The electronic piano is often confused with the electric piano and in fact, the early electric pianos were called and marketed as electronic pianos. The fundamental difference between these two types of pianos is the method of sound production. The electric piano produces sound with the help of electro mechanical components and the sound is outputted as an electric pulse. The electronic piano produces sound with the help of oscillators and are completely manufactured with the help of analog circuitry. Since, there are no semi movable components and heavy components in electronic piano, these instruments are lighter in weight and size. The electronic piano was an innovation that was well appreciated and used in its time but its popularity began to decrease after the introduction of digital pianos. In the present times, the digital piano is also called as an electronic piano because both the types use the analog technology for its manufacture and usage. So, it is not uncommon for a digital piano to be referred to as an electronic piano, however, the differences actually exist.

The actual electronic piano has one major drawback; it cannot produce different types of sound based on touch. The traditional piano produces different types of sound, based on the type of touch given on the keys by the player. A hard touch produces a deeper sound and a light touch produces a lighter sound. But, in an electronic piano, the sound produced is of even quality; all types of touches produce the same sound. This drawback makes the electronic piano untenable for usage by professional musicians but it was still popular during its time because it was cheap and easy to maintain. Electronic pianos were used by most of the training institutes and were also popular with music schools and colleges.

The modern day electronic piano or digital piano, as it must be actually called, are high quality digital instruments that produce polyphonic sounds with the help of synthesizers. They are also extremely portable since they do not contain heavy and movable components. The sound quality of these pianos are also of high standard, however, it must be noted that there is some difference when compared to the traditional acoustic models, especially for touch sounds. The electronic piano is also easily affordable by general people and has replaced the traditional models in modern households. The electronic piano comes in varied sizes and different sound output models.