Comparison

Flashnote Derby vs Notes Tutor

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

Notes Tutor

Learn to read sheet music and improve sight-reading with a fun, timed game. Practice treble and bass clefs, and chords. Challenge friends in a competitive two-player mode.

Highlights
  • Sheet music reading practice
  • Sight-reading skill development
  • Timed identification games
  • Treble and bass clef practice
  • Chord identification
  • Two-player competitive mode
Features
Read full description

Playful and easy way to learn reading sheet music or improve your sight-reading skills with the Notes Tutor app. Develop your speed and accuracy in reading sheet music by identifying music notes in timed game. You can choose between treble, bass clef and different chords to practice. Play a two player competitive game against friends or other family members.

Screenshots

Flashnote Derby4 screens
Notes Tutor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Notes Tutor at Free against Flashnote Derby's $4.99. Notes Tutor also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). Flashnote Derby's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (105 vs 1). On ads and device support 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 Tutor is free to download; Flashnote Derby costs $4.99 up front. Notes Tutor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Flashnote Derby asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notes Tutor holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flashnote Derby has 105 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flashnote Derby ships an update every 6 months, Notes Tutor every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Flashnote Derby versus Notes Tutor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlashnote DerbyNotes Tutor
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (105 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings105 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#34 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.610.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB136 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuke BartolomeoNKDL vGmbH

Customer experience

Flashnote Derby

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

Notes Tutor

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
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

Notes Tutor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Flashnote Derby

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Notes Tutor

One-time1
  • Notes Tutor Full Version$1.99

Questions

Is Flashnote Derby free?
Flashnote Derby costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notes Tutor free?
Notes Tutor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flashnote Derby or Notes Tutor?
Notes Tutor is rated higher. Flashnote Derby averages 3.8 out of 5 from 105 ratings, while Notes Tutor averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Flashnote Derby or Notes Tutor have ads?
Neither Flashnote Derby nor Notes Tutor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flashnote Derby or Notes Tutor?
Flashnote Derby ships an update every 6 months, and Notes Tutor every 2 weeks. Most recently, Flashnote Derby was updated on October 6, 2026 and Notes Tutor on September 17, 2026.

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