Is Music Practice really free?

Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT licence, with no subscription, no ads, and no lesson held behind a paywall. The full source is public on GitHub.

Is Music Practice as good as Simply Piano?

In some ways no, and it is honest about that. Simply Piano has a large licensed song catalogue, note-detection scoring, and a polished native app that Music Practice does not. What Music Practice does that Simply Piano does not is tell you the one skill to learn next and why, then bring it back on a spaced review schedule so you do not forget it. It is newer and smaller.

Does Music Practice need an account?

No. It runs in your browser and stores progress locally, so you can start straight away. An optional sign-in adds cloud sync across devices, and the app works completely without it.

Does it only teach piano?

No. Music Practice covers piano, electric guitar, and drums, each with its own prerequisite skill tree (32 piano skills, 36 guitar, and 20 drums). Simply Piano is piano only.

Alternative to Simply Piano

A free Simply Piano alternative

Music Practice is a free, open source piano app. If you have tried Simply Piano, the difference is simple: Simply Piano scores how closely you played a song, and Music Practice teaches the skill that lets you play it in the first place. Here is where each one is stronger, stated plainly.

Start practisingNo account, no install, no paywall.

What Music Practice is

Music Practice runs in your browser with no account and no paywall. It is built around a real prerequisite curriculum, a skill tree that picks the one thing you are ready to learn next and explains why it matters, rather than a catalogue of songs to grade you against. It also covers electric guitar and drums, where Simply Piano is piano only.

Music Practice vs Simply Piano

Feature comparison of Music Practice and Simply Piano.
Feature	Music Practice	Simply Piano
Price	Free. Open source under the MIT licence, with no subscription.	Paid subscription. As of 2026, about US$17.90 a month or US$169.90 a year for an individual, and about US$209.90 a year for a family plan. A 14-day trial is offered.
Instruments	Piano (32 skills), electric guitar (36), and drums (20).	Piano only.
Tells you what to learn next	Yes. A prerequisite skill tree picks the one skill you are ready for and explains why it matters before you drill it.	It scores how closely you play a song against a reference recording, grading a performance rather than sequencing the skills that lead up to it.
Open source	Yes, MIT licensed, with the full source on GitHub.	No.
Account required	No. It runs in your browser; an optional sign-in only adds cloud sync.	Yes.
Ads or time limits	None. No ads, no daily limit, and no lesson locked away.	The free tier stops after the third song, with a prompt to unlock the full course to continue.
Song library	No licensed song catalogue. It teaches the skills to play songs rather than giving you a library to play along to.	A large catalogue of licensed songs to play along to.

Simply Piano pricing and features are as of 2026 and set by Simply Piano. Prices are quoted in the currency shown and vary by region, by device store, and with whatever offer is running, so treat them as the shape of the cost rather than a quote. Check their site for current details.

Where Simply Piano is stronger

A comparison is only useful if it is honest, so here is where Simply Piano does things Music Practice does not. It is newer, smaller, and built by one developer.

A large catalogue of licensed songs, so you always have real music to play along to. Music Practice has no song library.
Note-detection scoring that listens to your playing and tells you which notes you missed. Music Practice does not grade a performance against a reference.
A polished native app for iPhone and Android. Music Practice runs in the browser and has no app-store build.
Years of refinement, a full content team, and production values that a single developer cannot match.

Why you might prefer Music Practice

Music Practice answers the question Simply Piano leaves open: what should I actually work on tonight. A prerequisite skill tree of 32 piano skills picks the next one you are ready for, explains why it matters, and gates it behind the skills it genuinely depends on, so you are never scored on something you were never taught.

Anything you learn comes back on a spaced review schedule at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days, so a scale or a chord change does not quietly fade the moment you move on. There is no streak to protect and nothing resets if you miss a night.

It is free and open source, with no account and no paywall, and it covers electric guitar and drums as well as piano. You can read exactly how the skill tree and the review scheduler work instead of taking any of it on faith.

Try it free tonightNo account, no install, no paywall.

Frequently asked questions

Is Music Practice really free?: Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT licence, with no subscription, no ads, and no lesson held behind a paywall. The full source is public on GitHub.
Is Music Practice as good as Simply Piano?: In some ways no, and it is honest about that. Simply Piano has a large licensed song catalogue, note-detection scoring, and a polished native app that Music Practice does not. What Music Practice does that Simply Piano does not is tell you the one skill to learn next and why, then bring it back on a spaced review schedule so you do not forget it. It is newer and smaller.
Does Music Practice need an account?: No. It runs in your browser and stores progress locally, so you can start straight away. An optional sign-in adds cloud sync across devices, and the app works completely without it.
Does it only teach piano?: No. Music Practice covers piano, electric guitar, and drums, each with its own prerequisite skill tree (32 piano skills, 36 guitar, and 20 drums). Simply Piano is piano only.