The future of music

Flowkey Vs Yousician: Which Piano App Is Better?

January 19, 2023
flowkey vs yousician

Disclosure: We are a professional review website that may receive compensation for the products we reviewAll recommendations are genuine and/or verified by myself!

If you are looking to learn piano at a relaxed pace that suits your lifestyle, online piano lessons may be the way to go.

With such a huge variety of options, we have been putting some of the top dogs against one another for a closer look at their advantages and disadvantages. To help you pick which suits you best!

We have looked at Flowkey comparatively with Simply Piano before, but how does it measure up to Yousician?

Each has been developed to teach users with zero prior experience. They are both reasonably priced and competitive so let’s take a closer look at their differences to help spell things out, in a Flowkey vs Yousician comparison article…

If you’re strapped for time, here’s a brief conclusion on the Flowkey vs Yousician debate…

Flowkey is the overall better option if you are looking to learn how to play the piano in a fun and simplistic way while learning new songs. Yousician closely resembles a video game, but it generally requires the user to figure more things out on their own.

Flowkey Overview

Flowkey is available for PC, MAC, iOS, and Android devices. It is non-linear, you don’t have to complete any of the lessons to unlock the next and you are free to navigate all content any way you like.

Some argue that makes it overwhelming for beginners, but we think the questions posed upon sign-up make it a great tool for starting, as long as you don’t try to get ahead of yourself and pay attention to the levels labeled.

The beginner lessons are full of information and cover all the fundamentals you need to begin playing the piano. It offers some basic music theory, to help you understand sheet music notes and rhythms.

It has one of the largest song libraries on offer with over 1500 to choose from. They are sorted by genre as well as mood-based categories and labeled with the level of playing skill required

There are arrangements of modern chart releases, classic rock songs, and even TV themes and Christmas songs available.

It teaches with different speeds to help break it down and you can even loop sections to practice over and over. You can choose to learn each hand independently or together and it features a close-up video of someone playing.

Flowkey Learning Interface.
Flowkey Learning Interface.

This helps you see the notes and fingering visually as well as the sheet music. It has a good pace and there is plenty to offer an intermediate user as well.

A Flowkey subscription is $19.99 per month or you can pay upfront for 3 months at $38.97 which saves you $7 per month. They also have an annual price of $119.99  to save a little more in the long run.

Ready my full Flowkey review here!

Flowkey Pros

  • Flowkey teaches you how to teach yourself
  • Flowkey’s library includes arrangements of songs from over 20 categories

Flowkey Cons

  • Not as many extra features

Yousician Overview

Yousician is also available across all operating systems. It is a little more structured than Flowkey. You are meant to work through each lesson to unlock the next part of the course. You can, however, skip ahead by way of answering a short quiz to make sure you already know what you need to know before you progress.

Like Flowkey, you can slow down the music to practice at a reduced speed. It has a built-in metronome, something important that Flowkey strangely lacks. You can also divide the hands to learn the parts individually before playing them together.

One place they really differ is that Yousician asks the user if they would like to learn standard notation or simplified bars, a sort of ‘Yousicians own’ notation. The latter of which makes things easier but could end up hindering your overall progress in learning the piano.

Yousician Piano Learning Interface.
Yousician Piano Learning Interface.

I suppose this is goal-dependent though, if you are just having fun then it doesn’t matter but if you are serious, you won’t fare very well outside of the app when it comes to reading or playing sheet music. Flowkey teaches sheet music much better.

Under the “Workouts” tab you will find exercises that have been tailored towards the level you are at. They will help you go over and recap new skills and practice problem areas.

It has a big community. You can swap tips and learn alongside others in the forums. A monthly subscription for learning one instrument costs just $9.99 or $119.99 per year but you can get an all-access pass and learn all instruments for $179.99.

Yousician Pros

  • You can learn other instruments if that appeals to you
  • The workouts tab is a cool feature that lets you practice areas you are struggling with
  • Huge community support and active forum
  • Fun seasonal contests

Yousician Cons

  • Very linear and rigid in places
  • Some essential knowledge is not taught

Flowkey Vs Yousician – Final Thoughts

It’s very close! The biggest difference is one has more of a game-like vibe, Yousician uses the app design to engage the user in different ways, it also has some nice touches such as its workouts tab, and is probably a little more youthful.

Both platforms have merit, Yousician has the edge if you are looking to learn other instruments but if we focus solely on piano, Flowkey is overall the better option.

The song library is arguably one of its biggest selling points and although we support the ‘quality over quantity’ argument most days, eventually, once you have a few piano playing skills up your sleeve you are going to want plenty of songs to play.

So maybe this is one case where less is possibly not more. Flowkey is also a little more challenging overall.

Younger players might be better off with Yousician, it is the slower to progress option and you must unlock things consecutively which is better for the less disciplined player.

Neither Flowkey nor Yousician teaches anything too useful for advanced piano players. They also aren’t a substitute for a genuine piano tutor, sooner or later you will find you need more than a digital scrolling dashboard can give you.

But both have a substantial amount of music theory to lay the building blocks to a solid piano foundation. If you are still stuck as to which to go for, give the free trials a whirl for yourself. Yousician’s covers a 30-day period which is more than most of the other online piano lesson providers offer.

Start your free trial of Flowkey here!

Will Fenton

Will, the founder of MIDDER, is a multifaceted individual with a deep passion for music and personal finance. As a self-proclaimed music and personal finance geek, he has a keen eye for futuristic technologies, especially those that empower creators and the public.

view profile

playground sessions vs piano marvel
Previous Story

Playground Sessions Vs Piano Marvel – Which Is Better?

truefire review
Next Story

TrueFire Review – Best Way to Learn Guitar?

Latest from Piano

Can Piano Be Self-Taught?

Can Piano Be Self-Taught?

The journey of learning the piano has traditionally been associated with in-person lessons, music schools, and structured curriculums. But in today’s digital
best keyboards for beginners

10 Best Keyboards for Beginners

If you’re looking for the best keyboards for beginners in 2023, you’re in luck. Keyboards have become the go-to instrument for those