Best Online Piano Lessons – Paid & Free Reviewed 2024

You probably stumbled on this page with hopes of one mission: finding the best online piano lessons that will actually work. While there are many online lessons out there, not all of them are equal.

I was fortunate enough to have tried out all of these online lessons that I am going to be talking about below. In fact, I spent over 10 weeks analyzing and trying out all of the following picks.

One thing that took me by surprise is that I actually think some of the programs are great for beginners.

So, you’re probably wondering if you can actually learn to play the piano? My honest answer is yes. With this being said, there are a few downsides that go with online lessons.

Note: My recommendation is to start one of these online courses and supplement them with a music theory book and a scales book. Doing this will greatly enhance your experience of learning the piano. Learning online is easier for those who stay motivated easier than others.

This page is dedicated to lessons platforms that are website based, although some of them also have apps. Try this post for our piano app reviews.

Top Online Piano Lesson Platforms Compared

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of online lessons and then jump quickly into the list.

Pros

• Budget-Friendly
• Convenient
• Go At Your Own Pace
• Lessons Are Usually Fun & Engaging
• Ability To Slow Down Lessons
• Can Begin Learning Basics Even Without A Keyboard
• Ability To See Improvement With Every Lesson
• Can Supplement Online Courses With Other Methods
• Will See Improvements Pretty Quickly

Cons

• Can Develop Bad Technique & Habits
• No Teacher Present
• Can Be Harder To Stay Motivated

Now that we have a clear outline of the pros and cons of learning the keyboard online, let’s take a deep dive into what the majority of online lessons look like.

Structure

Most online courses are laid out for you in advanced. You will be able to instantly begin lessons and start from lesson 1 and work your way forward from there.

You can hop around from different lessons depending on if you’re looking to work on music theory or if you’re looking to work on learning actual songs.

The basic bones for most programs are that you slowly graduate to more difficult concepts and lessons, similar to having a real teacher. I want to be clear, I think it is possible to learn without an instructor, and here’s why.

For most courses, you will need either a digital piano or an acoustic piano and a computer or tablet of some sort.

Note: If you don’t own a digital piano, I would recommend reading this article in which I break down the best options for beginners.

You will then will log in to which lesson you are taking and begin anywhere you would like to. You are your own boss and that is what makes learning online unique.

Not only is learning the piano great for the development and health of your brain, but it is also fun. I would argue that, for beginners, learning online can be more fun depending on the type of person you are.

While Flowkey is listed as one of my favorites, we recently got to review Pianote and their lessons. I would highly recommend giving them a look.

Best Online Piano Lessons In 2024

Now that you have a basic understanding of how learning online is structured, let’s dive into the list below.

1) Pianote – Great Videos & Instructors

Pianote takes the top of our list for many reasons. First, Pianote is incredibly intuitive regarding lesson format, user-friendliness, and convenience. Having the ability to access lessons from your computer, laptop, or phone is always great. 

In my opinion, Pianote brings their videos and one-on-one lessons to the table better than other lesson formats.

You are able to practice lessons over and over with a teacher and then have the ability to have classmates/teachers grade your performance. This is huge and is what you get from having in-person lessons.

For this reason, Pianote has closed the gap between what you get from in-person and online lessons, also at a reasonable price and on your own time.

Pricing

Pianote offers a 30-day trial before charging your card.

• $197 yearly or $29 monthly

Skill Levels

Pianote is excellent for beginners, but it is also surprisingly solid for those who have played for years. I genuinely believe most pianists can benefit from this format.

Quick Summary

• Access To Teachers
• Feedback From Instructors
• Inexpensive
• Teaches Improvisation
• Personalized Content
• Great Community And YouTube

2) Simply Piano – Fun For Kids & Easy To Follow

Simply Piano is currently the #1 downloaded online piano app and they also offer online lessons. It’s been crazy watching Simply Piano grow over the years. The value that is packed in this lesson platform is incredible for the price. 

Currently, Simply Piano boasts over 180k users, offering many features for pianists of all skill levels. This is an excellent option for lessons for all ages, emphasizing taking your time to perfect each lesson.

What I enjoy about this online lessons platform is that the developers are highly active and are constantly growing their platform, which ultimately benefits students.

Pricing

The pricing is as follows:

• $12.49 per month or $149.99 yearly

Skill Levels

Simply Piano targets beginners but can be used by intermediate players as well. In terms of ages, Simply Piano does an excellent job at making content that’s easily digestible for all ages.

Quick Summary

• Available for iOS and Android
• Learn to play notes and sheet Music
• 5000 songs
• Instant feedback on performance
• Can have to up to 5 user profiles

3) Playground Sessions – Great Song Database

Playground Sessions provides the most informative lessons for beginners to advanced pianists. This software goes into great detail with each and every piano lessons & it also allows you to learn your favorite songs.

Where it excels over some of the other apps, is that it has video lessons that breakdown important dynamics and aspects to playing the piano.

If you’re someone who learns better with an instructor teaching you, Playground Sessions will be a very good experience for you.

Playground Sessions is boasts one of the most impressive song learning platforms currently on the web. You are able to pick your skill level, and then go section by section of each song, until you have learned it. Once you have learned it, they provide you with the option of brining in a full backing band to play with.

Pricing

For single membership, pricing for Playground Sessions is as follows:

• Monthly membership – at $24.99 a month
• Annual membership – at $12.49 a month, with the first year billed upfront
• Lifetime membership – at a one-off payment of $349.99

4) Flowkey – Beginners To Intermediate

Flowkey is an all in one course that takes a very fun approach to lessons. After all, besides convenience, online lessons also want to take a more fun approach typically than in-person.

Learn the basics of theory, learn your favorite pop songs, and have fun while doing so is how I would describe Flowkey.

