Here Are The Best Piano Learning Apps I’ve Tried [2025]

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I have a confession to make. I’ve been a working singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist for over twenty years—and, actually, had my first piano lessons even earlier than that. I can fumble through basic songs and riffs like “Imagine” and “Let It Be,” play something resembling a Jerry Lee Lewis boogie-woogie (one hand at a time), and generally find and bash out the chords to any song I already know on guitar.

But I absolutely, positively cannot sight-read music, and I definitely can’t play Beethoven sonatas. And I want to—desperately. So I thought I’d take a stab at learning piano for real. Starting at ground zero, fully humble and ready to put my head down and learn the fundamentals, just as I was taught when I was arguably too young to really understand or remember much.

Thankfully, however, one thing that’s changed a lot since my first piano lessons are the piano instruction methods available. Cell phones were barely even a thing when I first sat at the bench, let alone smartphones. Now, of course, we rely on our devices for practically everything (for better or for worse), but it’s actually pretty cool that you can download an app that will give you piano lessons.

So I decided to take a tour through the world of piano learning apps in order to find the best one for me. This list will guide you through my findings and hopefully help you find the best one for you, too!

How I Tested

While I’m not a great piano player (or even a good one), I am a musician with over 20 years of professional experience. Since I am at a beginner level on piano, this makes me suited to test out the different piano learning apps just as any new player would—but with a critical eye for music theory and learning pathways.

The main factors I took into consideration were:

User Experience: Is the app easy to use? I considered whether the workflow made sense to me and whether everything loaded and worked correctly. Some apps provide feedback based on «hearing» your playing, while others work better with a MIDI connection.

Plus, I took stock of the general look and feel of the app/gameplay/video lessons. Some apps are more gamelike and better suited for children, while some have a more serious and professional vibe.

Curriculum: You want to be sure that you subscribe to a piano learning program that caters to your experience level, whether that’s beginner, intermediate, or advanced. You’re also going to want to make sure it provides training on the genres, songs, and techniques you want to learn to learn.

It’s also worth noting that some apps have a structured pathway that requires unlocking successive levels, while others allow you to skip around. Depending on your learning style, one of these could be better for you than the other.

Value: While your money won’t be wasted as long as you stay personally accountable, some apps definitely provide more bang for your buck than others. Some apps go above and beyond with features, even going so far as to provide one-on-one lessons with real teachers. I considered whether each app seemed to provide a fair value for what you get.

Let’s get started.

Best Piano Learning Apps

1. Best For Beginners – Simply Piano

• Subscription: $19.99 per month, Annual: $119.99 per year, Lifetime: $299.99 one-time payment
• Features: Gamification style makes learning fun, earn rewards from progress, profile creation
• Content: Basic and advanced techniques, four total lesson levels

Simply Piano is a piano learning app brought to us by Simply, who also makes Simply Guitar (review here), Simply Sing, and Simply Draw. Simply Piano is great for visual learners and younger folks, and since it’s designed expressly with mobile and tablet in mind, it’s perfect for quick and easy practice—just plop your phone down on your music stand where you’d normally have your sheet music.

Simply Piano offers two paths to piano proficiency: Soloist and Chords. After completing some training on the basics of sight reading, coordination, and technique, you’ll choose one of these paths for your focus. The Soloist path will have you learning intricate pieces like classical and show tunes, with an emphasis on syncopation melody, and theory. Or, you can choose the Chords path and learn how to accompany yourself or a vocalist on pop and rock songs.

The option to customize your learning path also includes choosing preferred genres, which in turn influences what song lessons you’ll be presented with. There’s downloadable content like sheet music, plus a 250,000+ member community you can lean on as an additional resource.

The only downside I found with Simply Piano is that it’s really only good for novice players. If you have some experience with the piano, you might get frustrated at the inability to skip through the early rudiments and lose interest. That said, I think it’s the best overall piano learning app for total beginners because it’s really easy to use, the exercises are fun and easy to understand, and the customizable learning paths will take you exactly where you want to go in your piano journey.

Plans start at $119/year, which of course adds up to mere pennies per day. Practice every day, and you’ll not only get your money’s worth—you’ll also learn to play the piano quickly and effectively.

What Could Be Improved

• The option to skip ahead would be nice for more experienced players

2. Best For All Experience Levels – Yousician

• Subscription: Premium Membership: $139.99 per year, Family Plan: $209.99
• Features: Paths with workouts, weekly challenges, extensive song library
• Content: Up to 9 levels with video, song playthroughs, and more

Yousician, in contrast to Simply Piano, allows you to select your experience level when starting out, so players who’ve spent some time around a keyboard don’t have to suffer through stuff they already know to get to the good part.

