Simply Piano (by JoyTunes/Simply) is probably the most downloaded piano-learning app on earth. It's colorful, friendly, and the fastest "I played something!" moment you can buy. We build Notimo — a different kind of app — so here's a comparison that respects what Simply Piano does well instead of strawmanning it.
TL;DR
- Total beginner who needs fun today, learning on an acoustic piano with no cables → Simply Piano. Its microphone recognition needs zero setup.
- You want skills that survive outside the app — reading real sheet music, any piece, anywhere → Notimo.
- You have a MIDI keyboard → Notimo's browser MIDI gives you note-perfect feedback the microphone simply can't match.
- You're choosing for a child → honestly, try both free tiers; Simply Piano's cartoon energy hooks some kids, Notimo's leagues and streaks hook others.
The core difference: the microphone problem
Simply Piano's superpower is the microphone: play on any piano, the app listens. That's magic for getting started — and it's also the ceiling. Microphone recognition guesses. It struggles with fast passages, chords, background noise, and it can't tell which C you played. The app compensates by keeping exercises forgiving — which feels great and teaches less.
Notimo takes the opposite trade: input comes from the on-screen keyboard or a real MIDI keyboard, so every note you play is known exactly — pitch, octave, timing. That precision is what makes a graded sight-reading score possible: 5 difficulty tiers, from the C position up to ledger lines and sharps, ending in one number you can watch grow week over week.
Feature comparison
| Notimo | Simply Piano | |
|---|---|---|
| Main goal | Sight-reading fluency | Gamified song progress |
| Input | Screen keyboard + USB/Bluetooth MIDI (exact) | Microphone (approximate) or MIDI |
| Works in browser | Yes — no install | App only |
| Learning path | 245 levels + graded sight-reading test + daily sprint | Course path with song milestones |
| Reads real notation | Always — notation is the interface | Partially — simplified at first |
| Import your own sheet music | Yes (MusicXML/MIDI) | No |
| Competition | Weekly leagues (Bronze → Diamond) | Limited |
| Free tier | 15 lessons + sight-reading game + daily challenges | Short taster, then paywall |
Pricing
Notimo Pro: €9.99/month billed yearly (€11.99 monthly), with a genuinely usable free tier. Simply Piano sells yearly subscriptions (often per-family); their price changes with promotions — check the current one. Historically it's been at or above Notimo's yearly cost.
Where Simply Piano is honestly better
- Zero-setup start on an acoustic piano. No cable, no pairing — the microphone just works well enough to begin.
- Production value. Slick animations, cheerful sounds, big-budget polish.
- Beginner momentum. The first week feels amazing; that motivation is real and valuable.
Where Notimo is honestly better
- The skill compounds. Simply Piano teaches you its songs; Notimo teaches you to read anyone's songs. After a year, that gap is enormous.
- Exact feedback. MIDI precision means wrong octave = wrong note. The microphone can't hold you to that standard.
- A score, not a progress bar. The sight-reading test gives you a number that means something — and weekly leagues to compete on it.
- No app store required. Any browser, any laptop, one URL.
The bottom line
Simply Piano optimizes the first month. Notimo optimizes every month after. If piano is a two-week experiment, take the cartoon rocket. If it's a skill you want for life, get your sight-reading score — free, in your browser, right now.
Related reading: Notimo vs Flowkey · Best free piano apps in 2026 · Learn piano as an adult