Comparison

Pianola vs Strumetra Studio

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

Head to head
About

Pianola

This app turns your MIDI-capable piano into an interactive music player. Connect wirelessly or via USB to play your MIDI files, control tempo and pitch, and organize your music library. It's designed for an intuitive and effortless musical experience.

Highlights
  • Wireless Bluetooth MIDI connection
  • USB MIDI support
  • Library and playlist management
  • Adjustable tempo and pitch
  • Background playback
  • Includes a starter MIDI library
Read full description

Pianola transforms your MIDI-capable piano into an effortless musical experience. Whether you have a digital piano or an acoustic piano outfitted with a PianoDisc, QRS PNOmation, or Yamaha Disklavier system, Pianola makes playing your favorite songs as easy as do-re-mi. Connect iPhone or iPad to your piano wirelessly via Bluetooth or with a USB MIDI adapter, browse your MIDI file collection, and let the music play! Key Features • Wireless Bluetooth MIDI — Connect to any BLE-MIDI compatible device with a single tap. • USB MIDI Support — Connect using a USB to MIDI adapter or a USB OTG cable on supported devices. • Simple Library Management — Browse MIDI files from your device, iCloud, or network storage. Create playlists to organize your music. • Tempo Control — Speed up or slow down playback. • Velocity Curves — Fine-tune the dynamics to suit your piano and room acoustics. • Pitch Adjustment — Transpose playback in real-time. Great for vocalists who want to sing along. • Background Playback — Music keeps playing while you use other apps. • Ready to Play — Includes a MIDI library to get the party started. Designed for Everyone Pianola offers an interface that feels familiar and intuitive. Large, clear controls. No hidden menus. No overwhelming options. Just the features you need, right where you expect them. Transform your piano into the jukebox it was meant to be!

About

Strumetra Studio

Features
Read full description

Practice guitar with your own sheet music and TAB, build chord changes, keep time with a metronome, and create drum backing patterns. Strumetra Studio brings four practice tools together without an account, ads, or score uploads. SCORE: READ, PLAY AND LOOP Open Guitar Pro, MuseScore, MusicXML, MIDI, CAPX and AlphaTex files. Choose a part, adjust tempo, and repeat difficult passages with bar loops and count-in. Follow notation, tablature and fingering as you play along. Recent files stay within easy reach without covering your score. CHORD TRAINER: BUILD FLUENCY Create and reorder chord progressions. Manual mode offers Previous and Next; Timed mode advances at your chosen tempo; Audio Trigger advances when local microphone input crosses the configured threshold. See the current chord and the next change together. METRONOME: FIND YOUR PULSE Set BPM, use Tap Tempo, choose a time signature and sound, and configure accents and count-in. Volume and Mute respond during playback. DRUM MACHINE: MAKE A BACKING PATTERN Start with a groove or edit the seven-track step sequencer. Choose a kit, adjust tempo and swing, and mute individual tracks. Add drum or metronome accompaniment to score and chord practice. A WORKSPACE THAT FITS Score, Practice, Rhythm and Settings use a consistent layout. Playback controls remain available while you open Options or Settings. Choose Light, Dark or System appearance. iPad uses a landscape workspace with room for notation and controls. YOUR FILES STAY LOCAL MuseScore MSCZ and MSCX files use the built-in importer; no external converter or MuseScore installation is required. Audio Trigger analyzes microphone input locally while running. Microphone audio is not recorded or transmitted. Scores stay on your device. No analytics, advertising or runtime cloud account. OPTIONAL LED FRETBOARD Add visual guidance with supported Bluetooth LED fretboards compatible with Fret Zealot and Fret Zealot 2. Practice tools also work without fretboard hardware. These are third-party compatibility marks. Strumetra Studio is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by their owner. Drum Trainer and MIDI drum-hit scoring have moved to the separate StickSignal app. Drum Machine remains in Strumetra Studio. Bring your own supported score files. The interface is in English. Not all imported formats contain fingering information. Audio Trigger detects sound attacks, not chord correctness.

Screenshots

Pianola4 screens
Strumetra Studio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Strumetra Studio at Free against Pianola's $0.99. Strumetra Studio also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.4 vs 18.0). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Strumetra Studio is free to download; Pianola costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pianola ships an update fortnightly, Strumetra Studio every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Pianola versus Strumetra Studio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPianolaStrumetra Studio
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.015.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size110 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDarrel FarrisDmitrii Valinovskii

In-app purchases

None

Pianola

No in-app purchases

None

Strumetra Studio

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pianola free?
Pianola costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Strumetra Studio free?
Strumetra Studio is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pianola or Strumetra Studio have ads?
Neither Pianola nor Strumetra Studio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pianola or Strumetra Studio?
Pianola ships an update fortnightly, and Strumetra Studio every 3 weeks. Most recently, Pianola was updated on November 5, 2026 and Strumetra Studio on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons