SightReader and MasterPiano used to be the rare like-for-like pair in this category: both listen to your MIDI keyboard, follow real published pieces, mark your notes in real time, and grade the library by ABRSM level. As of 31 July 2026 there is a difference in the core job itself. SightReader now scores your timing against the beat, independently of pitch — turn on the metronome and every note is judged on when it lands as well as whether it’s right. We can find no rhythm scoring documented for MasterPiano. The other big difference is what you pay.
Full disclosure: we make SightReader. MasterPiano is stronger on a couple of counts, covered below.
If timing is the reason you’re comparing, the placement check puts you on a real piece in about three minutes, with no account.
The rhythm difference
Sight reading has two halves: the right notes, and the right time. Until recently, both of these apps marked only the first. SightReader’s Pitch & Rhythm mode now scores the second as its own dimension. With the metronome on, the music moves at the beat; early notes shade blue, late notes shade yellow, and the results card reports how much of the piece you played on time plus your average tendency in milliseconds — “94ms early on average”, say. It’s new, and we’re still tuning how strict or forgiving it feels, so tell us if it treats you unfairly.
MasterPiano describes its feedback in terms of which notes you play. Its pages document nothing about timing or rhythm scoring, so if that’s what you’re after, this is the deciding row in the table below.
What MasterPiano does well
MasterPiano is a modern, capable tool with a large catalogue and a structured curriculum that goes beyond reading into scales, arpeggios and chords organised by ABRSM grade. On size, its own pages advertise 8,000+ pieces against SightReader’s 4,000+. That figure is self-reported and we haven’t counted it independently, so treat it as their claim rather than a measured number — and note that raw catalogue size and useful-at-your-grade size are different things on any of these apps. It tracks scores and streaks, and Premium adds PDF export of the music. If your priority is the widest possible library and a single app that covers technical work alongside sight reading, that breadth is a real strength and worth the look.
Where SightReader differs
- Rhythm scoring. Covered above; the one core-loop feature the two don’t share.
- Price. SightReader is £5 a month (or £48 a year). MasterPiano Premium is $19.99 a month (or $149.99 a year) — several times the price. If you’re practising real pieces with live feedback and paying monthly, that gap adds up quickly.
- The free tier. SightReader’s core practice loop is free with no daily time limit, and that includes Pitch & Rhythm mode. MasterPiano is free to start but caps MIDI practice at around 10 minutes a day, so serious daily practice effectively needs Premium.
- Free extras. SightReader’s note-recognition trainer and scales mode are on the free tier too, so a beginner isn’t paying to learn the notes.
Where MasterPiano wins: the bigger advertised library, and the fuller scales/arpeggios/chords curriculum with PDF export.
Side by side
| App | Listens as you play (MIDI) | Independent rhythm scoring | Reads real pieces | ABRSM 1–8 graded | Library | Free tier | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MasterPiano | ✓ | Not documented | ✓ | ✓ | 8,000+ (advertised) | 10 min/day | $19.99/mo |
| SightReader | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 4,000+ | Uncapped | £5/mo |
Two of those rows are free to check on your own keyboard: the free tier is 54 pieces with the full scoring, rhythm included, and no daily clock running down.
So which should you choose?
If you want your timing scored, not just your notes, SightReader is the one that does it. If value matters most (and for most individual learners it does), SightReader is also the cheaper option, and its free tier lets you practise properly without a daily clock running down. If you specifically want the largest advertised library, or a single app that folds a full scales-and-technique curriculum in with your reading, MasterPiano earns its higher price for that breadth.
Either way, you’re getting the feature that matters most for practising alone: software that hears what you play and marks it, note by note. That puts both of these ahead of the generators and note-naming games. The wider field is covered in the best piano sight-reading apps, and if free is your deciding factor, is there a free sight-reading app? goes through exactly where each tool draws the line. For exam-specific practice, the Grades pages show what each ABRSM level asks of you.
And if the row you care about is the timing one, that’s the one you can settle quickest — put the metronome on and play something at your grade.
FAQs
What is the difference between SightReader and MasterPiano?
The core loop is similar — both listen to your MIDI keyboard, follow real published pieces and grade the library by ABRSM level — but they no longer mark the same things. SightReader scores rhythm as well as pitch: with the metronome on, every note is judged against the beat, and your results show how much of the piece you played on time. No rhythm scoring is documented for MasterPiano. Beyond that, MasterPiano advertises a larger library (8,000+ pieces) and a scales, arpeggios and chords curriculum with PDF export; SightReader is cheaper (£5 a month against $19.99) and its free tier has no daily time limit.
Does MasterPiano score your rhythm or timing?
Not that its own pages document — MasterPiano’s feedback is about which notes you play. SightReader added independent rhythm scoring in July 2026: turn on the metronome and every note is scored against the beat, with early and late notes coloured differently and a timing breakdown on the results card. It works on every piece, free tier included.
Is MasterPiano free?
It is free to start, but the free tier caps MIDI practice at about 10 minutes a day; unlimited practice, the full curriculum and PDF export need MasterPiano Premium ($19.99 a month or $149.99 a year). SightReader’s free tier has no daily time limit on the core practice loop, with a paid plan (£5 a month or £48 a year) for the full library and extras. So both are free to try; they draw the free line in different places.
Which is cheaper, SightReader or MasterPiano?
SightReader, by a clear margin: £5 a month or £48 a year, against MasterPiano’s $19.99 a month or $149.99 a year. On the free side, SightReader’s core practice loop is uncapped, where MasterPiano’s free tier limits MIDI practice to around 10 minutes a day. If value is the deciding factor, SightReader is the cheaper way to read real pieces with live feedback.
Does MasterPiano give real-time feedback like SightReader?
For pitch, yes: both use a MIDI keyboard to hear what you play and mark your reading note by note as you go, against real pieces graded ABRSM 1–8. Timing is where they part ways. SightReader also scores each note against the beat and reports how much of your attempt was early, late or on time; no equivalent is documented for MasterPiano.
