midee vs Synthesia: honest comparison

If you've searched for "Synthesia alternative" you probably want one of two things:

1. A free tool to watch MIDI files play on a piano roll without paying for Synthesia's custom-song unlock.
2. A browser-based way to practice, play live, loop ideas, or turn a MIDI into a nice-looking video.

Synthesia is great at what it does, but it's a native Windows/Mac/iOS/Android app focused on learning. midee is the browser-native alternative: a free, open-source MIDI player, visualizer, live instrument, practice trainer, loop station, recorder, and MP4 exporter.

This page is a genuine comparison, not a hatchet job — Synthesia is the right choice for plenty of people. Here's how the two differ and when each makes sense.

Quick comparison

Where Synthesia wins

Synthesia is the established tool in the category and there are real reasons to use it:

• "Falling notes" for learning. Synthesia was built around the teach-yourself-piano use case. The scoring, the left/right-hand split view, the wait-for-you mode — all of that is polished and tested.
• Offline-first native app. Once installed, you don't need a browser or an internet connection. If you teach piano lessons in a basement studio with spotty Wi-Fi, that matters.
• Library of ready-to-play songs. 150+ songs ship built-in; more are available for purchase.
• Mature iPad and Android apps. If your practice setup is iPad-only, Synthesia is ahead.

If learning piano is the main thing, Synthesia is probably the right fit.

Where midee fits

midee didn't start as a Synthesia clone — it started because there was no browser-native tool that turned a MIDI into a nice-looking video without uploading anything or installing anything.

• Zero install. Open midee.app and it's running. No account, no download. If you want to share a link with a friend who's never heard of it, they can try it in five seconds.
• Built-in MP4 export. This is the thing Synthesia doesn't do. Hit record inside midee and you get a frame-accurate 1080p MP4 with audio baked in. 720p, 1080p, vertical for TikTok and Reels, square, or native resolution. Rendered locally in your browser via WebCodecs — no server, no upload.
• Beautiful out of the box. Five themes (Dark, Midnight, Neon, Sunset, Ocean), sampled piano plus multiple synth and acoustic voices, and a rotating roster of particle styles. Your picks persist across reloads.
• Learn mode. Drop a MIDI into play-along practice, turn on wait mode, slow it down, focus hands, loop hard sections, and track accuracy. Learn also includes sight reading and interval training.
• Free and open source. MIT-licensed. No paywall, no unlock code for custom MIDIs. The source code is on GitHub and PRs are welcome.
• Live mode + loop station. Plug in a MIDI keyboard (Web MIDI) or use your laptop keyboard. Loop a phrase bar-snapped to the metronome. Record a session and export to .mid or straight to video.
• Fully client-side. Your MIDI file and the rendered video never leave your browser. There's no server to store, mine, or leak them.

When to pick which

Use Synthesia if:

• You're learning piano and want scored lessons and a wait-mode.
• You're on iPad or Android and don't want a web app.
• You want a polished library of teacher-selected songs ready to play.

Use midee if:

• You want to turn a MIDI into a shareable video for YouTube, TikTok, Reels, or Instagram.
• You want to watch a MIDI file play beautifully without installing software.
• You want Synthesia-style wait-mode practice in a browser.
• You want a sight-reading trainer and interval practice alongside MIDI playback.
• You're on a Chromebook, a locked-down work machine, or any platform where you can't install apps.
• You value open source, no watermark, no account, fully client-side.
• You want to jam on your MIDI controller without firing up a DAW.

The two tools don't cancel each other out — plenty of piano learners use Synthesia to practice and midee to render a final "here's what I've been working on" clip.

Common questions

Is midee really free, or free-with-upsell? Really free. MIT licensed. There's no paid tier, no custom-song unlock, no export watermark. No account required.

Can I use the MIDI files I bought for Synthesia? Yes. midee reads any standard .mid or .midi file. Drag it into the browser window.

Does midee have wait mode like Synthesia? Yes. Learn mode's play-along exercise can pause at each chord until you play the expected notes.

Can midee train sight reading? Yes. Learn mode includes a sight-reading trainer with scrolling staff notes, clef controls, tempo controls, accuracy, streaks, and weak-note practice.

Does midee upload my MIDI to a server? No. Everything runs in your browser. The MIDI file is parsed locally; audio and video are rendered locally; the exported MP4 is produced locally. Nothing is uploaded to midee at any point.

Which browsers work? Chrome 94+, Safari 16.4+, Firefox 130+. The bottleneck is WebCodecs (for video export) and Web MIDI (for controller input). Desktop recommended; iPad works; phones are limited.

Is it as pretty as SeeMusic? Different aesthetic. SeeMusic leans cinematic and heavy; midee leans design-forward and clean. Try both and pick the look you prefer. midee has the advantage that trying it is one click.

Try it

midee is one URL away. Open it, drop in a .mid, try Live and Learn, and see whether it earns a spot next to Synthesia in your workflow.