Comparison

Flowkey vs Simply Piano vs Skoove: Which Piano App Is Right for You?

All three teach piano from a phone or tablet, all three listen through a microphone or MIDI keyboard, and all three cost roughly the same per year. The real differences are how they teach, what you can play, and what you pay month to month. Here is the honest comparison.

By Ivan Shapovalov, founder of Piano Nova ยท Updated 2 October 2026

Prices checked October 2026, US, in USD. All three vary by country and app store; we link each one so you can confirm.

The short answer

  • Learn by watching a pianist's hands? Flowkey. Its split-screen videos are the best in the category.
  • Complete beginner who wants a game-like course? Simply Piano. The most polished first few months.
  • Want a structured course with a clear method for each song? Skoove, and it has an official lifetime plan.
  • Want to learn a piece none of them has, from your own sheet music? None of the three can open it. That's what Piano Nova does.
Flowkey Simply Piano Skoove
How it teaches Video of real hands above the sheet music, Wait Mode, courses Gamified courses, short daily workouts Courses; each song in 3 steps, with instructor videos
Feedback Waits for the right note Right or wrong note, in real time Green or red notes, in real time
Microphone (acoustic piano) Yes Yes Yes
MIDI keyboard USB and Bluetooth USB; Bluetooth on iPhone and iPad only USB and Bluetooth
Platforms iOS, Android, web browser iOS, Android iOS, Android (web version removed)
Songs Over 1,000, arranged by level Large library, simplified by level Several hundred, graded by level
Upload your own sheet music No No No
Price per year $99.99 Classic, $149.99 Premium $169.90 (web) $149.99
Price per month $16.49 Classic, $24.99 Premium $17.90 (web) $29.99
Lifetime plan No No Yes, $299.99
Free to try Free account, 7-day Premium trial on yearly plans 14-day trial on the yearly plan 3 free lessons, 7-day trial (card needed)
1

Flowkey

Best for learning by watching

Flowkey shows a pianist's hands on video above the real sheet music, and its Wait Mode holds the music until you find the right note. If you learn best by seeing how a passage is played, nothing else here comes close. It runs on phones, tablets and in a web browser.

Strengths

  • Split-screen video of real hands, the best in the category
  • Real notation, not falling bars
  • Cheapest yearly entry: Classic at $99.99

Limitations

  • Thin on technique and theory; it teaches songs more than musicianship
  • Classic covers courses and classical pieces; the full song library needs Premium
  • No imports: you can only play what's in its library

Price: Classic $16.49/mo or $99.99/yr; Premium $24.99/mo or $149.99/yr. No lifetime plan. Flowkey's plans.

2

Simply Piano

Best for absolute beginners

The most polished beginner course in the category. Short gamified sessions take you from never touching a piano to playing simple songs, with separate paths for reading melodies and playing chords. It listens through your phone's microphone, so any piano works.

Strengths

  • The smoothest start for someone who has never played
  • Teaches note-reading, not just copying
  • Very highly rated on the App Store

Limitations

  • Simplified arrangements; adult learners often find it shallow after a few months
  • Feedback is right or wrong only; no coaching on technique or dynamics
  • No web or desktop version, and no imports

Price: about $17.90/mo or $169.90/yr on the web in the US; App Store prices are higher and vary by country. No lifetime plan. Piano Nova vs Simply Piano.

3

Skoove

Best structured course

Skoove teaches each song in three steps: get to know it, learn the keys, then play it in time. Lessons include instructor videos and finger exercises, with green and red note feedback as you play. Its courses run from beginner to advanced.

Strengths

  • A clear, repeatable method for every song
  • Microphone, USB and Bluetooth MIDI all supported
  • An official lifetime plan, rare in this category

Limitations

  • Most expensive month to month at $29.99
  • Feedback checks notes but not articulation or note length
  • Phone and tablet only since the web version was removed; no imports

Price: $29.99/mo, $59.99 per 3 months, $149.99/yr, or $299.99 lifetime. The 7-day trial needs a card. skoove.com.

What None of Them Do

Flowkey, Simply Piano and Skoove all teach from their own library. That works until the piece you actually want to play isn't in it: your teacher's assignment, an exam piece, a film theme in the arrangement you bought, or something from IMSLP.

Piano Nova starts from the piece instead. Upload the sheet music as a PDF, a photo or MusicXML, and Solo, its built-in teacher, takes you through it a few bars a day: one hand, then both, then in time. It listens through a MIDI keyboard or your microphone, names each wrong key, and picks up tomorrow where you stopped. When you'd rather practise alone, you can slow it down, loop the hard bars and play hands separately.

It is the wrong choice if you have no piece in mind and want a general course: it has no song library and no curriculum of fundamentals. It runs in the browser, with no native iOS app yet.

Try it free for 14 days on Yearly, then $149.99/year. Or $6.99/week, cancel anytime.

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Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on how you learn. Flowkey is better if you learn by watching: it shows a pianist's hands on video above real sheet music, and it runs in a web browser. Simply Piano is better for complete beginners who want a gamified course. Flowkey is also cheaper per year ($99.99 Classic or $149.99 Premium, against about $169.90).

Skoove suits learners who want a clear method for every song and instructor videos, and it offers a lifetime plan at $299.99. Simply Piano has the smoother start for absolute beginners and is cheaper month to month ($17.90 against $29.99).

All three listen through your device's microphone, so an acoustic piano works with Flowkey, Simply Piano and Skoove. Microphone detection is less precise than a MIDI keyboard on fast passages and chords.

No. All three only play songs from their own libraries. Piano Nova teaches from the sheet music you upload, as a PDF, a photo or MusicXML.

Skoove does, at $299.99. Flowkey and Simply Piano are subscription only.