Clef vs Simply Piano: Honest Comparison

What each app is

Simply Piano (Simply Ltd) is a song-and-course piano app for iOS and Android. You place your device on your piano and it recognises what you play through the microphone or MIDI, with courses from basics to both hands, a song library you can slow down, and personalised 5-minute Workouts. Two courses are free; a subscription unlocks all courses. On November 1, 2026 it held a 4.7 rating from over 860,000 US App Store ratings.

Clef is a piano drill app for iPhone and iPad. It has 15 practice tracks (treble notes, bass notes, grand staff, ledger lines, intervals, key signatures, keyboard mapping, five-finger patterns, triads, seventh chords, triad inversions, major scales, minor scales, arpeggios and hand coordination). Every answer feeds an FSRS spaced-repetition model that rebuilds each day's session around what you miss. You answer on screen or with a connected MIDI keyboard; Clef does not listen through the microphone.

This page is written by the Clef team. Facts about Simply Piano come from its App Store listing and public site as of November 1, 2026 and can change; check the source before you buy.

Choose Simply Piano when

• You want to play recognisable songs from week one.
• You want a full guided course, from first notes to both hands.
• You play an acoustic piano and want the app to hear it through the microphone.
• You are on Android, or choosing for a child: Simply Piano is built for all ages.

Choose Clef when

• You can play a little but still count up lines to name a note.
• You want reading drills that adapt: the notes you miss come back sooner.
• You want to go past note names into intervals, key signatures, triads, scales and arpeggios.
• You only have three minutes, or you are away from the piano: Clef works anywhere your phone is.
• You want a real free tier: focused treble and bass drills never expire.

Feature comparison (2026)

Details as of November 1, 2026, from each app's App Store listing and public site. Ratings are US App Store figures on that date.

Where Simply Piano is stronger

Songs and scale. If the reason you sat down at the piano is to play music you love, Simply Piano's course and library get you playing faster than any drill can, and it hears your acoustic piano with no cable. Its course design and production are years ahead of a focused tool like Clef.

Where Clef is stronger

Reading fluency. Song courses teach notes in context, but they rarely drill the same note until you stop hesitating. Clef isolates that one skill, measures your answer speed and accuracy on every item, and schedules the weak ones back before you forget them. It then extends the same loop to intervals, key signatures and chords, which is what lets you read new music instead of memorising it.

Can you use both?

Yes, and it is a good combination. Use Simply Piano for repertoire and Clef for three minutes of reading before you play. Faster note reading makes every new song quicker to learn.

Clef vs Simply Piano FAQ

What is the main difference between Clef and Simply Piano?

Simply Piano is a guided course that teaches you to play songs, listening to your piano through the microphone or MIDI. Clef is a daily drill app for reading and keyboard fundamentals: note names on both staves, ledger lines, intervals, key signatures, chords, scales and arpeggios, scheduled by FSRS spaced repetition.

Does Simply Piano teach sight reading?

It teaches reading sheet music as part of its courses, and you read notation while playing songs. It is not built around repeated, scheduled note-reading drills. If reading is your bottleneck, a dedicated drill like Clef works alongside it.

Is Clef cheaper than Simply Piano?

Clef's treble and bass drills are free with no time limit. Full access is $59.99 a year after a 7-day free trial, $9.99 a month, or $99.99 once for Lifetime. Simply Piano offers two free courses and a subscription for the rest; check the App Store for your local price.

Do I need a piano for Clef?

No. Clef runs entirely on your iPhone or iPad with on-screen controls, so you can drill anywhere. If you have a digital piano or keyboard with MIDI, you can answer on real keys.