The Stylophone and the Otamatone are two of the most fun electronic instruments you can give someone. One is a 1960s pocket synth you play with a little metal pen. The other is a giant singing music note from Japan whose mouth opens when you squeeze it. Both cost less than a nice dinner, both make people laugh, and both are a lot harder to play in tune than they look. Here's how they compare, what each one really costs, whether the Otamatone is worth it, where the theremin fits in, and what to get if you want it to sound good on day one.
The short answer
The Stylophone S-1 (about $25 to $40) has printed metal keys, so you can find the notes and pick out a tune. The Otamatone (about $40, Deluxe about $80) has a blank stem and a squeezable mouth, so it gets bigger laughs but you play it entirely by ear. Pick the Stylophone for someone who wants to play songs, the Otamatone for someone who wants to be silly. If they want it to sound good straight away, look at a kalimba or our GLIDE, where every key is in key.
Prices checked in October 2026 at US stores.
- Stylophone vs Otamatone at a glance
- How you pick a note on each one
- The Otamatone: models and how much it costs
- Is the Otamatone worth it?
- The Stylophone: models and prices
- Stylophone vs theremin
- Stylophone vs a synthesizer
- If you want it to sound good straight away
- Who each one suits
- Questions people ask
Stylophone vs Otamatone at a glance
Both play one note at a time and both slide between notes, which is where their famous wobbly, swooping sound comes from. The big difference is what's under your finger.
| Instrument | How you pick a note | Easy to play in tune? | US price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otamatone (Regular) | Press a blank stem; lower on the stem is higher | Hard: no markers at all | $39.99 |
| Otamatone Deluxe | Same, on a longer stem | Hard, but more room per note | About $80 |
| Stylophone S-1 | Touch a stylus to 20 printed metal keys | Medium: you can see the notes | $24.95 to about $40 |
| Theremin (Moog Etherwave) | Move your hand near an antenna | Very hard: nothing to touch | $699 |
| Kalimba (17 keys) | Pluck metal tines with your thumbs | Easy: only the notes of one scale | From about $13 |
| GLIDE (ours) | Press keys locked to a scale | Easy: no wrong notes | $114.99 |
How you pick a note on each one
This is the whole story of "which is easier". The less the instrument tells you where the notes are, the more your ear has to do.
The Otamatone: models and how much it costs
The Otamatone was developed in Japan by Maywa Denki, led by the brothers Masamichi and Nobumichi Tosa, together with CUBE Works. It first came out in 2009. It's shaped like an eighth note with a face, and it's played in three ways, all from the maker's own how-to:
- Pick a pitch on the stem. Press the black strip with two fingers. The lower you press, the higher the note. Slide your fingers and the pitch swoops.
- Squeeze the cheeks. The mouth opens and closes and the sound goes "wah". This is the part that makes everyone laugh.
- Shake the stem while a note plays for vibrato.
There are no note markers. The maker's tip is to stick tape on the stem, find each note with a tuner, and mark it with a permanent marker. That tells you most of what you need to know about playing it in tune.
The main models:
| Model | What it is | US price |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | The classic. About 10.6 in tall, 3 AAA batteries, a low/mid/high octave switch | $39.99; colors and character editions $42.99 and up |
| Deluxe | About 17 in tall, with a longer stem for more range, a volume knob, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and 3 AA batteries | $79.99 to $84.99 |
| Neo | A slightly longer, thicker Regular with a wider stem, plus a cable to link it to a phone app | No US store price we could confirm |
| Melody | A keychain-size one with 11 built-in songs you trigger with a button | No US store price we could confirm |
Otamatone vs Otamatone Deluxe: the Deluxe is the one to get if they'll actually try to play tunes. Its stem is much longer, so each note gets more room and it's easier to hit the same spot twice, and the headphone jack means you can plug it into a speaker or amp. The Regular is the better pick for a desk toy or a gag gift.
Is the Otamatone worth it?
For about $40, yes, if you buy it for what it is. It's a great laugh, it starts conversations, and anyone can make it "talk" in the first ten seconds. It's also a real ear workout: because nothing tells you where the notes are, playing a recognizable tune trains your ear more than most instruments.
It's not worth it if you're hoping they'll be playing songs along with the radio by the weekend. Getting a melody in tune takes a lot of practice, and it plays one note at a time, so there are no chords. If that's the goal, keep reading.
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The Stylophone: models and prices
The Stylophone was made by Dubreq in London from 1968, and David Bowie used it on "Space Oddity". You play it by touching a pen-like stylus to a metal keyboard printed on its face. Each key is a note, laid out like a piano, so you can see where you are. Dubreq says the S-1 is "easy to play, perfect for beginners", and for picking out a tune, that's fair.
