AuscultifyThe best heart sounds apps, compared honestly
There are a dozen auscultation apps on the App Store and most of them are a sound library with a play button. We compared the five people actually ask about on what matters: are the recordings real, does it make you answer before it tells you, does it cover lungs, and what does it cost.
Our pick: Auscultify. Free to download, Pro trial included. We make it, so read the criteria and decide for yourself.
What makes a heart sounds app worth installing
We scored every app on the same eight questions. Three of them matter more than the rest.
1. Are the recordings real?
Synthesized murmurs are clean, perfectly periodic and nothing like a chest. Apps built on real patient audio transfer to the bedside; the others transfer to the app.
2. Does it quiz you?
If the app shows the label before you commit to an answer, you are browsing, not training. Active recall with feedback is the only method with evidence behind it.
3. Does it cover lungs too?
A real chest has both. Apps that train heart sounds in isolation leave you unprepared for the crackles under the murmur.
Side by side
| Auscultify | Littmann Learning | Heart Murmurs Pro | Murmur Master | Auscultation – Heart Sounds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real patient recordings | ✓ | ✓ | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Quiz-first (answer before label) | ✓ | Modules plus quizzes | Quiz mode | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lung sounds included | ✓ | ✓ | — | — | Not stated |
| Mixed heart-and-lung drills | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Same finding at multiple sites | 12 sites | Not stated | — | — | Not stated |
| Spectrogram / phonocardiogram | Pro, synced | Yes | — | — | Not stated |
| Spaced repetition on misses | ✓ | Not stated | — | Not stated | — |
| Progress tracking | Per mode, trends | Yes | Not stated | Sync across devices | Not stated |
| Landmark / site drills | Pro | — | — | — | — |
| Price | Free, Pro trial | Free, paid passes | One-time | Free, subscription | Free, IAP |
Competitor details are taken from public App Store listings and the developers' own descriptions as of October 2026 and may change. "Not stated" means the listing does not say. Check the current listing before you buy.
The five apps, one at a time
Auscultify Our pick
Built around a daily quiz on 200+ real recordings of heart, lung, bowel and vascular sounds, with six modes, 12 sites and per-mode progress. The free tier covers daily practice; Pro adds spectrogram, decomposition and landmark drills. Best for anyone who wants to measurably get better rather than browse a library.
Littmann Learning
3M's app, free to download with paid semester and annual passes. Real patient heart and lung sounds, phonocardiogram displays and guided learning modules. Strong as a structured course; the pass model makes it pricier for long-term use. Best for students who want a curriculum rather than a drill.
Heart Murmurs Pro
A long-running paid app with a focused set of around two dozen murmurs, each with clinical notes and a quiz mode. Compact and offline, but no lung sounds and a small library. Best as a quick pre-exam refresher if you already know the basics.
Murmur Master
Free with subscription. Question-bank style quizzes and test questions on murmurs with progress sync across iOS devices. Good for testing knowledge; the listing does not say whether the audio is real patient recordings. Best for exam-style practice questions.
Auscultation – Heart Sounds
Free with in-app purchases, randomized quizzes across a wide range of findings with instant feedback, aimed at doctors, nurses, students and EMTs. Broad but less structured, and the source of the audio is not stated. Best as a free supplement.
Why we built Auscultify the way we did
Most clinicians learned heart sounds the slow way: a CD in the library, a murmur that never showed up on the ward, an OSCE examiner asking where to put the stethoscope. Auscultify is the app built to fix that.
So every recording is from a real patient. Every session makes you answer before it tells you. Every miss comes back. And lungs are not an afterthought, because no real chest has a heart in isolation.
- 200+ real patient recordings, 12 sites
- Six modes: heart, lung, screening, source check, spectrogram, decomposition
- Spaced repetition on the sounds you miss
- Free to download, Pro with a 7-day trial
Related
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app to learn heart sounds?
For most students and clinicians, Auscultify: it quizzes you on real patient recordings of heart and lung sounds, brings back your misses and tracks accuracy per mode, free to download. Littmann Learning is the strongest alternative if you prefer a guided curriculum and are happy to pay for a pass. We make Auscultify, so apply the criteria above yourself.
Is Littmann Learning free?
It is free to download, with paid semester and annual passes for full access, according to its App Store listing. Check the listing for current pricing.
Which heart sounds app has lung sounds too?
Auscultify and Littmann Learning both include lung sounds. Auscultify also has mixed heart-and-lung recordings and a decomposition mode that trains you to separate them. Heart Murmurs Pro and Murmur Master focus on heart murmurs.
Which app uses real patient recordings?
Auscultify and Littmann Learning both state that their sounds are recorded from real patients. The other apps in this comparison do not say in their listings.
Do I need a special stethoscope for these apps?
No. These apps train your ear with headphones; no stethoscope is involved. The skill transfers to any stethoscope once you can recognize the sounds.
Are there free heart sounds apps?
Yes. Auscultify, Littmann Learning, Murmur Master and Auscultation – Heart Sounds are all free to download, with paid tiers for full access. Auscultify's free tier includes daily quiz practice on the full library of real recordings.
Does Auscultify work on Android?
Auscultify is currently available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
Try the app we would have wanted
as students.
Real recordings, a daily quiz, honest progress tracking. Free to download, Pro trial included, cancel anytime.
Download Auscultify on the App StoreFree to download · 7-day Pro trial · Cancel anytime