I picked «casual player» for myself—fingers crossed—there’s also «first timer,» «beginner,» «casual player,» «intermediate pianist,» and «advanced player,» so lots of options there for more confident players. You can also select genres you like and set goals for the app to structure your lesson plans around, as well as a pace («casual,» regular,» «unstoppable,» «not sure yet»).

You’ll start your 7-day free trial (why the heck not), which will send you a reminder on day 5 about your trial ending (uncommonly courteous!), after which you’ll be billed $139.99 for a year’s worth of lessons ($11.99/month). There’s also a family plan that allows for separate user profiles ($209.99 annually).

You’ll either choose to use your own piano, or a built-in keyboard on the app. You’ll need a piano or keyboard eventually, but out of curiosity, I selected the built-in keyboard at first. You get an intro video, similar to Simply Piano’s, explaining the exercise you’re about to practice. The exercises are similar as well, at least at the outset. A song plays with a sidescrolling sheet music staff, displaying the names of the notes as well as their position on the staff (the first song I practiced was «Still D.R.E.,» which was pretty funny but also a perfect choice for a first tune—the riff is only two notes).

I was also kind of confused by the song lessons I was given—which included stuff like One Direction, Imagine Dragons, and Adele—considering I selected only Classical, Jazz, and Blues as my preferences. Perhaps the most conspicuous difference between Yousician and Simply is the option to skip ahead if you think you’re ready. I was definitely ready to skip some of those lessons…

The song library seems decent at first glance, with a wide range of genres represented, but it’s actually pretty limited when you drill down. Rock, Pop, and Classical are the most built-out genres by far, so those seeking extensive Jazz and Blues exercise (like me… womp womp) might do better elsewhere. That said, there are lots of classic favorites here, and players of all levels can keep busy for a long time getting up to speed on them all for sure.

There are three main sections: Learn, Songs, and Challenges. Learn is the central hub of the app, the home of all your structured lessons and progress (Basics up to level 9). Yousician’s curriculum, like Simply’s, is structured as Path and Workouts. The Songs tab will allow you to select any song of your choosing to try and play along with, using the same visual interface as the lessons. And finally, new Challenges appear weekly adding kind of a fun, timely element to keep things exciting.

Overall, I found Yousician to be pretty comparable to Simply Piano in features, interface, and price point. I would say Simply is the more kid- and beginner-friendly option of the two. Opt for Yousician if you need a family plan, but with a more robust curriculum that allows players with some experience to skip ahead. Check out my full Yousician Piano review for even more information before committing to that free trial.

What Could Be Improved:

• Not ideal for serious classical and jazz players

3. Best For Intermediate Players – Skoove

• Subscription: $29.99/Month, $59.99/3 Months, $149.99/1 Year
• Features: One-on-one lessons, AI analysis for real-time feedback, looping with tempo control, wide range of music selection
• Content: Techniques, music theory, sight reading, improvisation

Skoove is another piano lesson app that takes a similar tack to the ones above, but that brings its own set of unique features to the table. I found it to be less gamelike than Yousician or Simply, and perhaps better suited for adults and/or players who prefer a slightly more serious approach to learning. 

With a heavier reliance on sheet music and less of a “follow-the-bouncing-ball” vibe, Skoove allows you more freedom to practice in free time along with your sheet music, providing an overall experience that felt, to me, more similar to what real in-person lessons are like.

Gameplay, if you want to call it that, is simple enough—you’ll sight-read along with a keyboard diagram, repeating in progressively faster tempos and building out the piece section by section. You’ll be gently corrected when you make mistakes, and while you are scored, you can opt to restart the section if you mess up, or repeat it to get a better score.

There’s an unintimidating selection of useful tools you can use to sharpen your skills. The looping tool allows you to sort of zoom in on difficult sections. You can decrease the tempo for the selected section to really nail it before moving on.

The app lets you skip around as you please, no problem—so you can dive into any lesson any time you want. You can even skip way ahead to more advanced material, diving in right smack in the middle of the course, if you’re feeling confident, or if you’re really determined to learn a specific song.

I thought it was really cool that they actually took into account the input I gave when setting up my journey, and provided a blues lesson right out the gate. I was practicing blues scales and learning blues theory, which I found a lot more satisfying than just being given a blues-inspired song lesson that was more about a funky backing track than it was actually learning blue notes on the keyboard.

The song library is not huge, but it’s worth noting that this app seems more focused on teaching theory than just jamming along to song lessons. In my opinion, getting a strong foundation is more valuable than an expansive song library. Once you learn to really play, you’ll be able to play any song you want with ease. So even though it takes more effort, you’re better off in the long run.

