Simply Piano Review: Is It Actually Worth $14.99/Month?
Reviewer disclosure
I run MasterPiano, a competing piano app. I've used the product reviewed here across multiple sessions in 2026 on both iOS and web. This review is my honest take on the trade-offs, including the places the competitor beats MasterPiano. If you want a one-sided pitch for my own product, this isn't it.
Simply Piano is one of the most downloaded piano apps in the world. It does the absolute beginner experience better than almost anyone. Whether it's worth the money depends entirely on how far you want to go.
The Verdict in 60 Seconds
- Best for: Adult beginners with an acoustic piano who want a clean, friction-free way to start playing.
- Worst for: Anyone past beginner. Pianists who want graded repertoire, classical depth, or serious sight reading.
- Pricing: $14.99/month, ~$119.99/year. No permanent free tier, just a short trial.
- Bottom line: Excellent first three months. Limited utility after that. High price for a beginner-only product.
What Simply Piano Does Exceptionally Well
Microphone Detection Is Genuinely Impressive
Simply Piano's defining feature is that it listens to your acoustic piano through your phone's microphone and accurately detects which notes you played. JoyTunes spent years tuning this, and it shows. In quiet rooms with a reasonably-tuned piano, detection is near-perfect, including chords. No other app does this as well. For people without MIDI keyboards, this is a real differentiator.
Onboarding Without Friction
The first session walks you from "I've never sat at a piano" to playing simplified versions of real songs in under thirty minutes. The pacing is well-judged. The visual design is clean. Nothing about it feels infantilizing or game-like in the way some competitors do.
Sheet Music as Primary Display
Unlike Flowkey, Yousician, or Synthesia, Simply Piano leads with notation. You read the staff, you play the notes. This is the most important pedagogical choice in the app, and it's the right one. Even though the curriculum doesn't go deep, the time you spend in Simply Piano is time spent looking at real sheet music.
Decent Pop Song Selection
Simply Piano has licensing deals with major labels and publishers. The pop catalog rotates and includes a fair mix of current chart hits, classic singalongs, and movie themes. Arrangements come at multiple difficulty levels so you can grow into the same song.
Where Simply Piano Falls Short
The Curriculum Runs Out
This is the consistent Simply Piano complaint and it's accurate. The beginner courses are excellent. The intermediate courses are thin. There's no graded progression analogous to ABRSM grades 1-8 or the RCM syllabus. Once you can play basic two-hand pieces, the app stops teaching you and starts repeating itself.
Many users report the same arc: three months of clear progress, then a plateau where they realize they've seen everything Simply Piano has to offer.
No Real Sight-Reading Practice
Even though notation is the primary display, Simply Piano doesn't have a dedicated sight-reading mode. You can't request a new piece you've never seen at your level and practice reading it cold. Reading is implicit in playing songs rather than the explicit skill the app builds. For learners specifically targeting sight reading, this is a gap.
Limited Classical Repertoire
Simply Piano's catalog is heavily weighted toward pop. Classical pieces appear but they're mostly simplified versions of the most famous melodies. Working through Bach inventions, Chopin preludes, or Czerny exercises isn't the use case. If your goal is to play traditional pedagogical repertoire, you'll need a different tool.
Pricing Is High for What You Get
$14.99/month works out to ~$180/year. Yousician Premium (one instrument) is $9.99/month. MasterPiano is $19.99/month but covers grades 1-8 with thousands of pieces. For an app that effectively serves the first 3-6 months of piano learning, Simply Piano is on the expensive end.
Aggressive Renewal and Cancellation Friction
A recurring complaint in app store reviews: trial users getting auto-charged, cancellation flows that bury the option, and difficulty getting refunds. JoyTunes operates on a subscription-aggressive playbook common in mobile-first apps. If you sign up for a trial, set a calendar reminder to cancel before it converts.
