Comparison

The Hanon Method vs Play in Any Key

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

Head to head
About

The Hanon Method

This app provides a structured approach to practicing piano exercises. It measures your precision, timing, and tempo during sessions, offering detailed post-session reviews to identify areas for improvement. Access initial exercises for free, with premium options for more content.

Highlights
  • Measured practice sessions
  • Tempo and hand mode settings
  • Bluetooth MIDI keyboard support
  • Precision and timing review
  • Practice history tracking
  • Structured course progression
Features
Read full description

The Hanon Method is a focused practice tool for serious piano technique work on iPhone and iPad. Choose a Hanon exercise, set tempo and hand mode, connect a MIDI keyboard, and run a measured session. After each pass, review precision, timing stability, reliable tempo, and practice history. The app supports disciplined repetition. Work through Hanon as a structured course, compare repeated sessions over time, and identify unevenness, missed notes, and difficult sections with clear post-session review. Browse the course and review notation without MIDI. Measured practice and scoring require MIDI input. First-launch guidance helps you connect and check your keyboard. Available exercises are accessible without a subscription or in-app purchase. Accounts are optional. Sign in to keep your practice history recoverable across devices. Terms of Use: https://thehanonmethod.com/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://thehanonmethod.com/privacy.html

About

Play in Any Key

Easily explore and create chord progressions in any musical key. Listen to popular progressions, build your own, and experiment with song structures. Ideal for songwriters and musicians looking for inspiration.

Highlights
  • Listen to chord progressions in 24 keys
  • Build custom chord progressions
  • Combine progressions for song sections
  • Add bass, rhythm, and drums
  • View chords on staff and keyboard
  • Easy Composition tool
Features
Read full description

Chord progressions, made simple. Listen to a variety of chord progressions in different keys. Find your favorite combination of chord progression and key. “What would this progression sound like in another key?” “I want to hear it in a key that’s difficult for me to play.” Play in Any Key lets you easily listen to popular chord progressions in all 24 major and minor keys. Beyond simply listening, you can build your own progressions by choosing chords that work well together, or combine chord progressions for verses, pre-choruses, and choruses to create the flow of a song. 【What You Can Do】 • Choose from popular chord progressions and play them instantly • Compare chord progressions across all 24 major and minor keys • Add bass, rhythm, and drums to explore different sounds • Play the diatonic chords of each key one by one • See the notes currently being played on the keyboard • Combine chord progressions to create your own progression • Use “Easy Composition” to combine verse, pre-chorus, and chorus sections • View chords on both staff notation and a keyboard Perfect for exploring different chord progressions and discovering the sounds and keys you like. Connect progressions, experiment with song structures, and use what you discover as inspiration for songwriting, accompaniment, and learning chords. 【In-App Purchase】 Chord progressions in C major and chords with C as the root in the Chord Library are available for free. All other keys can be unlocked with a one-time in-app purchase. Once purchased, you can enjoy chord progressions and chord references in all 24 major and minor keys.

Screenshots

The Hanon Method3 screens
Play in Any Key4 screens

Verdict

The call

The Hanon Method and Play in Any Key are too close to call on the numbers: across 8 compared parameters — price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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

Both are free to download. The Hanon Method sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Play in Any Key sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Hanon Method ships an update weekly, Play in Any Key every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
The Hanon Method versus Play in Any Key: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Hanon MethodPlay in Any Key
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (12 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGray ReinhardMami Kawai

Customer experience

The Hanon Method

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Play in Any Key

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

The Hanon Method

Subscriptions2
  • Hanon Premium Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Hanon Premium Annual$59.991 Year
1 purchases

Play in Any Key

One-time1
  • Unlock All Keys$0.99

Questions

Is The Hanon Method free?
The Hanon Method is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Play in Any Key free?
Play in Any Key is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do The Hanon Method or Play in Any Key have ads?
Neither The Hanon Method nor Play in Any Key shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Hanon Method or Play in Any Key?
The Hanon Method ships an update weekly, and Play in Any Key every 6 days. Most recently, The Hanon Method was updated on November 5, 2026 and Play in Any Key on October 31, 2026.

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