Simply Piano is a beginner-focused piano learning app from Simply (formerly JoyTunes) that uses your device’s microphone to listen as you play and give instant feedback. It’s good at getting a total beginner reading notes and playing simple songs fast, and the gamified lessons make daily practice stick. The catch: it can’t see your hands, so it won’t correct your posture, fingering, or technique, and the subscription runs $169.90 a year. For casual learners and kids it’s worth a 14-day trial. For anyone serious about proper technique, treat it as a starting point and plan to move on.
Simply Piano at a glance
| Best for | Total beginners, kids, and casual learners who want to play songs fast |
| Rating | 4 / 5 |
| Price | From $17.90/month or $169.90/year (Individual); $23.90/month or $209.90/year (Family) |
| Free trial | 14 days |
| Songs | 5,000+ across pop, classical, movie themes, jazz, kids’ songs |
| Courses | 28–33, split into Soloist (sheet music) and Chords (pop) paths |
| Platform | iOS and Android only (no desktop) |
| Skip it if | You want to master technique, read sheet music fluently, or learn on a computer |
What Simply Piano is
Simply Piano is the flagship app from Simply, the company formerly known as JoyTunes, which also makes Simply Guitar, Simply Sing, and Simply Draw. The pitch is simple: open the app, point your phone or tablet at your keyboard, and start playing real songs within minutes instead of slogging through months of theory first.
The lessons were built by music teachers and the app carries accreditation from Trinity College London, which is more than most learning apps can claim. It works with any instrument too: a digital piano, an acoustic, or a basic keyboard. You don’t need a fancy setup to start.
The one hard requirement is a phone or tablet. Simply Piano does not run on a computer, which is the first thing to know if you were planning to learn at a desktop.
How it works
Simply Piano listens to your playing through your device’s microphone and tells you, note by note, whether you hit the right key at the right time. Get it right and the note turns green; miss it and it turns red and waits for you to try again. There’s a “Wait Mode” that pauses until you play the correct note before moving on, which takes the pressure off when you’re starting out.
If you own a keyboard with MIDI, you can connect it with a USB or Bluetooth cable for far more accurate note detection. This is worth doing. The microphone works, but it occasionally mishears octaves or drops notes when you play chords with both hands, and a MIDI connection clears that up.
The whole experience is built around momentum. Finish a lesson and you earn points; nail a song and you feel like you’re getting somewhere. It borrows the same psychological hooks as Duolingo, and for keeping a beginner coming back day after day, it works.
Courses, paths, and songs
This is where Simply Piano is stronger than most reviews give it credit for. The curriculum runs to roughly 28–33 courses, and after two foundation courses (Piano Basics and Essentials I) it splits into two parallel tracks.
The Soloist path teaches you to read traditional sheet music and play classical repertoire: sight-reading drills that get progressively harder, simplified Bach and Beethoven, finger independence, dynamics, and phrasing. Choose this if you want to read music fluently.
The Chords path focuses on chord-based playing: how to build major and minor chords, common progressions, left-hand rhythm patterns, and reading lead sheets (melody plus chord symbols). Choose this if you want to play pop, rock, or accompany yourself singing. It’s faster to a real-sounding song, which is why many learners prefer it. You can do both paths, or bounce between them.
Two extras round it out. The song library holds over 5,000 titles spanning classical, pop and rock, movie and TV themes, jazz, blues, and kids’ songs. Names range from Bach and Beethoven to Billie Eilish, Adele, and the Harry Potter themes. Just keep your expectations realistic: these are simplified arrangements, sometimes heavily so. And the “5-minute workouts” let you squeeze in quick sight-reading, chord-change, or rhythm practice when you don’t have time for a full lesson.
Pricing and subscription
Most reviews dance around the cost, so here it is plainly. As of 2026, Simply Piano’s plans (in USD, billed through your app store) are:
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | $17.90 | $169.90 | 1 profile, Simply Piano only |
| Family | $23.90 | $209.90 | Up to 5 profiles, access to all Simply apps (Piano, Guitar, Sing, Draw) |
Both plans come with a 14-day free trial. Prices fluctuate with region and seasonal promotions (Black Friday discounts are common), so confirm the current figure in the app before you commit.
Two things to watch. First, the subscription auto-renews, and you cancel through your app store account settings, not inside the app itself. Set a reminder before the trial ends. Second, the Family plan is the standout value: at $209.90 a year for up to five profiles across every Simply app, a household learning together pays a fraction of what individual plans would cost.
Is it cheap? No. It’s one of the pricier piano apps, and you’re paying a recurring fee for something that, as covered below, won’t take you all the way. But measured against a single in-person lesson, easily $50 to $100 an hour, a year of daily app practice is a different category of spend.
Pros and cons
What works
- Beginner-proof. The linear path holds your hand from middle C to playing songs with both hands, with no prior knowledge needed.
- Trains sight-reading from day one by showing notes on the staff and a keyboard graphic at the same time.
