Comparison

Notes Practice vs Octotune

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

Head to head
About

Notes Practice

Features
Read full description

Learn to read music notes fast — flashcard style. Notes Practice deals you notes on the treble or bass staff. Answer each card your way: say the note name out loud, tap the letter, or play it on the on-screen piano. SAY IT, TAP IT, OR PLAY IT - Voice answers with instant on-device recognition (English and Dutch) - Big letter buttons A to G - An on-screen piano keyboard PRACTICE YOUR WAY - Treble clef, bass clef, or both - Note ranges starting from middle C - Three speeds: fast (1s), medium (2s), slow (4s) per card - Relaxed mode: no time limit, every note once, zero pressure - Ear training: hear the tone, name the note - Weak-note focus deals your trouble notes more often EARN YOUR STRIPES - Badges for every speed and duration at 80% accuracy or better - Superbadges and a crown for the truly dedicated - Daily practice streaks - Stats with accuracy trends and per-note miss rates — resettable anytime No accounts. No ads. No tracking. Your practice data never leaves your device.

About

Octotune

Learn to read piano music at your own pace with interactive lessons and games. Offers a structured path from basic notes to complex pieces, with a special mode for young children. Supports multiple players and works offline.

Highlights
  • Structured learning path
  • Interactive music games
  • Kids mode for early learners
  • Real sheet music and classical pieces
  • Multi-player support
  • Offline functionality
  • Practice reports for teachers
Features
Read full description

Practice piano sight reading, from middle C to real sheet music. Octotune gives you a calm path through notes, rhythm and real pieces. Young pianists start with a picture book in Kids mode, while grown-ups read the staff. Each player has their own book. LEARN TO READ MUSIC • A path of 12 units: middle C, both clefs, ledger lines, rhythm, the keys of G and F, chords and sight-reading • Landmark reading: know middle C, treble G and bass F on sight, then read every other note as a step or a skip • Short sittings of three to six minutes • Already read a little? A placement test lets you start further along • Tempo marks, from Adagio to Allegro, as a piece gets fluent PLAY REAL PIECES • Over 120 pieces: children’s songs and classical works, from Bach and Mozart to Schumann and Satie • Songbooks written for the path, each song with its own picture • Wait for me, one hand at a time, loop a measure, slow it down • Sheet music or falling notes, your choice GAMES AT THE PIANO • Note Rain for reading, Copycat for listening, Duet for two players at one piano, and Moss’s Parade for rhythm • They use only the notes the path has already taught • An Explore shelf of fourteen activity boards, each teaching one idea away from the keys, with nothing to lose or fail KIDS MODE: PIANO BEFORE READING • From about age 2½, with no words to read and no voice • The key lights up, a drawn hand shows the way, and Octo’s friends show high and low • High and low, loud and soft, a steady beat and the black keys, then colored notes with their letters, then the staff • Stray keys and palms never block a step • Anything a grown-up should decide sits behind a question only a grown-up can answer THE WHOLE FAMILY • Up to six players, each with their own book and avatar • A one-page practice report to share with a piano teacher, made on your device • Piano teachers can start a studio for their adult students, and each student chooses what their teacher sees PLAY ON WHAT YOU HAVE • A MIDI keyboard or digital piano, by USB or Bluetooth • Or the piano on the screen: each finger is its own key, so you can hold a chord • With a keyboard, every button has a key too: any C goes on, B goes back • Works offline • Octotune doesn’t use the microphone yet, so it can’t hear an acoustic piano today THE OCTOTUNE PROMISE • No ads. No analytics. Children are never asked for anything. • Mistakes are information: a wrong note shows you the right one, and nothing is taken away • No hearts to lose, no leagues, no nagging • Your progress stays on your device. Signing in with Apple or Google is optional, for grown-ups only, and keeps your progress the same on every device WHAT’S FREE, AND OCTOTUNE PLUS The whole path, placement and practice, Kids mode, the children’s songs and songbooks, the path’s pieces, ten first classical pieces, and two players (you and one child) are free, with no account needed. Octotune Plus is an optional subscription for grown-ups that adds more music: the whole classical library, your own MIDI and MusicXML files, the recorded instruments beyond the piano, and room for up to six players. Any single piece can also be unlocked with pearls you earn by playing. Kids mode never shows a price. • Octotune Plus Monthly: $7.99 a month • Octotune Plus Yearly: $59.99 a year, with a 14-day free trial • Founding prices in US dollars; the App Store shows the price in your currency • Payment is charged to your Apple Account when you confirm the purchase, or when the free trial ends. The subscription renews automatically unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel it in your Apple Account’s subscriptions. Terms of Use (App Store subscriptions): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Terms of Service: https://octotune.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://octotune.com/privacy Questions: hello@octotune.com

Screenshots

Notes Practice2 screens
Octotune4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Notes Practice at none against Octotune's 2. Octotune's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Both are free to download. Octotune sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Notes Practice asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notes Practice ships an update every 9 days, Octotune every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Notes Practice versus Octotune: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotes PracticeOctotune
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—6 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB76 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIwan HoogendoornScott Everitt

In-app purchases

None

Notes Practice

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Octotune

Subscriptions2
  • Octotune Plus Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Octotune Plus Yearly14 Days trial$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Notes Practice free?
Notes Practice is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Octotune free?
Octotune is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Notes Practice or Octotune have ads?
Neither Notes Practice nor Octotune shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notes Practice or Octotune?
Notes Practice ships an update every 9 days, and Octotune every 3 days. Most recently, Notes Practice was updated on October 29, 2026 and Octotune on October 26, 2026.

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