In short
- For learning to read and play rhythms with real-time feedback, Complete Rhythm Trainer is the structured course, unlocked once rather than by subscription.
- For hearing a rhythm and tapping it back, Rhythm Trainer does one thing and does it daily, with a capped free tier.
- For a metronome that also trains — tempo ramps, muted bars, practice logs — The Metronome by Soundbrenner and Metronome Beats are both free to start.
- Perfect Ear's rhythm section is the best value if you also want intervals and chords in the same app.
- For measuring your sense of duration and tempo rather than drilling patterns, Percore scores the error and keeps a daily series; it does not teach notation.
How this list was made
Each app was checked against its own App Store or Google Play listing and its own site on 21 October 2026. Prices are as shown on the listing on that date in US dollars; stores set local prices and change free tiers without notice. We did not use star ratings or download counts. Percore, the app this site belongs to, is listed where it belongs — measurement — and excluded from the jobs it does not do.
The apps
Complete Rhythm Trainer
- Best for
- Learning to read and play rhythms, in a graded sequence
- Platform
- iOS and Android
- Price
- Free to start; one-off unlock (US$4.99 on iOS, US$5.99 on Android, as shown on the listings)
From the makers of Complete Ear Trainer, and built the same way: a long sequence of levels through rhythmic notation, from quarter notes to tuplets and polyrhythms, each one played by tapping in time with real-time scoring of every note. The structure does the planning for you, which is the main thing a self-taught player lacks.
The unlock is a single purchase that covers all your devices on that platform, with no subscription.
The limit. It teaches notation and execution; it does not measure your unaided sense of time, and it assumes you want to read.
Rhythm Trainer
- Best for
- Hear it, tap it back — every day
- Platform
- iOS and Android
- Price
- Free with a daily time cap; subscription (US$4.99 a month on the iOS listing) for unlimited practice
The simplest method on the list. The app plays a rhythm, you tap it back on the screen, and it tells you how close you were. The tempo and the patterns adjust to how you are doing. The free version allows a short daily session — the listings disagree on whether it is ten or fifteen minutes — and the subscription removes the cap.
Because it is purely by ear, it suits players who do not read and do not want to, and singers and dancers who need to internalise patterns rather than execute notation.
The limit. Listening-and-tapping only; there is no notation, no metronome and no theory, and the free cap is tight.
Perfect Ear
- Best for
- Rhythm alongside intervals, chords and dictation
- Platform
- iOS and Android
- Price
- Free, with optional exercise packs under US$5 each (a rhythm pack among them)
Perfect Ear is the all-in-one ear trainer, and its rhythm section is a real one: reading, writing and imitation exercises, plus custom rhythm patterns you build yourself. If you also want interval, chord and scale practice, it is the one app that covers all of it without a subscription.
The rhythm pack is one of the paid add-ons, but the free tier is generous enough to find out whether the method suits you.
The limit. A toolkit rather than a course; you need to know what to practise.
The Metronome by Soundbrenner
- Best for
- A clean metronome with a practice log
- Platform
- iOS and Android
- Price
- Free; a Plus tier adds extras
Soundbrenner's app is first a metronome — adjustable time signatures and subdivisions, tap tempo, a count-in, saved presets, visual cues, more than twenty click sounds, and sync with MIDI gear and Ableton Link — and second a practice tracker that logs hours per instrument, keeps streaks and sends reminders. The company says the core metronome is free without ads; some third-party listings describe a paid Plus tier for extras such as gradual tempo changes.
It is the one to choose if what you need is a reliable click and a record of having practised.
The limit. A metronome tells you the time; it does not test whether you can keep it without one.
Metronome Beats
- Best for
- A metronome that trains — ramps, muted bars, polyrhythms
- Platform
- iOS and Android
- Price
- Free; a Pro version unlocks extra features
Stonekick's metronome has tabs for a standard metronome, advanced rhythms, drums and polyrhythms, and the training features that make a metronome more than a click: set the tempo to speed up over time, mute every few bars to test whether you are still in time when it returns, and stop automatically after a set period. Beats per bar and clicks per beat are set directly on the main screen.
