Comparison

Windy vs Note Names

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

Head to head
About

Windy

This app transforms your device into a playable musical instrument. Learn to play songs interactively by blowing into your device's microphone and using its tilt controls for different notes and octaves. Enjoy playing along with guided songs or improvising freely.

Highlights
  • Play like a real instrument
  • Interactive song playback
  • Tilt controls for notes
  • Octave control
  • Guided songs
  • Device microphone input
Read full description

Windy is a fully functioning musical instrument. Play Happy Birthday and other songs in a fully interactive way on your iPhone and iPad—no musical experience or talent necessary! To play, simply hold down the keys on the screen and blow lightly into the microphone at the same time. - Tilt your device to the left to play flat notes - Tilt your device to the right to play sharp notes - Tilt your device up and down to play across three successive octaves Play through the list of guided songs, or whatever you want! Make sure to unmute your iPhone or iPad and turn up the volume. Play over your device's speakers, wireless headphones, regular headphones, or REALLY LOUD over wireless Bluetooth-enabled speakers! Enjoy!

About

Note Names

This app helps musicians learn to read sheet music by displaying the letter name on each note. It supports various clefs and allows users to customize the level of assistance, gradually removing it as they become more proficient. Users can also import their own music and print it with the added note names.

Highlights
  • Displays letter names on sheet music notes
  • Supports treble, bass, alto, and tenor clefs
  • Adjustable assistance level for gradual learning
  • Import and edit personal sheet music
  • Print sheet music with note names
  • Trombone slide position tagging
Features
Read full description

Play the music in front of you. Learn to read it as you go. Note Names writes the letter name on every note of your sheet music, right on the page, like subtitles for music. You play from day one, and the notation sinks in while you do. WHO IT'S FOR • Adults learning piano who know a tune faster than they can read it • Parents sitting with a child at practice who never learned to read music • Anyone coming back to an instrument after years away • Players of violin, viola, cello, trombone and other instruments reading a new part HOW IT WORKS 1. Snap a photo of a page, or open a PDF 2. Every note gets its letter, including sharps and flats from the key signature 3. Put it on the stand and play READS EVERY CLEF Treble, bass, alto and tenor clef, so piano, strings and low brass all get their letters. Accidentals carry through the bar, and key signatures are never forgotten. YOUR KIND OF NAMES C D E, Do Re Mi, or ドレミ. NEW: TROMBONE SLIDE POSITIONS Switch the tags from letters to slide positions 1 to 7, right on your part. WEAN OFF AT YOUR OWN PACE The reliance dial turns the help down as a piece becomes familiar: every letter, then only the tricky notes, then ledger lines, then none. Each piece remembers its own setting. A LIBRARY READY TO PLAY Start with the Verified library: pieces by Bach, Mozart and Chopin, with every note name checked against the original. FIX, MARK UP, PRINT Wrong letter? Fix it with a tap and it stays fixed. Add fingerings with your finger or Apple Pencil. Print or share the page with its letters for the music stand. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything happens on your device. No account, no ads, no tracking, and no internet needed. Your music never leaves your iPhone or iPad. TRY IT FIRST The whole Verified library is free, and so is your first import of your own music. One payment unlocks unlimited imports and trombone slide positions. Printing with letters is free for everyone. No subscription. GOOD TO KNOW Built for printed sheet music. Handwritten scores aren't supported, and a blurry photo or faint scan may need a few letters fixed. For iPhone and iPad, and Apple Silicon Macs.

Screenshots

Windy4 screens
Note Names4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Windy at 52% against Note Names's 0%. Windy also leads on ratings volume (40 vs 6) and iOS requirement (11.3 vs 16.0). Note Names's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly) and rating (4.2 vs 4.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Windy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Note Names sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Note Names holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Windy has 40 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of Windy's written reviews are positive against 0% of Note Names's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Windy ships an update monthly, Note Names every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Windy versus Note Names: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWindyNote Names
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (40 ratings)4.2 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.9% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings40 — better6
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.3 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKindred, Inc.Lionel Teo

Customer experience

Windy

All ratings38 ratings
Positive68.4%
Neutral10.5%
Negative21.1%
Written reviews52 reviews
Positive51.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative40.4%

Note Names

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Windy

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • App crashes after update
  • App stops working after first minute
  • App closes when phone is tilted
  • No sound output from the app
  • Sound not working at all
Show 5 more
  • App does not work as intended
  • Notes do not prolong
  • Notes play randomly or not at all
  • Poor recognition of microphone input
  • App not set up for iPad, defaults to iPhone position

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add more instruments (harmonica, clarinet, oboe, french horn)
  • Allow resizing and moving buttons on screen
  • Add dynamic range (volume) for each note
  • Add reverb
  • Prevent sound dropout when changing fingers
Show 5 more
  • Add chromatids
  • Compress buttons on iPad display
  • Make sounds better
  • Make app less complicated
  • Add ability to play eighth notes on one note

Note Names

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Windy

One-time1
  • Windy Plus$1.99
1 purchases

Note Names

One-time1
  • Unlimited Imports$9.99

Questions

Is Windy free?
Windy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Note Names free?
Note Names is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Windy or Note Names?
Note Names is rated higher. Windy averages 4.0 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while Note Names averages 4.2 from 6 ratings.
Do Windy or Note Names have ads?
Neither Windy nor Note Names shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Windy or Note Names?
Windy ships an update monthly, and Note Names every 3 days. Most recently, Windy was updated on October 22, 2026 and Note Names on October 27, 2026.

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