Comparison

Notes! vs Flashnote Derby

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

Head to head
About

Notes!

This flashcard app helps beginners learn note names on the bass and treble clef. Customize letter notation and practice specific notes. MIDI enabled for compatible devices.

Highlights
  • Learn bass and treble clef notes
  • Customizable letter notation (CDEFGAB, CDEFAH, DoReMi)
  • Practice specific notes
  • MIDI enabled
  • Toggle visual effects
  • Portrait/landscape orientation support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Over 99000 purchased! People love Notes because it's easy and it works. This basic flashcard app helps beginners learn the letter names for notes on the bass and treble clef ("F" on bass through to "G" on treble). Easily toggle between treble and bass clef by tapping the clef symbol. Letter notation can be set to any of these options: 1) C D E F G A B 2) C D E F G A H (used in Germany) 3) Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si (Solfège) Other Features: • Displays a random note on the musical staff and you tap the correct letter/key. • For MIDI savvy folk - this app is MIDI enabled! Use Apple Core MIDI compliant devices with the app. • Toggle the visual effects on/off by tapping the trophy icon. • Practice only specific notes (tap the gears icon to enter the Settings screen where you can disable all but the specific notes you want to practice). TIP: This app has slightly different functionality for portrait orientation vs. landscape orientation. To switch orientations: 1) make sure you have orientation lock off on your device, then 2) launch the app in portrait mode, then rotate your device to landscape mode. If it's not rotating for you, try toggling your lock orientation setting and try again. If you need help, contact us. For feedback or suggestions please contact us at http://visionsencoded.com. For intermediate learners, also try "Piano Notes! - Learn To Read Music."

About

Flashnote Derby

This app transforms music note learning into an engaging game for young musicians. It offers various ways to practice and play, with customizable drills to suit any student's level. Track progress and make learning fun, whether at home or in lessons.

Highlights
  • Gamified note recognition races
  • Practice mode with no timer
  • Play notes on instrument or MIDI
  • On-screen piano keyboard input
  • Customizable clefs and note ranges
  • Multiple engaging themes
  • Teacher tools for assignments and progress tracking
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Flashnote Derby is a fun, effective way for kids to learn to read music through fast-paced note flashcard games. Perfect for piano, guitar, band, orchestra, and general music students, this teacher-created app turns note recognition into an engaging game that works equally well at home or in music lessons. ———— Learn to Read Music — Fast Each race is a fast-paced challenge: identify notes correctly as you learn to read music faster and speed your horse toward the finish line. Missed or slow answers allow the other horse to catch up. After each round, students can review the notes they missed— turning every race into a meaningful learning opportunity. ———— New! Practice Mode (No Timer, No Stress) Students can now choose a relaxed 'practice mode' with unlimited time for each note. Perfect for beginners, this mode builds accuracy and confidence before racing competitively. ———— Multiple Ways to Answer Players can answer flashcards in a variety of ways: • Play the note on any instrument. Flashnote Derby listens and recognizes what you play (including transposing instruments). • Use a MIDI instrument • Tap on-screen letter names • Or play notes on the on-screen piano keyboard ———— Fully Customizable for Any Student Tailor each drill to match your student’s level: • Treble, bass, alto, or tenor clef • Select specific note ranges or individual notes • Add sharps, flats, or full key signatures • Adjust time limits (or remove them entirely in Practice Mode) • Expand difficulty all the way up to five-and-a-half ledger lines above and below the staff. As skills grow, you can increase the challenge. Higher difficulty earns higher scores—keeping students motivated. ———— Multiple themes keep practice fresh In addition to the classic horse race, students can take flight with the whimsical Pretty Pegasus course, blast through an arcade-style space challenge in Ecliptic Encounter, or switch to the seasonal Reindeer Race during the holidays. ———— Built for Teachers, Loved by Students Flashnote Derby is designed to fit easily into lessons: • Quick to set up and perfect for a 1–2 minute warm-up • Send homework assignments directly to students • Track progress automatically • See which notes need more review Teachers see real improvement. Students stay engaged. Parents appreciate the progress. ———— Why Flashnote Derby Works Many students struggle because drilling note names feels boring and difficult. Flashnote Derby turns this essential skill into a game—one they’ll want to keep playing. A little daily practice adds up quickly, and students learn to read music with confidence. ———— Get on the road to confident music reading today! Download Flashnote Derby and help your young musician master notes with joy—not frustration.