Simply Piano Pricing
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | 7 days free | Auto-converts to paid. Cancel through App Store / Google Play. |
| Monthly | $14.99/mo | Full app access |
| Annual | $119.99/yr | ~$10/mo. Frequently discounted in promotions. |
| Family Plan | Varies | Up to 5 profiles, regional pricing |
Simply Piano vs. Common Alternatives
| Feature | Simply Piano | MasterPiano | Flowkey | Yousician |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99/mo | $19.99/mo | $19.99/mo | $9.99-$19.99/mo |
| Primary Display | Sheet music | Sheet music | Falling notes | Falling notes |
| Detection | Mic + MIDI | MIDI | Mic + MIDI | Mic + MIDI |
| Graded curriculum | Beginner courses | 8 ABRSM grades | 3 broad levels | Game levels |
| Library size | ~1,000 songs | 8,000+ pieces | 1,500+ songs | ~2,000 songs |
| Sight reading mode | No | Dedicated | No | No |
| Classical depth | Light | Strong | Light | Light |
Who Should Use Simply Piano
Simply Piano makes sense if you:
- • Are a complete beginner with an acoustic piano
- • Don't own a MIDI keyboard
- • Want a polished, adult-friendly onboarding experience
- • Plan to use it for 3-6 months and move on
- • Primarily want to play simplified pop and movie themes
Simply Piano is the wrong tool if you:
- • Already play a bit and want to progress
- • Want dedicated sight-reading practice
- • Want to work through ABRSM, RCM, or other graded repertoire
- • Want classical depth (Bach, Chopin, Czerny, etc.)
- • Have a MIDI keyboard and want exact feedback
- • Want to use it long-term (year+)
The Simply Piano Alternative for Serious Learners
If you outgrew Simply Piano, or you know going in that you'll outgrow it, the alternative for piano specifically is MasterPiano.
Same notation-first approach. Same focus on real piano skills. But built around a graded curriculum (8 levels aligned to ABRSM) with 8,000+ pieces, a dedicated sight-reading mode, and real-time MIDI feedback. It's $19.99/month, $5 more than Simply Piano, but it covers the entire path from beginner through grade 8 rather than just the first few months.
Where Simply Piano is excellent and shallow, MasterPiano is deeper but expects you to bring some commitment. Different tools for different stages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Simply Piano worth it in 2026?
Worth it for absolute beginners with an acoustic piano. Not worth it past the first three to six months, the curriculum doesn't have the depth to justify the price long-term.
How much does Simply Piano cost?
$14.99/month or ~$119.99/year. A short free trial (typically 7 days) auto-converts to paid.
Does Simply Piano teach sight reading?
Indirectly. Notation is the primary display, so you spend time reading. But there's no dedicated sight-reading mode and no graded reading progression. For explicit sight reading practice, you'll need a tool built around it.
What's the best Simply Piano alternative?
For pianists who want a deeper, graded curriculum with dedicated sight reading, MasterPiano. For lesson-based learning with classical focus, Piano Marvel. For falling-notes alternatives, Flowkey and Yousician.
Can I cancel Simply Piano easily?
Cancellation goes through the App Store or Google Play subscriptions page, not the app itself. Set a calendar reminder before your trial ends, auto-conversion is a common complaint.
Want Real Depth and Sight Reading?
8,000+ graded pieces. Dedicated sight reading mode. Real-time MIDI feedback on real notation.
Start Free, No Credit Card RequiredHow this review was put together
I tested Simply Piano across multiple sessions in early 2026 on iOS, both with an acoustic piano (microphone detection) and a MIDI keyboard. Pricing varies by region and JoyTunes runs frequent promotions, so verify against the official pricing page before subscribing.
Sources
- Simply Piano (official): hellosimply.com/simply-piano for current pricing and plan details
- Simply Piano on the App Store (US): apps.apple.com/us/app/simply-piano (4.7/5 rating across 800K+ reviews at time of writing)
- JoyTunes background: Israeli company founded 2011, makers of Simply Piano, Piano Maestro, and Simply Guitar. Acquired by ByteDance in 2022.
- Common cancellation complaints documented in app store reviews and consumer forums; we verified by checking the in-app cancellation flow against the published support documentation.
Comparing other apps? Simply Piano alternative · Flowkey alternative · Yousician review · Synthesia alternative · MasterPiano vs Piano Marvel · Best piano learning apps.