Simply Piano
Step-by-step courses and a song library on your phone or tablet. Stavewise has no lessons.
Stavewise vs Simply Piano →COMPARISONS · CHECKED 12 NOVEMBER 2026
Stavewise vs the other piano apps:
which one fits how you practice.
Most piano apps teach you their content. Stavewise helps you practice yours: the PDF or photo of the piece you already want to play. Here is how it compares with Simply Piano, Synthesia and Songscription, including where each of them is the better choice.
Pick by what you have.
Synthesia
Falling notes, 150 included songs and a one-time unlock. Stavewise reads sheet music instead.
Stavewise vs Synthesia →Songscription
Turns audio or a video link into a score. Then open its export in Stavewise to practice.
Stavewise vs Songscription →A printed score or a PDF? That is what Stavewise is for. It reads the page, keeps the notation on screen, shows both hands on a 3D piano and listens through your microphone.
All four side by side.
| Stavewise | Simply Piano | Synthesia | Songscription | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Practicing your own sheet music. | Learning piano from courses. | Playing MIDI songs with falling notes. | Transcribing recordings into scores. |
| PDF or photo of sheet music | Yes, with a review step. | No upload option found. | Not listed. | Yes. |
| MusicXML | Yes. | No upload option found. | Yes. | Yes. |
| MIDI files | No. | No upload option found. | Yes, its main format. | Yes. |
| Audio or video to notes | No. | No. | No. | Yes, its main job. |
| Listens while you play | Microphone. | Listens to a piano or keyboard; MIDI supported. | MIDI keyboard. | Not on Songscription itself. |
| Shows the hands | 3D hands with editable fingering. | Not described. | Finger number hints. | Automatic fingering numbers. |
| Lessons or song library | One demo piece. | Courses and a song library. | 150 included songs. | No. |
| Where it runs | Web browser. | iPhone, iPad, Android, Chromebook. | Windows, Mac, iPad, Android. | Web browser. |
| Price | $15 USD per month. | Subscription; $119.99 a year on the US App Store. | One-time unlock, $39 list price. | Plans by monthly minutes. |
Comparison questions.
What makes Stavewise different from other piano apps?
It starts from your own sheet music. You upload a PDF or a photo, check the notes against the page, and practice with the real notation beside a 3D piano that shows both hands. It listens through your microphone, so an acoustic piano works and you don’t need a MIDI keyboard.
Which piano app lets me upload my own sheet music?
Stavewise reads PDFs and photos and turns them into guided practice. Songscription also scans PDFs and photos, mainly to produce a score you can export. Synthesia opens MIDI and MusicXML files. We found no upload option for Simply Piano when we checked on 12 November 2026.
Where is Stavewise not the right choice?
If you want lessons from the very first note, choose a course app. If you only have a recording and no score, use a transcription tool first. If you play from MIDI files on a MIDI keyboard, Synthesia fits better, because Stavewise doesn’t support MIDI files or MIDI input yet.
Continue exploring.
See it with a real piece.
Open Bach’s Invention No. 8 in the free demo. Choose a hand, slow the tempo and follow the 3D piano.
Try the free demo →