Store the same searches a person would, in several countries, and keep every app it returns. A model reads each app's listing and rejects the ones that only mention the use case. Every app that stays is scored out of 100 from four parts, each 0 to 100 and averaged: its App Store rating, how many people rated it, where the App Store itself ranks it for this list's searches, and how recently its current version shipped. An app showing Apple's Editors' Choice badge gets a fifth part of 100, which can only lift its score. Apps whose maker has verified ownership get a small score component, because an active maker is a sign the app is kept up to date. It never decides a tier on its own. Updated daily. Tiers follow fixed score bands: S from 90, A from 80, B from 70, C from 60, D from 50, F below. On a list of 20 or more ranked apps, a tier from S to D takes in new apps only up to a quarter of the top 40: an app pushed out of a full tier falls to the next tier with room, and F takes the rest. Read the full method →

Compare every app

Every ranked music theory learning app: tier, score, App Store rating, rating count, price and last update
#AppTierScoreRatingRatingsPriceUpdated
1S93.44.79,205Free + IAP
2S92.04.720,477Free + IAP
3
Fretonomy - Learn FretboardMost recently updated
A84.84.63,345Free + IAP
4A83.84.81,323$4.99
5B74.24.52,572Free + IAP
6D54.54.92,187Free + IAP
7F41.04.7938Free + IAP

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Questions people ask

What is the best music theory learning app for iPhone?

TONALY: Songs, Scales & Theory, S tier, ranked #1 of 7, rated 4.7 by 9,205 people.

Which music theory learning apps are free?

6 of 7 are free to download: TONALY: Songs, Scales & Theory (S), Piano Chords and Scales (S), Fretonomy - Learn Fretboard (A), ScoreSkills- Learn Music Notes (B) and more. 6 of them sell in-app purchases.

Which music theory learning app has the best App Store rating?

Waay: Learn music theory at 4.9 from 2,187 ratings.

How many music theory learning apps reach S or A tier?

4 of 7.