Comparison

Flashnote Derby vs NinGenius Piano

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

Head to head
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.

About

NinGenius Piano

Master piano essentials with this app that focuses on notes, fingerings, rhythms, and theory. It uses gamified challenges with timers and belt tests to motivate students and improve their speed and accuracy in music notation.

Highlights
  • Note recognition
  • Fingerings practice
  • Rhythm training
  • Music theory lessons
  • Gamified challenges
  • Progress tracking via belt tests
Features
Read full description

The only music mastery app for piano featuring NOTES, FINGERINGS, RHYTHMS & THEORY. For a single student only. Let our ninja master test and motivate your student to conquer the essentials of music notation, including key signatures and accidentals. Your student will work like never before to master their note names and fingerings under the pressure of frenzied music and a timer moving closer to zero! They will want to play over and over to make it to the next belt test, increasing their speed and accuracy as they master every essential music fundamental. Your remediation troubles are over!

Screenshots

Flashnote Derby4 screens
NinGenius Piano4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: NinGenius Piano at 4.6 against Flashnote Derby's 3.8. NinGenius Piano also leads on price ($0.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 16.6). Flashnote Derby's advantage is chart position (#28 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Flashnote Derby costs $4.99 and NinGenius Piano $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NinGenius Piano holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 105 and 91 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 69% of Flashnote Derby's written reviews are positive against 67% of NinGenius Piano's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flashnote Derby ships an update every 6 months, NinGenius Piano every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Flashnote Derby versus NinGenius Piano: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlashnote DerbyNinGenius Piano
Price$4.99$0.99 — better
Rating3.8 (105 ratings)4.6 (91 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.1% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings105 — better91
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank#28 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.610.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB359 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuke BartolomeoNingenius Studios LLC

Customer experience

Flashnote Derby

All ratings105 ratings
Positive64.8%
Neutral11.4%
Negative23.8%
Written reviews139 reviews
Positive69.1%
Neutral7.2%
Negative23.7%

NinGenius Piano

All ratings91 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

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

NinGenius Piano

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Flashnote Derby

No in-app purchases

None

NinGenius Piano

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flashnote Derby free?
Flashnote Derby costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is NinGenius Piano free?
NinGenius Piano costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flashnote Derby or NinGenius Piano?
NinGenius Piano is rated higher. Flashnote Derby averages 3.8 out of 5 from 105 ratings, while NinGenius Piano averages 4.6 from 91 ratings.
Do Flashnote Derby or NinGenius Piano have ads?
Neither Flashnote Derby nor NinGenius Piano shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flashnote Derby or NinGenius Piano?
Flashnote Derby ships an update every 6 months, and NinGenius Piano every 11 months. Most recently, Flashnote Derby was updated on October 19, 2026 and NinGenius Piano on October 13, 2026.

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