Clef vs Tenuto: Honest Comparison

What each app is

Tenuto (musictheory.net, LLC) is an iPhone and iPad app with 24 customizable exercises: identification and construction of notes, key signatures, intervals, scales and chords, keyboard exercises, and ear training, plus six musical calculators. It costs $4.99 once. On November 1, 2026 it held a 4.7 rating from about 670 US App Store ratings.

Clef is a piano drill app for iPhone and iPad with 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). An FSRS spaced-repetition model schedules each daily session. You answer on screen or with a connected MIDI keyboard.

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

Choose Tenuto when

• You want to pay once, $4.99, and be done.
• You want ear training: Tenuto has interval, scale and chord ear exercises.
• You like configuring ranges, clefs and question types yourself.
• You study theory for an exam and want construction exercises and calculators.

Choose Clef when

• You want the app to choose what to practise, based on what you missed.
• You want a short daily habit with streaks, not a settings screen.
• You play a digital piano and want to answer on real keys over MIDI.
• You want piano technique drills: five-finger patterns, scales, arpeggios and hand coordination.
• You want a free tier: focused treble and bass drills cost nothing.

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 Tenuto is stronger

Breadth for the price. For $4.99 once, Tenuto gives you ear training, construction exercises and calculators that Clef does not have, with fine control over every exercise. For a theory student who knows what to practise, that is excellent value.

Where Clef is stronger

Deciding what to practise. Tenuto asks you to pick and configure each exercise; Clef tracks every answer and schedules the weak items back automatically, so three minutes a day goes where it matters. Clef is also built for the piano itself, with MIDI input and technique drills for scales, arpeggios and hand coordination.

Can you use both?

Yes. Tenuto is a good companion for ear training, which Clef does not cover. Clef handles the daily, scheduled reading and keyboard work.

Clef vs Tenuto FAQ

What is the main difference between Clef and Tenuto?

Tenuto is a one-time $4.99 collection of 24 customizable theory and ear-training exercises. Clef is a piano drill app that schedules each daily session with FSRS spaced repetition, accepts MIDI keyboard input, and adds piano technique drills.

Does Tenuto use spaced repetition?

Its App Store listing describes customizable exercises, not an adaptive scheduler. Clef schedules every item with FSRS spaced repetition, so the notes you miss come back sooner.

Is Clef worth paying for if Tenuto is $4.99?

Clef's treble and bass drills are free, so you can judge it without paying. Full access, with all 15 tracks and more daily sessions, is $59.99 a year after a 7-day free trial, $9.99 a month, or $99.99 once.

Does Clef have ear training?

No. Clef trains reading and keyboard skills. For ear training, Tenuto is a good companion.