Screenshots

Notes!4 screens
Flashnote Derby4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notes! at 4.4 against Flashnote Derby's 3.8. Notes! also leads on ratings volume (1.4K vs 105) and price ($3.99 vs $4.99). Flashnote Derby's advantage is chart position (#36 vs #145). On review sentiment, update cadence, 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

Notes! costs $3.99 and Flashnote Derby $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notes! holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notes! has 1.4K ratings behind it against 105, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Notes!'s written reviews are positive against 71% of Flashnote Derby's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notes! ships an update every 3 months, Flashnote Derby every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Notes! versus Flashnote Derby: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotes!Flashnote Derby
Price$3.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.4 (1.4K ratings) — better3.8 (105 ratings)
Positive reviews73.0% of reviews — better70.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.4K — better105
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#145#36 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.4 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVisions Encoded Inc.Luke Bartolomeo

Customer experience

Notes!

All ratings1,383 ratings
Positive84.7%
Neutral5.9%
Negative9.4%
Written reviews200 reviews
Positive73.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative14.5%

Flashnote Derby

All ratings105 ratings
Positive64.8%
Neutral11.4%
Negative23.8%
Written reviews133 reviews
Positive70.7%
Neutral6.0%
Negative23.3%

User reviews

Notes!

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Helps improve note reading skills
  • 💡 Customizable note practice
  • 👍 Great for beginners
  • 👍 Convenient for practice anywhere

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs with settings screen
  • 🐛 Issues with screen size and navigation
  • 💡 Lacks progress tracking and scoring
  • 💡 Limited note range and clef options

Flashnote Derby

From 105 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Engaging gamified learning experience with racing themes
  • 🎵 Effective tool for learning note reading and music literacy
  • 🎨 Customizable themes and visual designs
  • ⚙️ Highly customizable settings for notes, speed, and difficulty
  • 👨‍🏫 Teacher-friendly features with student tracking and presets

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and app freezing issues
  • 🔊 Harsh negative feedback sounds (booing) discourages learners
  • 🎵 Inaccurate note detection, especially for E note and lower instruments
  • 📱 Poor mobile responsiveness and slider controls on phones
  • ⚠️ Data loss after updates without warning

Bugs and requests

Notes!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Settings screen gets stuck
  • Screen size issues on larger devices
  • Incorrect note octave displayed

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add sharps, flats, and ledger lines
  • Implement a game-like scoring system
  • Allow switching between treble and bass clef
  • Provide more comprehensive learning modes

Flashnote Derby

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during use
  • White screen on startup that auto-closes
  • Note recognition fails, particularly for E note
  • Low instrument octave recognition issues
  • Data and student names lost after updates
Show 10 more
  • Settings menu disappears or becomes inaccessible
  • Speed selection buttons unresponsive
  • Email preset sending feature non-functional
  • Password reset system broken
  • Master device cloning feature not working
  • Audio detection marks answers before notes are played
  • Incorrect display scaling on iPad and tablets
  • Slider controls difficult to use on mobile devices
  • App incompatible with Safari and some browsers
  • Family sharing not recognized despite being enabled

Requested features

16 requests
  • Restore previous speed options (Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop)
  • Option to customize number of test notes (return 10/20 options)
  • Remove or tone down negative feedback sounds
  • Add more theme options (animals, seasonal themes)
  • Untimed mode without racing element
Show 11 more
  • Two-octave keyboard display for better note differentiation
  • Support for sharps and flats
  • Alto and tenor clef options
  • Female jockey character option
  • Combined treble and bass clef exercises
  • Better search visibility in app stores
  • Family sharing support improvements
  • External audio interface compatibility
  • Improved mobile responsiveness for sliders and controls
  • Better instructional videos with audio/visual note examples
  • Personalized high scores for multiple users

In-app purchases

None

Notes!

No in-app purchases

None

Flashnote Derby

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notes! free?
Notes! costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flashnote Derby free?
Flashnote Derby costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notes! or Flashnote Derby?
Notes! is rated higher. Notes! averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while Flashnote Derby averages 3.8 from 105 ratings.
Do Notes! or Flashnote Derby have ads?
Neither Notes! nor Flashnote Derby shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notes! or Flashnote Derby?
Notes! ships an update every 3 months, and Flashnote Derby every 6 months. Most recently, Notes! was updated on September 24, 2026 and Flashnote Derby on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Notes! or Flashnote Derby?
Notes! currently peaks at #145 in the App Store charts, and Flashnote Derby at #36. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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