Finally, Skoove allows you to book one-on-one lessons with a real teacher (Skoove Duo). While I didn’t personally test this feature, it seems like a great thing to offer. As I always say, you can’t beat in-person lessons—or, I guess, Zoom lessons.

All in all, Skoove is great for beginners, but also better suited than some alternatives for players with some experience and some degree of confidence in their playing. You can freely choose lessons and courses if you’re feeling yourself, or take it slow and learn proper technique and sight reading just as you would with in-person lessons. If you have a hard time staying focused and think you might need more structure, beware. Otherwise, I think this is a really great app for adults and those who are a bit wary of the gamier apps. Read my full Skoove review to learn more.

What Could Be Improved

• Open-world approach might not be structured enough for some players who need more discipline
• Not the most expansive song library

4. Flowkey – Best Song Lessons

• Subscription: $19.99 per month, $13.99 per month (6-month sub), $9.99 per month (12-month sub)
• Features: Microphone and MIDI connectivity, Wait and Slow Motion modes, instant feedback
• Content: Music reading, chords, improvisation technique

Flowkey is another piano-learning app with a great reputation. With over 42,000 ratings at an average of 4.7 stars, and boasting an endorsement from Yamaha, the world’s #1 piano brand, they must be doing something right. Where other apps introduce you to the piano, Flowkey introduces you to an entirely new level of piano playing.

It includes learning resources like step-by-step instructions for reading music, chord charts, improvisation techniques, video and sheet music, left- and right-hand exercises, and more. Instant feedback is the next best thing to being in the room with an instructor.

As soon as I finished signing up and configuring my settings (including the classic questionnaire), I was dropped in to the Songs tab, where I found recommended song lessons. I figured this was as good a place as any to jump in and get a feel for how Flowkey presents their lessons. Since they start you out on the Songs tab, I figured that would be the highlight of what this app brings to the table. (Spoiler: I was not wrong!)

The top recommendation for me was Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, which, if you remember my intro, was a pretty apt pick. (I also dug the other choices I was given, which corresponded perfectly to the input I gave in my introductory questionnaire. Chopin, Satie, Miles Davis, Lord of the Rings—they get me!) So I dove in. You’re allowed to choose which level of lessons you’d like to receive: Beginner, Intermediate, or Pro.

Flowkey showed me a nice introductory video with details on how to use the app and how it works. One highlight is the tool that allows you to select and repeat sections of the song that you want to focus on.

There’s also Wait Mode, which analyzes your playing and waits for you to hit the right notes, so you can tackle tricky passages at your own pace without a backing track hurrying you and screwing you up. And of course, Slow Motion plays content at a reduced speed so you can get comfortable before trying it at full tempo. Video lessons can be played in Slow Motion as well, and if you really need to focus on a section, you can loop it until you master it.

One of the best features for beginners that not all apps offer is Select a Hand. This lets you practice each hand independently, which is a major bonus for novice players as they develop muscle memory, finger strength, and dexterity.

I really appreciated the video lesson component, with an overhead keyboard view that allows you to watch the piece being played before you get started. Something about seeing it done by a pro first gave me a lot more confidence and inspiration to kick off my lesson. As the sheet music scrolls by, the hands play the piece while the notes are illuminated above. Kind of a genius little combination of sight reading, ear training, and visual learning all in one.

But you can also enable «Just Play» mode and Wait mode, which, as I said allows you to play along to the sheet music at your own pace. Honestly, this was the winning ticket for me—I don’t love the backing track/Guitar Hero model that most other apps use. Being allowed to play at my own (excruciatingly slow) pace made me feel a lot more like I was really playing the song. But I also can’t say just yet whether I felt like I was really learning anything, as such.

To remedy that, though, there’s a full helping of coursework that will take you from correct seating posture, to sight-reading, chords, improvisation, and more. (First song lesson? «Ode to Joy,» of course.) And you can skip around, if, like me, you decide that «Moonlight Sonata» is waaayyy too hard for your first lesson (guilty!) and you need to go back to the beginner course.

The Flowkey song library has hundreds of songs ranging from classical to pop, and it can monitor playing accuracy via microphone or MIDI connection. There’s a 7-day trial so you can try it for free without obligation.

I think this is another great option for beginners and intermediate players—the quality of the song lessons definitely stands out, and I appreciated the overall serious tone of the app (but your kids might not!).

