playsheet
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So, you've decided to learn piano. Congratulations! You have taken the first step towards annoying your neighbors and impressing absolutely no one at parties.
Naturally, you don't want to pay a human teacher because that requires social interaction and money. So you turn to the App Store. And oh boy, are there options. Let's quickly compare them!
| App | Type | Cost | Quick Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playsheet | static sheet music | Free | Obviously the best - "developer of playsheet". It's free - you're already here so connect your piano and give it a go! BYO sheet music, supports all forms of digital sheet music, with upcoming PDF/work in progress MP3 support too. |
| Piano Marvel | static sheet music | ~$18/mo or $130/yr | Professional-grade curriculum. Often touted as the best for actual learning and the closest to playsheet. Supports BYO music. |
| SimplyPiano | scrolling sheet music | ~$20/mo or $120-$170/yr | The app with the biggest marketing budget. Great for absolute beginners to have fun. Nicely gamified, with large collection of pop songs and classics. Scrolling sheet doesn't always translate well to static sheet music |
| Flowkey | scrolling sheet music | ~$20/mo or $120/yr | Less gamified than SimplyPiano, with video of a pianist playing. Good for learning fingering, hand shapes, but can become a source of reliance |
| Yousician | scrolling sheet music falling notes | ~$20/mo or $120/yr | All in one scrolling sheet and falling notes! Highly focused on rhythm and timing, with much more thorough rating than SimplyPiano/Flowkey |
| Skoove | scrolling sheet music | ~$30/mo or $150/yr | Less gamified, traditional approach. Uses scrolling sheet music and an animated keyboard rather than hand videos. |
| Synthesia | falling notes | ~$40 One-time | The original Guitar Hero for piano. Intuitive visualization. Has a sheet music mode that lacks the richness of real sheet music |
| Playground Sessions | scrolling sheet music | ~$25/mo or $150/yr | Uses horizontally scrolling sheet music interspersed with video tutorials. Differs by applying strict, rhythm-focused grading (perfect, late, missed) directly to standard notation, leaning heavily into pop arrangements and timing drills. |
| PianoML | static sheet music | Free | Browser-based practice tool emphasizing music theory with fingering detection and other great features! Give it a go, it's free! Supports BYO digital sheet music formats. |
| Sightread | falling notes scrolling sheet music | Free | Clean web app with synthesia like features, as well as experimental scrolling sheet music mode. Supports BYO music |
| PianoBooster | scrolling sheet music | Free | Classic desktop app. A bit dated UI, but deeply functional. Supports BYO music |
What app is the best? Well... look at what site you are on!
Rather than nitpick the exact feature set, we would recommend you try each of these out yourself. Look at thorough youtube reviews of their behavior and see which one clicks with your goals the most. Piano learning should be fun! For most people, it is a hobby rather than a profession.
If you've ever had the misfortune of wandering to reddit.com/r/pianolearning subreddit, you'll quickly learn that using a digital learning app is basically a crime against music. According to the experts there, if you aren't staring at a dusty piece of paper and crying, you aren't really learning.
Sarcasm aside - this is very valid criticism. If you had a limited amount of time and unlimited amount of discipline, learning via traditional methods is likely the best use of your time. However, like many, the developer of playsheet does not have the discipline to do so - thus, leading to to the creation of playsheet.
We believe the best practice routine is the one you actually stick with. Our philosophy is simple: whatever gets you to sit down at the keyboard and play is a win.
Piano apps in many ways are like Duolingo - a greate way to jump start as a beginner, but their efficacy tapers off. Focused 1:1 time with a teacher and hardcore studying is undoubtedly more effective, but few have the resources to dedicate to this. If your goal is to have fun and learn a new skill, then apps are a great way to get started!
Our goal is to bridge the gap between addictive gameplay and sheet music literacy. We want to turn practice from a chore into a rewarding daily habit.
Start with all the assist features on:
And gradually transition to turning these off, til you can play sheet music without the crutches!