Simply Piano by JoyTunes is one of the most downloaded piano apps in the world. Pianoforall has been teaching people piano since 2006. Both are legitimate paths for a beginner — but they are built around completely different assumptions about how people learn, and picking the wrong one wastes months of practice time.
The Core Difference in One Sentence
Simply Piano is a gamified app that teaches you to follow instructions accurately. Pianoforall is a curriculum that teaches you to understand music independently. Neither is universally better — the right choice depends on who you are and what you want from the piano.
Who Built These Courses?
Pianoforall was created by Robin Hall, a professional UK pianist and teacher with over 20 years of experience. His chord-first teaching philosophy was developed through years of real-world instruction with adult beginners. The course is a direct translation of how he teaches in person.
Simply Piano is a product of JoyTunes, an Israeli EdTech company founded in 2011. JoyTunes has a team of music educators and game designers, and their approach borrows heavily from the engagement mechanics of mobile games — progress bars, streaks, rewards, and structured daily lessons. It is a professionally developed educational product, but its design priorities are engagement and retention, not pure musicianship.
How They Teach
Simply Piano listens to your keyboard through your phone’s microphone. When you play, it detects whether your notes are correct and waits if you make a mistake. Lessons are structured as short, daily sessions with a clear progression. Songs are popular pieces simplified to your current level. The experience is polished, encouraging, and designed to keep you coming back every day.
Pianoforall teaches through rhythm patterns and chord shapes, building musical intuition before introducing notation. You read PDF ebooks with embedded audio and video. There’s no real-time feedback, no streak system, no daily notifications. You progress at your own pace through 10 books covering rhythm, blues, jazz, classical, and improvisation.
The Simply Piano experience feels like a well-designed class. The Pianoforall experience feels like a serious self-study program. Adults who are genuinely self-motivated usually prefer Pianoforall. Adults who need external structure and motivation often do better with Simply Piano — at least initially.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Pianoforall | Simply Piano |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49 one-time | $16/mo or ~$100/yr |
| Format | PDF ebooks + video | Mobile app (iOS/Android) |
| Real-time feedback | ❌ None | ✅ Microphone detection |
| Gamification | ❌ None | ✅ Streaks, levels, rewards |
| Music theory | ✅ Comprehensive | ⚠️ Basic |
| Jazz & blues | ✅ Dedicated books | ❌ Minimal |
| Best age group | Adults (teens+) | Kids and teens |
| Offline access | ✅ Full | ⚠️ Limited |
| Refund | 60-day money-back | Cancel anytime (no refunds) |
| Long-term cost (2 yrs) | $49 total | ~$200–$384 |
Pricing Over Time
Over two years, Simply Piano costs between $200 and $384 depending on whether you pay monthly or annually. Pianoforall is $49 for life. The math is not subtle. Unless the gamification and real-time feedback are genuinely essential to your learning, the subscription cost is very hard to justify compared to Pianoforall’s one-time fee.
Refund Policies Compared
Pianoforall offers a 60-day money-back guarantee via ClickBank — no questions, no returns required. Simply Piano offers a 7-day free trial, after which charges begin. You can cancel a subscription at any time but won’t receive a refund for periods already paid. For a cautious buyer, Pianoforall’s 60-day protection window is significantly safer.
Who Is Each Course Actually For?
Simply Piano works best for younger learners (roughly ages 8–16) and adults who genuinely need the accountability structure of a gamified app. The streaks, visual progress indicators, and daily lesson nudges keep a certain type of learner engaged who would otherwise stop practicing. If you know yourself to be someone who needs external structure to stay consistent, Simply Piano’s design is specifically built for you.
Pianoforall works best for self-directed adults who can set their own practice schedule and follow it. The absence of gamification is a feature, not a bug, for this type of learner — there’s no streak anxiety, no artificial daily pressure, just a clear curriculum to work through at whatever pace your life allows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Simply Piano work without a MIDI keyboard?
Yes. Simply Piano uses your phone’s microphone to detect notes, so any acoustic or digital piano will work. A MIDI keyboard is not required, though it improves detection accuracy.
Is Simply Piano good for adults?
It works for adults, but the gamified interface and song selection skew younger. Adults who find the gamification motivating will enjoy it; adults who find it patronizing generally prefer Pianoforall’s more straightforward curriculum format.
Which teaches music theory better?
Pianoforall, significantly. It has a dedicated book on chord theory (Book 3) and covers jazz harmony, the Nashville number system, and improvisation. Simply Piano’s theory content is basic and primarily serves the song-learning workflow rather than building independent musical understanding.
Final Verdict
For most adult beginners, Pianoforall is the better investment — better curriculum depth, better value, stronger refund protection. If you’re buying for a child or a teenager who needs the motivation boost that gamification provides, Simply Piano is a solid choice. But at $49 vs $16–$20 per month indefinitely, Pianoforall is hard to argue against for serious adult learners.