What Could Be Improved

5. Pianote – Best Video Lessons

• Subscription: $40 month-to-month, $240 annually
• Features: Video lessons, large library of songs, sheet music and play-along tracks
• Content: Multiple genres, interactive lessons, exercises, feedback

Pianote is definitely among the more premium piano learning apps out there. Its method is focused on providing access to real teachers, so it’s one of the closest things to in-person lessons you can get as an app. So while it can be a lot more effective than some alternatives, this also means it’s a lot more pricey. (A Pianote subscription also includes access to Guitareo, Singeo, and Drumeo, so if these are of interest you could actually be getting the best bang for your buck here.)

The meat and potatoes of Pianote are their video lessons, most of which are led by a cheerful lady by the name of Lisa. She definitely seems a lot cooler than most piano teachers I’ve met… Lisa will guide you through your various exercises like an IRL teacher would, handing out tips along the way and cheering you along. If you’re the type of person who prefers traditional lessons to a gamelike app interface, this is definitely one to consider.

The curriculum is pretty robust, centered primarily around the beginner and intermediate levels, like most piano learning apps. You won’t find that much jazz or advanced theory, but chances are that’s not what most piano app users are seeking anyway.

You’ll start Pianote’s main course, called The Method, with some introduction to the keyboard and basic fundamentals of playing: posture and the like. Eventually, you’ll move on to scales, chords, and finally (if you make it to the end!) you’ll leave with a deep understanding of music, including composition.

I think that once you complete the method, you’ll get a lot out of the Coaches tab, where you can select from a wide variety of different styles and theories taught by real teachers. This could also be a great resource for more intermediate and experienced players who aren’t looking to repeat the basics, but rather want to drill down into some specific styles.

What Could Be Improved

6. Playground Sessions

• Subscription: $19.99 monthly, $119.99 annually, $289.99 lifetime access
• Features: Personalized feedback, color-coded feedback, section looping, sheet music printing, MIDI and audio connectivity, family plan available
• Content: Skill-based classes, basic and advanced techniques, backing tracks, 100+ hours of video lessons, large library of songs

Playground Sessions, co-created by Quincy Jones, endorsed by other celebs like Jimmy Fallon, and sponsored by Casio, is an app that positions itself as being «perfect for beginners» and also «fun for experienced players.»

Ultimately, Playground Sessions is another interactive app that offers content ranging from basic piano skills to advanced techniques. The interface is another in the Guitar Hero mode—you play along, trying to nail the right notes in time and receiving feedback/correction along the way.

A correct note gets you a green light, red is wrong, and if you hit the right note but in the wrong rhythm it shows pink. I foresee a lot of pink in my own future… Those of you who, like me, don’t really vibe with the game-style interface, steer clear.

There’s a selection and looping tool for when you need to focus on a section. Dan from California says, «The methodology and the care in breaking down the song into digestible parts is fabulous. I am amazed at how quickly I am progressing.”

Again, if you’re not interested in a game-style app, or if you want to learn advanced jazz or classical theory, you’re better off looking elsewhere. However, if it’s a fun and somewhat simplified piano learning method you’re after, with tons of song lessons and other content, Playground Sessions is a solid choice. You’ll get 100+ hours of video lessons with world-class teachers, unlimited access to 2,000+ popular songs, and sheet music printing.

Plus, at only $10/month for the annual subscription, a motivated player can get their money’s worth in spades. If you can play even a little bit, you’ll get a huge value out of Playground Sessions’ extensive song library, which offers tutorials tailored to the full range of experience levels on each song. They also offer nifty keyboard bundles, so you can save big on a keyboard with a subscription.

Playground Sessions is compatible with Windows, Mac, and mobile devices. It has hardware integration, and you can connect it to your MIDI controller, keyboard, or digital piano. It’s worth noting that hardware connectivity is a must for some features. If you’re not tech-savvy, you might want to avoid this one.

What Could Be Improved

• Not the best pick for learning music theory
• Avoid if you don’t want a gamified experience

Conclusion

So, I’ve now tested a bunch of the top piano learning apps, and I found a lot to appreciate about pretty much all of them. There’s a wide range of features available across the board, and all you have to do is hone in on what’s important to you and go from there. While a lot of these apps offer comparable features in terms of interface and «gameplay,» if you want to call it that, each one has its perks to be sure.

If you’re a complete novice and need a learning experience that’s fun and engaging enough to keep you interested and motivated, you can’t go wrong with Simply Piano or Yousician. If, like me, you have a bit more experience and prefer apps that are less gamelike, I think you’ll enjoy Skoove or Flowkey. And if you want a realistic in-person piano lessons experience (and have in-person piano lessons money to spare), Pianote is a great option.

If you’re still not sure after reading all this, I recommend just trying each of them one by one until you find a fit. Each one of these great apps offers a free trial that you can cancel free of charge if you’re not feeling it. So go ahead—start learning the piano today.