Simply Read Notes vs Clefs
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Simply Read Notes
Master music notation with this comprehensive educational tool. It offers guided learning and customizable exercises to improve your sight-reading skills across various clefs and difficulty levels. Daily challenges and progress tracking help you become an ace note reader.
- Guided learning program
- Customizable manual exercises
- Multiple clef support
- Daily challenges
- Progressive difficulty adaptation
- Three language options for notes
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Discover Simply Read Notes, the new note reading training app. Become an ace note reader and amaze your music teachers. Much more than yet another note reading application, Simply Read Notes is a true multifunctional educational tool developed with music professionals. By regularly practicing reading notes with Simply Read Notes, you will be able to read your favorite scores more quickly. Why choose Simply Read Notes? - Unlike most existing apps, our app does not provide random notes. Each exercise was written by a music teacher, in order to get as close as possible to the musical language. Some exercises are even extracts from famous music. - Simply Read Notes offers two training modes to suit all levels: o Smart mode: let yourself be guided with our complete learning program available in four different clefs (bass clef, treble clef, alto clef and tenor clef). Ideal for beginners, learning begins with three notes and offers progressive difficulty that adapts to the player's progress. So move forward at your own pace. o Manual mode: à la carte learning with three types of exercises (with key, without key and visual interval recognition). In this mode, everything is configurable: § Stopwatch § Survival mode § Selection of notes for exercises with clef § Choice of difficulty level § Playing mode (static notes, moving notes, notes to be found after being hidden) § Choice of the number of correct answers § Display of reference notes (with reference to the Dandelot method) Manual mode is ideal for targeting a particular difficulty. Also discover our daily challenges. A new exercise is offered to you every day. The application does not contain advertising and is free. You have a limited number of energies, which are renewed gradually and you have the possibility of purchasing energies. Notes available in three languages (Do ré mi fa sol la si do, C D E F G A B, C D E F G A H). Simply Read Notes is a real “Swiss army knife” for reading notes and will help you make significant progress in music theory. If you are starting to learn music and want to practice progressively and tailor-made, this application is for you! On the contrary, if you are a seasoned musician and want to continue to improve, with Simply Read Notes, the challenge is always there. Happy reading notes! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/41702919
Clefs
Master sheet music reading with daily exercises and a guided course. This app helps you instantly recognize notes across all clefs, from beginner to advanced levels. Practice reading and writing notes, track your progress, and even connect a MIDI keyboard.
- Step-by-step guided course
- Smart spaced review practice
- Reading and writing drills
- Support for all ten clefs
- MIDI keyboard connectivity
- Built-in music theory guide
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Learn to read sheet music fluently. Quick daily exercises, a guided course, and smart review take you from your first notes on the staff to instant recognition in every clef. Clefs is a focused note-reading trainer: no filler, just the skill that unlocks everything else in your musical life. Whether you're starting piano, joining a choir, switching to viola, or finally fixing the bass-clef gap you've had for years — a few minutes a day builds real reading fluency. WHAT YOU GET • A step-by-step course: from the treble staff to key signatures, ledger lines and beyond, with exams to prove your progress • Smart practice that remembers you: spaced review brings back exactly the notes you're about to forget • Reading AND writing drills — recognize notes on the staff, then place them yourself • All ten clefs: treble, bass, alto, tenor, soprano, mezzo-soprano, both baritones, French violin and sub-bass • A daily goal, streaks with freezes, and reminders that adapt to your routine • Detailed statistics for every clef and every note MADE FOR MUSICIANS • Connect a MIDI keyboard and answer on real keys • Warm sampled piano sound, precise notation, custom exercises with your own clefs, key signatures and timers • Built-in theory guide when you want the "why" behind the notes START WHERE YOU ARE A short placement test finds your level, so day one is neither boring nor overwhelming. New notes are introduced gradually, consolidated with review, and tested when you're ready. ONE PURCHASE, EVERYTHING FOREVER No subscription. A single one-time upgrade unlocks the full course, all clefs and the exercise editor — free content lets you build the habit first. Reading music is not a talent — it's a practice. Start today.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Clefs at weekly against Simply Read Notes's every 4 months. Simply Read Notes's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Simply Read Notes sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Clefs sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Simply Read Notes against 5.0 for Clefs. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively.
Simply Read Notes ships an update every 4 months, Clefs weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Simply Read Notes | Clefs |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (5 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 104 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Frederic Nagler | Crazy Ootka Software AB |
Customer experience
Simply Read Notes
Clefs
In-app purchases
Simply Read Notes
- Pro Subscription Weekly$0.997 Days
- Pro Subscription Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Pro Subscription Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Small Gem Pack$0.99
- Raise Gem Limit$2.99
- Medium Gem Pack$4.99
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- Large Gem Pack$9.99
- Full version$9.99
Clefs
- Clefs Premium$6.99
Questions
Is Simply Read Notes free?
Is Clefs free?
Which has better reviews, Simply Read Notes or Clefs?
Do Simply Read Notes or Clefs have ads?
Which is updated more often, Simply Read Notes or Clefs?
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