COMPARISON · CHECKED 12 NOVEMBER 2026
Stavewise vs Synthesia:
an alternative for the sheet music you already have.
Synthesia is a well-loved way to learn songs with falling notes and a MIDI keyboard. If what you actually have is a PDF or a photo of a printed score, and you want to learn to read it rather than follow colored bars, Stavewise is built for that instead.
This page compares the two honestly. Synthesia details come from synthesiagame.com and may have changed since we checked.
The short answer.
Choose Synthesia if you have a MIDI keyboard (especially one with lighted keys), you enjoy a game-like falling-notes view, and you want a ready-made song library. Its homepage lists 150 included songs, a Music Store and any MIDI file you can find.
Choose Stavewise if you want to practice a specific printed piece: the exam piece, the arrangement from your teacher or a score you downloaded as a PDF. Stavewise reads PDFs and photos of sheet music, keeps the real notation on screen, and shows each hand on a 3D piano. It runs in your browser and listens through your microphone, so an acoustic piano works and no MIDI cable is needed.
Stavewise vs Synthesia, side by side.
| Synthesia | Stavewise | |
|---|---|---|
| PDF or photo of sheet music | Not listed. Synthesia’s FAQ says it uses standard MIDI or MusicXML songs. | Yes. The music reader turns a PDF, PNG, JPG or TIFF into practice notes that you review and correct. |
| MusicXML | Yes, since version 10.8. Its release notes say the extra notation detail isn’t used when it draws sheet music. | Yes, including compressed MXL. The original notation is engraved as written. |
| MIDI files | Yes, its main format. | No. A notation program such as MuseScore can convert a MIDI file to MusicXML. |
| What you look at | Falling notes onto a keyboard, with optional musical notation. | The original notation beside a 3D piano with animated hands, upcoming notes moving toward the keys and a list of the next notes. |
| How it hears you | A keyboard connected by USB or MIDI. | Your browser’s microphone with an acoustic or digital piano, or the on-screen keys. MIDI input isn’t supported yet. |
| Hands separately | Yes. | Yes: left, right or both. |
| Waits for you | Yes, in melody practice. | Yes, in Wait for me mode. |
| Fingering | Finger number hints. | Suggested fingering on the 3D hands that you can review and edit. |
| Songs included | 150 included songs plus a Music Store. | One full demo piece (Bach). You bring your own music. |
| Where it runs | Windows, Mac, iPad and Android. | Any modern web browser. Nothing to install. |
| Price | Free to try with more than 20 songs. A one-time unlock, not a subscription: $39 list price, on sale for $29 when we checked. | First four bars of your own music free; $15 USD per month for full pieces and your library. |
Why sheet music first?
Falling notes are quick to follow, but on their own they can become a crutch: the moment you put a printed score on the stand, the bars are gone. Stavewise keeps the notation in front of you and uses the 3D piano to connect each written note to its key, so the score itself gets easier to read over time.
It also means you can practice music that isn’t in any app’s library. If your teacher hands you a photocopy or you download a public-domain score, you can read the PDF or photo, check the recognized notes against the page, and practice one hand or one phrase at a time.
Optical music recognition isn’t perfect. Clear printed scores work best, and you should compare the result with your original before practicing.
Moving a piece from Synthesia to Stavewise.
- If you have the piece as sheet music, open the PDF or photo in Stavewise directly.
- If you only have a MIDI file, import it into a notation program such as MuseScore, tidy the notation, and export MusicXML.
- Open that file in Stavewise, choose a hand and a short passage, and slow the tempo.
Stavewise vs Synthesia questions.
Is Stavewise a falling-notes app like Synthesia?
Partly. The 3D piano shows upcoming notes moving toward the keys, with animated hands. The difference is that the real sheet music stays on screen beside it, so you learn to connect the notation to the keyboard rather than following the notes alone.
Can Stavewise open my Synthesia MIDI files?
Not directly. A notation program such as MuseScore can import a MIDI file and export it as MusicXML, which Stavewise opens.
Do I need a MIDI keyboard for Stavewise?
No. Stavewise listens through your browser’s microphone, so an acoustic piano or a digital piano’s speakers work. You can also click the on-screen keys. Room noise, pedal resonance and dense chords can affect microphone recognition.
Is Stavewise or Synthesia cheaper?
Synthesia, if you use it for more than a few months. It is a one-time purchase that works on PC, Mac, iPad and Android. Stavewise is $15 USD per month, which pays for reading PDFs and photos, your saved library and microphone feedback.
Can I try Stavewise before paying?
Yes. The free demo opens the whole of Bach’s Invention No. 8 without an account, and you can play the first four bars of your own sheet music free. A full account is $15 USD per month and you can cancel anytime.
Continue exploring.
See the sheet music and the hands together.
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 →