Synthesia vs Keylimba
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Synthesia
Learn piano with interactive falling notes, even without reading sheet music. Play using your touchscreen or a connected digital keyboard. Offers various learning modes and song options.
- Falling note learning
- Touchscreen or digital keyboard input
- Melody Practice mode
- Sheet music and falling notes display
- Finger hints
- Built-in metronome
- MIDI song support
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Learn to play the piano using falling notes! Start playing immediately, even if you can't read sheet music. Use the touchscreen or connect a digital keyboard and play using real piano keys! • Play using each hand separately or together. • Synthesia waits until you hit the correct note in Melody Practice mode. • Connect your own digital piano and play along. • Synthesia is compatible with the lights in most lighted keyboards. • Choose between traditional sheet music, falling note blocks, or both. • Learn the correct fingers to use from the hints included with every song. • Enjoy many more features including loops, bookmarks, and the built-in metronome. • Try more than 20 songs in the free version. Unlock the app with a one-time purchase (NOT a monthly subscription) to: • Play all 150 included songs and any other MIDI song ever created. • Record your own songs using the simple multi-track recorder. • Your single purchase includes all future upgrades, forever.
Keylimba
Experience the soothing sounds of a kalimba on your device. This app offers a cute and customizable interface with adjustable key ranges and a built-in looper for recording and playback. Personalize your musical experience with custom key markings and backgrounds.
- Cute and lightweight interface
- Adjustable 9-21 key range
- Built-in looper for recording and playback
- Customizable key markings
- Customizable background colors
- Ad-free experience
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Keylimba is a cute and customizable app version of the kalimba instrument! - cute & lightweight interface - adjustable 9-21 key range - built-in looper to record and playback sound - customizable key markings and background colors - absolutely NO ADS!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Keylimba at 4.8 against Synthesia's 3.8. Keylimba also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 64%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months). Synthesia's advantage is iOS requirement (9.3 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, 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
Both are free to download. Synthesia sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Keylimba sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Keylimba holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.3K and 3.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Synthesia's written reviews are positive against 95% of Keylimba's.
Synthesia ships an update every 4 months, Keylimba every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Synthesia | Keylimba |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (3.3K ratings) | 4.8 (3.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.4% of reviews | 94.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.3K — better | 3.1K |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.3 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 20 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Synthesia LLC | David Fu |
Customer experience
Synthesia
Keylimba
User reviews
Synthesia
From 3.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎹 Helps learn piano
- 🎶 Good song selection
- 🎮 Fun game-like experience
Room to improve
- 💰 Paywall for many songs
- 🔑 Limited free features
- 🖱️ Small piano keys
- 🕰️ Time limit on free play
Keylimba
From 3.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💞 Adorable and cute
- 🙏 Responsive developer support
- 🎶 Calming and relaxing
- 🌈 Supports LGBTQ+ pride
- 🎨 Highly customizable
Room to improve
- 🔑 Some features require payment
- 🔇 Occasional audio issues
- 🕹️ Difficulty playing adjacent notes
- 🎨 Limited color customization options
Bugs and requests
Synthesia
Reported bugs
3 issues- Incorrect note registration
- Connectivity issues with external keyboards
- Frequent crashes
Requested features
4 requests- More song variety
- Ability to create and share custom songs
- Larger piano keys
- Unlimited free play time
Keylimba
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional app crashes
- Delayed note response on some devices
Requested features
6 requests- Add more pride flag options
- Allow custom color selection
- Implement a built-in tuner
- Add ability to save/load recordings
- Provide song tutorials or sheet music
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Enable picture-in-picture mode
In-app purchases
Synthesia
- Play Any Song$7.99
Keylimba
- Keylimba Plus$1.99
Questions
Is Synthesia free?
Is Keylimba free?
Which has better reviews, Synthesia or Keylimba?
Do Synthesia or Keylimba have ads?
Which is updated more often, Synthesia or Keylimba?
Other comparisons