- The gamified loop keeps you practicing, which is the single biggest predictor of whether anyone sticks with an instrument.
- A huge, varied song library that keeps motivation high.
- The Family plan is excellent value for households.
What doesn’t
- It can’t see your hands. No feedback on posture, wrist position, or fingering, which means bad habits can set in unnoticed.
- Feedback is binary: right note or wrong note. It says nothing about musical expression, dynamics, or where to put your thumb.
- Microphone note detection glitches without a MIDI connection.
- The rigid, on-the-beat timing can feel mechanical and works against developing your own sense of rhythm.
- Phone and tablet only, no desktop, and the auto-renewing subscription catches people out.
How far will Simply Piano take you?
Be realistic about the ceiling. Simply Piano is designed to move you from absolute beginner to early intermediate, roughly the equivalent of one to two years of traditional lessons.
You will come away with:
- Basic to intermediate note reading
- Coordination between both hands
- A working grasp of rhythm, time signatures, and basic dynamics
- The ability to play simplified versions of popular songs
You won’t get to:
- Advanced classical repertoire
- Jazz improvisation or deep music theory
- Professional-level technique and expression
It’s a foundation builder. Get hooked on piano, and you’ll eventually outgrow it and want a human teacher or a more advanced course.
Who Simply Piano is for (and who should skip it)
It’s a strong fit if you:
- Are a complete beginner, or a kid, with no idea where to start
- Want to play pop songs without diving into theory first
- Don’t have time or budget for weekly in-person lessons
- Need flexible, mobile practice you can pick up anytime
- Have a family who all want to learn (the Family plan is built for this)
Look elsewhere if you:
- Want to become a properly trained pianist
- Care about correct posture, technique, and musical expression
- Prefer learning on a desktop computer
- Already play and want to refine advanced skills
Simply Piano vs. the alternatives
Simply Piano isn’t the only app in this space, and “Is Flowkey better than Simply Piano?” is one of the most common questions people ask. Here’s how the main options compare.
| App | Approach | Billing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simply Piano | Guided, gamified lessons; mic feedback | Subscription, from $169.90/yr | Beginners and kids who want structure and songs |
| Flowkey | Learn by playing real songs with video of a pianist’s hands | Subscription | Beginners who learn visually and want to see proper hand technique |
| Yousician | Gamified, multi-instrument, real-time feedback | Subscription | Learners who want one app for several instruments |
| Pianoforall | Chords-first video course, no app gamification | One-time payment | Adults who want to play songs fast and own the lessons outright |
The short version: Flowkey edges ahead if seeing a real pianist’s hands matters to you, since Simply Piano can’t show technique. Pianoforall wins on price and a chords-first method if you don’t need the gamified experience. Simply Piano stays the most beginner-friendly and the best for kids and families.
Final thoughts: is Simply Piano worth it?
Simply Piano does one thing extremely well: it makes a beginner feel like they’re making progress, and it keeps them practicing. For a child, a nervous first-timer, or a casual learner who wants to play a few favorite songs, that’s worth a lot, and the 14-day trial makes it easy to find out if it clicks for you.
What it won’t do is turn you into a properly trained pianist on its own. It can’t watch your hands, its feedback is basic, and you’ll hit a plateau if you stay on it forever. Think of it as a polished, motivating appetizer rather than the full meal. Start here if you want an easy on-ramp, get comfortable, and plan to layer in a teacher or a more advanced course once you’re hooked.
Frequently asked questions
Is Simply Piano actually effective?
Yes, within limits. It’s effective at teaching beginners to read notes, play with both hands, and get through simplified songs, and its gamified structure keeps people practicing more consistently than books usually do. It’s less effective at technique, posture, and musical expression, because the app only hears your notes and can’t see how you’re playing them.
How much does Simply Piano cost?
As of 2026, the Individual plan is $17.90 a month or $169.90 a year, and the Family plan (up to 5 profiles across all Simply apps) is $23.90 a month or $209.90 a year. Both include a 14-day free trial. Prices vary by region and promotion, so check the in-app figure before subscribing.
Is Flowkey better than Simply Piano?
It depends on how you learn. Flowkey shows video of a real pianist’s hands as you play along to full songs, which helps with technique that Simply Piano can’t demonstrate. Simply Piano is more structured and more beginner- and kid-friendly. Beginners who want guided, step-by-step progress tend to prefer Simply Piano; visual learners who want to mimic real hands often prefer Flowkey.
Is Simply Piano free?
No. Simply Piano offers a 14-day free trial, but full access to lessons and the song library requires a paid subscription after the trial ends. The subscription auto-renews, so cancel through your app store settings if you don’t want to continue.
Can I use Simply Piano on multiple devices?
Yes. Log in with the same account and your progress syncs across devices, so you can switch between your phone and tablet without losing your place. Note that Simply Piano runs only on iOS and Android, so there’s no desktop version.