- Stylophone S-1: the classic. Analog sound, a 3-way octave switch, vibrato, a built-in speaker, a headphone jack, 3 AA batteries. Guitar Center lists it at $24.95 (sold out when we checked); other US stores charge around $40.
- Stylophone Gen X-2: the grown-up version, about $99. It adds a filter, LFO, envelope, analog delay and jacks for patching into other synths, still played with a stylus.
- Gen X-1: no longer in Dubreq's shop. The X-2 replaced it, though you may still find old stock.
- Stylophone BEAT: a stylus drum machine with a round pad, not a melody instrument.
The catch: it plays one note at a time, and its 20 keys include every sharp and flat. So when you play along with a song, it's easy to land on a note that clashes. Our Stylophone alternatives guide covers what to step up to when someone outgrows it.
Stylophone vs theremin
A theremin is the spooky sci-fi sound, and you play it without touching anything. On the Moog Etherwave, one antenna sets the pitch from how close your hand is, and the other sets the volume. It's beautiful and famously the hardest of the lot to play in tune, because there's nothing at all to aim for. The Etherwave is $699 at Guitar Center (sold out when we checked).
Dubreq also makes a Stylophone Theremin: a pitch antenna plus a slider for jumping between notes quickly, with vibrato, delay and a built-in speaker. It's a much cheaper way to try the theremin sound, but it isn't widely stocked at US stores, so check before you plan a gift around it.
Stylophone vs theremin, in one line: the Stylophone shows you the notes, the theremin makes you find them in the air.
Stylophone vs a synthesizer
The Stylophone is a synthesizer, just a very simple one: one sound, a vibrato switch and three octaves. A bigger synth adds knobs to shape the sound, more notes at once, and usually a real keyboard. The Otamatone is a tiny synth too, with a rubber mouth as its only tone control. If you're not sure what the extra knobs buy you, our guide to the easiest instrument to learn is a gentler place to start.
If you want it to sound good straight away
The Otamatone and Stylophone are fun because of the slide between notes. What makes them hard is that nothing keeps you in tune. Two options fix that, at two very different prices. Both work on the same idea we cover in instruments with no wrong notes: leave out the notes that clash.
GLIDE pocket synth
$114.99Full disclosure: we make this one. GLIDE keeps the part people love about an Otamatone or a Stylophone, the smooth glide from one note into the next, but it always lands in key. Scale lock is on from the first press, so there are no wrong notes. The bottom row plays chords, so you get a backing to play over, and tilting it changes the sound.
Put a song on and the mic listens, works out the song's key and tempo, and retunes GLIDE to match, so you can play along within seconds. It has a speaker and a headphone jack, runs 7 to 12 hours per charge, ships built and tested with a microSD sound library, and updates are free once it's yours. Buying it as a present? Our music gift page answers the usual questions. Price checked October 2026.
Kalimba (thumb piano)
From about $13The cheapest way to sound nice immediately. A 17-key kalimba is a wooden box with metal tines you pluck with your thumbs, tuned to one scale (the Stagg model has 17 diatonic keys running from C to E). Almost anything you play sounds gentle and pretty. No batteries, no wah and no slide, but no sour notes either. Budget models on Amazon start around $13; the Stagg 17-key is $59.99 at Guitar Center.
Who each one suits
Get the Otamatone if
- They love a laugh and a weird gadget on the desk.
- You want a gift around $40 that everyone will pick up.
- They want a real ear challenge: pick the Deluxe.
Get the Stylophone if
- They want to pick out tunes they know.
- They love retro sounds and that Bowie buzz.
- You want the cheapest real synth: the S-1.
Get a theremin if
- They love sci-fi sounds and a long-term challenge.
- The budget runs to hundreds, not tens.
Get GLIDE or a kalimba if
- They've never played and want it to sound good on day one.
- They want to play along with songs: GLIDE.
- You want calm and simple under $60: a kalimba.
Questions people ask
Is the Otamatone worth it?
Yes, if you want a funny, charming instrument for about $40. It is a great gift and a real ear workout. It is not the right pick if they want to play songs in tune quickly, because the stem has no note markers and it plays one note at a time.
How much does an Otamatone cost?
In US stores in October 2026, the Regular Otamatone was $39.99, colors and character editions started at $42.99, and the Otamatone Deluxe was $79.99 to $84.99.
Is the Stylophone easier to play than the Otamatone?
Yes, for playing a tune. The Stylophone has printed metal keys, so you can see where each note is. The Otamatone has a blank stem, so you find every note by ear. Both play one note at a time.
What is the difference between the Otamatone and the Otamatone Deluxe?
The Deluxe is much bigger, about 17 inches tall versus about 10.6 inches. Its longer stem gives more range and more room per note, and it adds a volume knob and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It runs on 3 AA batteries instead of 3 AAA.
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