When you sign-up for the free or paid version of Flowkey, you will be prompted with a question regarding your musical theory knowledge. If you have a little knowledge, but not a lot, I would say to answer no.

This will give you the opportunity to learn some of the basics of music theory before learning things like sight-reading and more difficult dynamics.

The overall setup with this app is extremely simple. Once you are connected, you can dive in immediately and start learning to play the piano. You can read my full review of this app here.

Pricing

Flowkey offers 3 plans that include the following:

• Monthly plan – $19.99
• 12 month plan – $9.99/month
• Lifetime- $329.99

Skill Levels

There are no requirements for this course regarding skill level. With this being said, Flowkey is definitely aimed towards teaching beginners to reach the intermediate skill level.

It provides you with an experience that teaches you the basics and tools to become an advanced pianist with additional teaching or self-learning.

Quick Summary

• Extremely easy to use
• Fun & engaging
• Free & paid version
• Teaches the basics of music theory
• Massive library of songs (over 1500)
• Slow down lessons to make them easier to follow
• No metronome

5) Skoove – Fantastic All-Around

Created in 2014, Skoove quickly became one of the largest sites for piano lessons. Similar to Flowkey, Skoove provides you with a learning experience that is fun, unique, and easy to follow.

Convenience is key with this method. You can quickly begin learning and you just need a PC/tablet, and a keyboard of some sort. For the best experience, I recommend having a digital piano with USB, so you can connect to your device.

Skoove is available in 6 different languages and it offers a viable solution to learning the piano for beginners.

So what does this course offer?

Skoove offers 441 lessons that range from reading music to playing some of your favorite songs.

It aims at making each lessons enjoyable and exciting while still being informative.

Skoove recommends that the pianists start around age 12, but it is totally up to the person who is wanting to learn. With this being said, it is a debate as far as what age is best to start learning to play the piano.

While Skoove has a lot of great things it provides, it has a couple of things to note. The main thing is that there is no built-in metronome. This means that timing can get a little tricky with certain lessons.

Skill Levels

I would recommend this course for beginners. I don’t believe intermediate players would get too much from the course. With this being said, beginners will find this fun and exciting while still being able to learn.

Quick Summary

• Offers free lessons to test the waters
• Easy to use
• Budget-friendly pricing
• 441 different lessons
• No built-in metronome
• Can use with acoustic piano or digital piano
• 6 different languages
• Most songs are arrangements of popular songs
• Can’t slow down the speed when playing along

Here is a full review of this app.

6) Rocket Piano

Although Rocket Piano was created many years ago, it still is a viable option.

This course differs from most of the other piano courses in the sense that it offers your learning material that you don’t follow along with on a tablet or PC.

Once you purchase this, you are sent online files of the lessons. These are typically books, but you can also opt for the program in which they send the books as F files.

The course outline 5 different books that include sight-reading, jazz, pop & gospel. This course is totally at a :god at your own speed until mater,

With this being said, you don’t play along with the courses on your keyboard and get graded. Because of this, it may seem a little dated, but I assure you, it’s still solid today.

View full review on Rocket Piano here.

Quick Summary

• Offers free trial
• Follow along with audio files & book lessons
• Affordable
• Limited song library
• Not always as in-depth as it could be
• Can decide between hardcover books & electronic downloads
• Go at your own pace

7) Piano Marvel

Piano Marvel is one of the most renowned online lesson programs when it comes to classical music.

In fact, you will find that a lot of universities use Piano Marvel as their preferred choice for online piano lessons.

It is similar to the plugin and play style as some of the other formats. There are many perks to go with this program and I believe that one of the strongest aspects is the push for better sight-reading.

Sight-reading is good for those who are looking to learn a lot of songs quickly. An example of this would be a pianist playing at a piano bar, a cruise ship, a pianist who often plays recitals or accompanies vocalists, and even a pianist who plays in cover bands/church groups.

Quick Summary

• Very similar to taking lessons from an instructor
• Encourages good technique early on
• Teaches musical terminology
• Great theory
• Contains original & advanced sheet music
• All sheet music can be printed
• Assumes that you have an instructor to help guide you through

8) Hoffman Academy

Hoffman Academy offers various pricing options, including free lessons and premium memberships with additional features. Whether you’re a beginner or an intermediate player, Hoffman Academy caters to all skill levels and provides comprehensive instruction in a kid-friendly format. 

Pricing

Hoffman Academy offers free membership and a premium membership. Here’s a quick breakdown of pricing:

• Monthly: $18
• Yearly: $179
• Lifetime: $595

Skills Levels

Hoffman Academy primarily focuses on video lessons for beginners to intermediate. They do a great job at connecting with their audience of all ages, even adults.

Quick Summary

Hoffman Academy is an inexpensive monthly option far cheaper than traditional lessons and provides great value overall.

9) Tonebase

When considering online lessons, one option to explore is Tonebase. This platform offers a variety of pricing options, allowing you to choose the plan that best fits your budget and learning needs. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced player, Tonebase caters to all skill levels with its extensive library of video lessons taught by renowned pianists. 

Pricing

Tonebase pricing is more than other options on this list. With this being said, there is a 14 day trial so that you can compare with others prior to buying.

• Monthly: $49.95
• Yearly: $24.95
• Lifetime: $695 paid once

Skills Levels

Tonebase is fantastic for those looking for intermediate to advanced lessons. In fact, it surprised me when taking the course how in-depth it goes into classical lessons.

Quick Summary

If you’re looking for a platform that teaches you theory and leads you all the way into the advanced level, Tonebase is a fantastic choice.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, a lot goes into making great piano courses. I believe these lessons that I have listed are some of the best online piano lessons you can find today.