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Education · head to head

Flowkey vs Lightspeed Systems

Flowkey logo

Flowkey

Education

Piano learning app with microphone or MIDI listening and a large licensed song catalogue

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lightspeed Systems logo

Lightspeed Systems

Education

Filtering, classroom management and student safety monitoring for K-12 device fleets

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Flowkey has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Flowkey microphone-only users, without a MIDI keyboard, still hit the same accuracy limits as Simply Piano on fast or dense passages.; Lightspeed Systems no module has published pricing, so districts cannot benchmark a quote without running a formal procurement, and the eventual figure depends heavily on which co-operative contract they buy through.
  • They diverge on capability: Flowkey covers Large licensed song library, Lightspeed Systems covers Filter.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flowkey and Lightspeed Systems actually diverge.

Attributes where Flowkey and Lightspeed Systems differ
AttributeFlowkeyLightspeed Systems
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer user per year or monthquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Flowkey

  • Large licensed song library
  • MIDI keyboard support
  • Microphone listening
  • Slow-down and loop tools
  • Video lessons
  • Progress tracking

Only in Lightspeed Systems

  • Filter
  • Alert
  • Classroom
  • Insight
  • Signal
  • MDM
  • StopIt
  • Hall Monitor

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Flowkey

  • An adult returning to piano who wants to work toward specific known songs at a graduated difficultynot Lightspeed Systems
  • Someone with a MIDI-capable digital keyboard wanting more accurate feedback than microphone listening alonenot Lightspeed Systems
  • A learner motivated by a large, varied song catalogue rather than a strict beginner curriculumnot Lightspeed Systems
  • A pianist wanting slow-down and loop tools to work through a specific difficult passage in a real piecenot Lightspeed Systems

Lightspeed Systems

  • A district with 15,000 take-home Chromebooks that needs filtering to follow the device onto home and public networksnot Flowkey
  • A technology director being asked to justify the edtech budget, who can use app usage data to cancel licences nobody opensnot Flowkey
  • A school board that has agreed to safety monitoring but has no staff able to respond to alerts at night, and so buys the human review servicenot Flowkey
  • A one-to-one iPad rollout wanting device enrolment, filtering and teacher screen control from one vendornot Flowkey

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Flowkey

  • Microphone-only users, without a MIDI keyboard, still hit the same accuracy limits as Simply Piano on fast or dense passages.
  • Its curriculum is less structured around fundamentals than Simply Piano for a complete beginner with no prior reading ability.
  • It is piano only, so a household wanting to cover guitar or other instruments needs a separate subscription elsewhere.
  • The song licensing model means catalogue availability can shift over time as licences change, occasionally removing a previously available arrangement.
  • Full benefit of its more precise feedback mode requires owning a MIDI-capable keyboard, which is an additional cost beyond the subscription for anyone with only an acoustic piano.

Lightspeed Systems

  • No module has published pricing, so districts cannot benchmark a quote without running a formal procurement, and the eventual figure depends heavily on which co-operative contract they buy through.
  • Alert detection and the 24/7 human review that makes it actionable are priced separately, so a district that budgets for Alert alone ends up owning the overnight triage burden itself.
  • The agent model means coverage stops at the managed device, and students moving to a personal phone on mobile data are outside filtering and monitoring entirely, which undercuts the compliance claim in the exact scenario administrators worry about.
  • Teacher screen monitoring is frequently deployed without training, and lessons stall while staff learn the interface, so the first term of a Classroom rollout often produces complaints rather than the intended benefit.
  • Buying eight modules from one vendor makes renewal a single high-value negotiation with no partial leverage, and districts locked into a multi-year co-operative contract cannot easily drop a module that underperforms.

Pricing, plan by plan

Flowkey

Free
  • FlowkeyFree
    • Limited free songs and lessons
  • Premium$119.99/year
    • Full song library and difficulty arrangements
    • MIDI keyboard support
    • Progress tracking

Lightspeed Systems

On request
  • Lightspeed Filter$undefined/year
    • Device-level content filtering on and off network
    • YouTube and social media policy controls
    • Quoted per student device per year
  • Lightspeed Alert$undefined/year
    • Safety signal detection
    • 24/7 human review sold as an additional service
    • Quoted
  • Lightspeed Classroom, Insight, Signal, MDM, StopIt and Hall Monitor$undefined/year
    • Each sold as a separate per-student module
    • Quoted, commonly bundled

Which should you pick?

Choose Flowkey if

  • You need large licensed song library.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want midi keyboard support.
Flowkey review

Choose Lightspeed Systems if

  • You need filter.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want alert.
Lightspeed Systems review

Questions people ask

Is Flowkey or Lightspeed Systems better?
Neither clearly leads. Flowkey starts at Free and Lightspeed Systems at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flowkey or Lightspeed Systems?
Flowkey has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Flowkey and On request for Lightspeed Systems.
Does Flowkey or Lightspeed Systems run on more platforms?
Flowkey runs on iOS, Android, Web. Lightspeed Systems runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS.
Can I use Flowkey for free?
Yes. Flowkey has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Lightspeed Systems starts at On request.
What is Flowkey best used for?
Flowkey is most often used for an adult returning to piano who wants to work toward specific known songs at a graduated difficulty, someone with a midi-capable digital keyboard wanting more accurate feedback than microphone listening alone, a learner motivated by a large, varied song catalogue rather than a strict beginner curriculum, a pianist wanting slow-down and loop tools to work through a specific difficult passage in a real piece. Of those, an adult returning to piano who wants to work toward specific known songs at a graduated difficulty and someone with a midi-capable digital keyboard wanting more accurate feedback than microphone listening alone are not what Lightspeed Systems is typically brought in for.
What can Flowkey do that Lightspeed Systems cannot?
Flowkey covers Large licensed song library, MIDI keyboard support, Microphone listening, Slow-down and loop tools. Lightspeed Systems covers Filter, Alert, Classroom, Insight.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Flowkey: Does Flowkey support MIDI keyboards?

Yes, connecting a MIDI keyboard gives more precise note detection than microphone listening alone.

Lightspeed Systems: How much does Lightspeed Filter cost per student?

Lightspeed does not publish rates. Pricing is quoted per student device per year and varies with district size, module mix and which purchasing co-operative contract you buy through.

Flowkey: How is it different from Simply Piano?

Flowkey emphasises a large licensed song catalogue with graduated arrangements, while Simply Piano leans more into a structured beginner curriculum.

Lightspeed Systems: Is 24/7 human alert review included with Alert?

No. Alert provides the detection; the staffed round-the-clock review service is an additional purchase, and it is usually what districts actually need.

Flowkey: Do I need a MIDI keyboard to use it?

No, microphone listening works with any piano, but MIDI support improves accuracy if you have compatible hardware.

Lightspeed Systems: Does filtering work when students are at home?

Yes, the agent runs on the device rather than the network, so policy follows the Chromebook or laptop off site.

Lightspeed Systems: What does Insight actually do for the budget?

It reports which licensed apps are opened and by whom, which districts use to cancel subscriptions with low usage. It also flags whether an app meets named privacy and accessibility standards.

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