Which of these are free and which are Pro is not fully spelled out on the listing, and at least one reviewer found the subdivision options thinner than expected; check the in-app guide before relying on a specific feature.
The limit. The free/Pro split is unclear from the listing, and it is a metronome first, not a trainer with scoring.
Flying Beat
- Best for
- Sight-reading rhythms, cheaply
- Platform
- iPad and iPhone
- Price
- US$2.99, once, as shown on the listing
A paid-once rhythm reader with a large library of patterns, twenty-six time signatures each at eight difficulty levels, adjustable playback speed, real-time feedback on every note, a look-ahead mode for sight-reading, and a both-hands mode for pianists. The developer states it collects no data.
It is older and plainer than Complete Rhythm Trainer, and the listing is designed for iPad first, but for the price it is a lot of reading practice.
The limit. iOS only, reading only; one aggregator shows it as free in some regions, so the price may vary.
Percore
- Best for
- Measuring your sense of duration and tempo, daily, without a click
- Platform
- iPhone
- Price
- Free daily practice; Pro US$39.99 a year or US$4.99 a week
Percore does not teach notation or play patterns for you to copy. It measures the thing the other apps assume: your unaided sense of time. The free daily Duration session runs a pulse for between about one and three and a half seconds, then stops, and you press and hold for what feels like the same length — no counter, no clock, and counting out loud costs you the round. The score is the error relative to the target, so a quarter-second late on a short interval costs more than on a long one, which is how it feels.
Pro adds Rhythm (feel a beat, then play it back), Tempo (match a pace, not just a duration), Prediction (anticipate when something will happen) and Reaction as practice modules. Everyone gets the same daily targets, so your series is comparable with yesterday's and with a friend's. It is the complement to a rhythm trainer, not a replacement: the trainer builds the skill, Percore tells you how steady it is.
The limit. No notation, no metronome, no patterns to copy in the free daily; Rhythm and Tempo practice are Pro.
Which one, for which need
| You want to… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Learn to read rhythms and play them in time, step by step | Complete Rhythm Trainer |
| Hear a pattern and tap it back, no notation | Rhythm Trainer |
| Train rhythm together with intervals and chords | Perfect Ear |
| A reliable click and a log of practice hours | The Metronome by Soundbrenner |
| A click that ramps tempo and drops out to test you | Metronome Beats |
| Sight-read lots of rhythms for a few dollars | Flying Beat |
| Measure your sense of duration and tempo daily, with no click | Percore |
If the idea of a sense of time that can be measured is new, How to improve your sense of time explains what interval timing is and why counting is a workaround rather than the skill. For pitch rather than rhythm, the ear training apps list is the companion to this one.
Measure your sense of duration, free, in half a minute.
Download on the App StoreFrequently asked
What is the best free rhythm training app?
For reading and playing with feedback, Complete Rhythm Trainer's free levels go a long way before the one-off unlock. For a metronome, The Metronome by Soundbrenner is free without ads. For measuring your sense of duration, Percore's daily practice is free.
Is a metronome enough to improve my rhythm?
A metronome keeps you honest while you play, but it does the timing for you. To improve your own sense of time, you also need practice without the click and feedback on how far you drifted — a trainer that mutes bars, a tap-back drill, or a duration test.
What is the difference between rhythm and timing?
Rhythm is the pattern — which beats are played and how they are grouped. Timing is the accuracy of each event against the pulse, and the steadiness of the pulse itself. You can know a rhythm perfectly and still play it late.
How often should I practise rhythm?
Daily and short beats weekly and long. Most trainers suggest ten to fifteen minutes a day; a measurement of your sense of time takes under a minute and is most useful when it is done every day under the same conditions.
Were these apps tested?
Each was checked against its own listing and site on 21 October 2026, and the descriptions stay within what those say. Prices are as shown in US dollars on that date. Check the store page before buying.