Comparison

NoteRunner vs Master the Staff

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

Head to head
About

NoteRunner

Features
Read full description

NoteRunner is a music education game where you learn to read notes through a fun runner game. As your character keeps running, walls with musical staves appear one after another. Read the note shown on each wall and tap the correct key on the piano keyboard at the bottom of the screen to smash through it! [Main features] - A fresh music game: read notes while you run - Build your ability to read staff notes in real time - Intuitive controls: just tap the piano keyboard - Aim for high scores with combo bonuses [4 difficulty levels] - Easy: start with basic notes - Normal: wider range and faster tempo - Hard: an advanced mode with accidentals - Sadistic: take on the ultimate challenge! [Ranking system] Scores are graded on 5 tiers: S / A / B / C / D. Track your skill and level up. From music beginners to piano students, this app trains your sight-reading while you have fun.

About

Master the Staff

Features
Read full description

A focused trainer for one skill: naming the note on the staff without counting up from the bottom line. A note appears, you name it with a button or play it on the keyboard. A round takes a few minutes. WHO IT'S FOR • You can read music, but slowly, one line at a time • Treble is fine, bass clef is a struggle • You play viola or cello and want alto and tenor clef to feel automatic • Ledger lines still trip you up • You've just started piano or guitar and want reading to keep up • You want something small to practise between lessons FOUR CLEFS • Treble — the piano's right hand, voice, most wind instruments • Bass — the piano's left hand and the low instruments • Alto — the viola's clef. Middle C on line 3 • Tenor — the upper range of cello, bassoon and trombone. Middle C on line 4 Best streak and accuracy are kept separately per clef, so you can work on the one that is holding you up. THREE SESSION MODES • Endless — practise as long as you like • 20 Notes — clear twenty notes as fast and accurately as you can • 60 Seconds — score as high as possible in one minute ADAPTIVE PRACTICE The app tracks your accuracy for every note and quietly asks the ones you miss more often. The Statistics screen shows accuracy note by note and highlights what to focus on next. TWO WAYS TO ANSWER • Note buttons — seven pitch buttons, fast and simple • Piano keyboard — answer the exact octave too, on the treble and bass clef TWO DIFFICULTIES • Easy — notes stay inside the staff, no ledger lines • Normal — two full octaves, ledger lines included ENGLISH AND JAPANESE Pitches are shown as C D E in English and as 惉 惬 ミ in Japanese. Switch any time inside the app. ALSO • Every correct answer plays the real pitch, so your ear trains alongside your eyes • A miss shows the right note name straight away, on the staff • Best streak and best score are kept per clef • Sound, haptics and keyboard labels can each be turned off • Universal — iPhone and iPad PRIVACY • No advertising of any kind • No account, no sign-in • No data collected and nothing transmitted • Settings and records stay on your device • Works entirely offline For piano, guitar, voice, strings and winds — anyone who reads from a staff.

Screenshots

NoteRunner4 screens
Master the Staff4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Master the Staff at none against NoteRunner's shown. Master the Staff also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NoteRunner ships an update every 2 weeks, Master the Staff every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 4 level
NoteRunner versus Master the Staff: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNoteRunnerMaster the Staff
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMIZOU, CO., LTD.Yuki Isaka

In-app purchases

None

NoteRunner

No in-app purchases

None

Master the Staff

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NoteRunner free?
NoteRunner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Master the Staff free?
Master the Staff is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do NoteRunner or Master the Staff have ads?
NoteRunner shows ads; Master the Staff does not.
Which is updated more often, NoteRunner or Master the Staff?
NoteRunner ships an update every 2 weeks, and Master the Staff every 5 days. Most recently, NoteRunner was updated on October 31, 2026 and Master the Staff on October 29, 2026.

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