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Education · head to head

Flowkey vs Seek by iNaturalist

Flowkey logo

Flowkey

Education

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Seek by iNaturalist logo

Seek by iNaturalist

Education

Free nonprofit wildlife and plant identification app built to be safe for children

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Seek by iNaturalist identification quality depends on how well iNaturalist community data covers a given region, so obscure or under-photographed species can be misidentified.
  • They diverge on capability: Flowkey covers Large licensed song library, Seek by iNaturalist covers Offline identification.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flowkey and Seek by iNaturalist actually diverge.

Attributes where Flowkey and Seek by iNaturalist differ
AttributeFlowkeySeek by iNaturalist
Pricing modelPer user per year or monthFree, no ads and no in-app purchases
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebiOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Seek by iNaturalist

  • Offline identification
  • No account required
  • Child-safe design
  • Species badges
  • Broad coverage
  • Community-trained model

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 Seek by iNaturalist
  • Someone with a MIDI-capable digital keyboard wanting more accurate feedback than microphone listening alonenot Seek by iNaturalist
  • A learner motivated by a large, varied song catalogue rather than a strict beginner curriculumnot Seek by iNaturalist
  • A pianist wanting slow-down and loop tools to work through a specific difficult passage in a real piecenot Seek by iNaturalist

Seek by iNaturalist

  • A parent wanting a nature app for a child without accounts, chat or data collection concernsnot Flowkey
  • A hiker in an area with no signal who needs offline plant or insect identificationnot Flowkey
  • A teacher running an outdoor nature scavenger hunt with a classnot Flowkey
  • Anyone who wants broad wildlife identification without paying a subscriptionnot 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.

Seek by iNaturalist

  • Identification quality depends on how well iNaturalist community data covers a given region, so obscure or under-photographed species can be misidentified.
  • It lacks the deep plant care guidance that commercial apps like PictureThis provide, since it is an identification tool, not a gardening assistant.
  • Observations made in Seek are not automatically added to the iNaturalist research database unless separately uploaded, which surprises some users expecting automatic contribution.
  • The offline model download is a meaningful app size, which matters on devices with limited storage.
  • Because there are no accounts, there is no cross-device sync of identification history.

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

Seek by iNaturalist

Free
  • SeekFree
    • Full identification for plants, insects and animals
    • Offline identification once models are downloaded
    • No account required

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 Seek by iNaturalist if

  • You need offline identification.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want no account required.
Seek by iNaturalist review

Questions people ask

Is Flowkey or Seek by iNaturalist better?
Neither clearly leads. Flowkey starts at Free and Seek by iNaturalist at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flowkey or Seek by iNaturalist?
Flowkey starts at Free and Seek by iNaturalist at Free.
Does Flowkey or Seek by iNaturalist run on more platforms?
Flowkey runs on iOS, Android, Web. Seek by iNaturalist runs on iOS, Android.
Can I use Flowkey for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Seek by iNaturalist is typically brought in for.
What can Flowkey do that Seek by iNaturalist cannot?
Flowkey covers Large licensed song library, MIDI keyboard support, Microphone listening, Slow-down and loop tools. Seek by iNaturalist covers Offline identification, No account required, Child-safe design, Species badges.

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.

Seek by iNaturalist: Is Seek really free?

Yes, entirely, with no ads or in-app purchases, run by the nonprofit iNaturalist.

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.

Seek by iNaturalist: Do I need an account?

No, Seek works fully without an account, which is a deliberate choice to make it safe for children.

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.

Seek by iNaturalist: Does Seek feed the iNaturalist research database?

Not automatically. You have to choose to upload an observation to iNaturalist.org for it to become part of the research record.

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