Comparison

Flashnote Derby vs StaffWars

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

StaffWars

Master musical clefs with this interactive game. Practice note names on the grand staff, treble, alto, and bass clefs. Ideal for musicians of all levels looking to improve their sight-reading skills.

Highlights
  • Learn note names on grand staff
  • Practice treble clef
  • Master alto clef
  • Woodshed bass clef
  • Interactive musical game
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

StaffWars is a game designed to help beginning and intermediate musicians learn, practice and woodshed the note names on the grand staff, treble, alto and bass clefs. THE APP for anyone who wants to master these clefs.

Screenshots

Flashnote Derby4 screens
StaffWars4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: StaffWars at 4.3 against Flashnote Derby's 3.8. StaffWars also leads on price ($1.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.6). 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 StaffWars $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

StaffWars holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 105 and 132 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Flashnote Derby's written reviews are positive against 74% of StaffWars's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flashnote Derby ships an update every 6 months, StaffWars every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Flashnote Derby versus StaffWars: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlashnote DerbyStaffWars
Price$4.99$1.99 — better
Rating3.8 (105 ratings)4.3 (132 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews74.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings105132 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#29#26 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB32 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLuke BartolomeoTMI Media, LLC

Customer experience

Flashnote Derby

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

StaffWars

All ratings132 ratings
Positive79.5%
Neutral6.1%
Negative14.4%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive74.1%
Neutral9.4%
Negative16.5%

User reviews

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

StaffWars

From 132 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎯 Highly effective for learning note reading
  • 👨‍🏫 Excellent tool for music teachers and students
  • 🎮 Engaging and addictive gameplay mechanics
  • ⚡ Increasing difficulty keeps users motivated
  • 🎼 Supports multiple clefs (treble, alto, bass, tenor)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Double-click detection issues causing missed points
  • ⚠️ Game pace too fast for beginners
  • 🎯 Unresponsive tap detection at times
  • ❌ Note location accuracy problems reported
  • 😤 Frustrating difficulty curve for some users

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

StaffWars

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Double-click registration causing unintended note selections
  • Incorrect note location detection preventing proper learning
  • App fails to close properly on iPhone X
  • Unresponsive touch input
  • Occasional app crashes reported

Requested features

13 requests
  • Extended note range for ledger lines (especially for cello and violin)
  • Piano keyboard interface instead of letter buttons
  • Microphone/instrument input feature for actual note playing
  • Note names displayed in note heads
  • Slow mode option for beginners
Show 8 more
  • Sound feedback for incorrect answers
  • Multiple clef practice mode (switching between clefs)
  • Separate range settings for treble and bass staves
  • Teacher account system to track student progress
  • Different background music themes
  • Instrument-specific transposition settings
  • Audio playback of correct pitches
  • Account system for home practice tracking

In-app purchases

None

Flashnote Derby

No in-app purchases

None

StaffWars

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Flashnote Derby free?
Flashnote Derby costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is StaffWars free?
StaffWars costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Flashnote Derby or StaffWars?
StaffWars is rated higher. Flashnote Derby averages 3.8 out of 5 from 105 ratings, while StaffWars averages 4.3 from 132 ratings.
Do Flashnote Derby or StaffWars have ads?
Neither Flashnote Derby nor StaffWars shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flashnote Derby or StaffWars?
Flashnote Derby ships an update every 6 months, and StaffWars every 4 months. Most recently, Flashnote Derby was updated on September 23, 2026 and StaffWars on September 21, 2026.
Which is more popular, Flashnote Derby or StaffWars?
Flashnote Derby currently peaks at #29 in the App Store charts, and StaffWars at #26. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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