Comparison

PianoMate vs Gambora

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PianoMate

Learn and play piano with interactive on-screen keyboards, fingering hints, and various instrument sounds. Practice hands separately, master difficult chords, and use the metronome and repeat fragment modes for focused learning. Connect a MIDI keyboard for enhanced lessons.

Highlights
  • On-screen keyboard with fingering hints
  • Piano and harpsichord sounds
  • Practice right and left hand separately
  • Built-in metronome
  • Repeat fragment practice mode
  • MIDI keyboard connectivity
Features
Read full description

PianoMate turns your piano into an interactive teacher — and now it plays YOUR sheet music. BRING YOUR OWN SHEET MUSIC Point the camera at a page on your music stand, pick a PDF from Files, import a photo, or open a MusicXML file. PianoMate recognises the notes and builds a fully playable score: it follows your hands, waits for you, counts the beat and marks every note you get right. • Photograph printed music — a book on the stand, a page, a printout • Import PDF scores, single- or multi-page • Open MusicXML from any notation editor • Recognition runs on your device — your music stays yours, and works offline • Imported pieces get everything the library pieces get: hands separately, tempo control, assistance, progress tracking IT LISTENS WHILE YOU PLAY Connect a digital piano or MIDI keyboard over cable or Bluetooth — or use the on-screen keyboard. PianoMate follows the score at your speed, waits when you hesitate, and never rushes you. PRACTISE THE WAY TEACHERS DO • One hand at a time — PianoMate plays the other hand for you • Slow the piece down and build speed up bar by bar • Fingering, note names, and a metronome when you need them • Help with hard chords and ornaments: play one note, PianoMate fills in the rest • Accuracy, tempo and progress for every session A LIBRARY TO GROW INTO Hundreds of pieces from beginner arrangements to the real classical repertoire — Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, Satie — grouped by composer and by difficulty level, plus step-by-step lessons that build technique from the first note. FREE AND SUBSCRIPTION Free pieces and lessons are included. A subscription unlocks the full sheet music library and unlimited imports of your own scores. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period; manage them in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://dodecaton.com/en/terms Privacy Policy: https://dodecaton.com/en/privacy

About

Gambora

Features
Read full description

Your openings, drawn as lines. Gambora keeps the openings you actually play as a map you can read at a glance — one line per repertoire, a station for every move, and a shape that tells you what you know, what is due today, and what has quietly decayed. No lecture, no video course, no engine telling you what to think. BUILT BY PLAYING, NEVER BY TYPING Add a line by playing it on the board. Gambora names the position as you go, from 3,810 openings — "King's Knight Opening: Normal Variation", not "e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6". A MAP, NOT A LIST Every competitor flattens a repertoire into a list and loses the branching. Gambora draws it: your line runs down the page, a junction marks the choice point, and a second route leaves it. Transpositions are marked where two orders arrive at one position. DRILL WHAT IS ACTUALLY DUE Spaced repetition schedules each move you chose. A move you recall moves further away; a move you miss comes back sooner and then works its way out again. The drill screen asks you to play the reply on the board, and tells you plainly what your book says. IT TELLS YOU WHAT YOU FORGOT — WITHOUT BLAME A line you have not seen in a while is closed for maintenance, not marked wrong. You reopen it by visiting. THE MOVE WHERE YOU LEFT YOUR OWN BOOK Import your recent games from Lichess or Chess.com with just your username — no login, no password — and Gambora shows the exact move where the game left your repertoire, on the board, with the line beside it. FREE, AND HONEST ABOUT IT Everything works on the free plan: the map, every drill mode, retention, deviation, opening names, export. Gambora Pro removes two volume ceilings — 250 moves and 20 imported games — and nothing else changes. If a subscription lapses, nothing is deleted and nothing is locked. NO ACCOUNT. NO CLOUD. NO TRACKING. Everything stays on this device. There is no analytics SDK, no advertising identifier and no account to make. Settings has an export whenever you want to carry your repertoire elsewhere. Gambora Pro is $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year, each starting with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, and renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://theknack2020-sketch.github.io/gambora/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://theknack2020-sketch.github.io/gambora/privacy.html

Screenshots

PianoMate4 screens
Gambora4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: PianoMate at 3 against Gambora's 1. PianoMate also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PianoMate sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Gambora sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PianoMate versus Gambora: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPianoMateGambora
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (26 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings26 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size214 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDmitry AvdeevUFUK OZDEMIR

In-app purchases

11 purchases

PianoMate

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription$5.991 Month
One-time10
  • Für Elise (Easy)$1.99
  • Ode to Joy$1.99
  • Symphony 5$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Moonlight Sonata (Easy)$3.99
  • Meet Piano$3.99
  • Left Hand$3.99
  • Black Keys$3.99
  • River Flows in You$3.99
  • Intervals and Chords$3.99
  • Moonlight Sonata$5.99
2 purchases

Gambora

Subscriptions2
  • Gambora Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Gambora Pro Yearly7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is PianoMate free?
PianoMate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gambora free?
Gambora is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PianoMate or Gambora have ads?
Neither PianoMate nor Gambora shows ads.

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