# nkoda sheet music reader

> Customizable music score reader for musicians with annotation and PDF import. (iPhone/iPad app by nkoda limited.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nkoda-sheet-music-reader/id1598124079 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [nkoda limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1327811417)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 1.44/5 from 18 App Store ratings · 28 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 139 MB
- Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese and 1 more
- Released: 2022-01-17
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nkoda-sheet-music-reader/id1598124079/reviews.md

## What is nkoda sheet music reader?

The new nkoda music reader is fully customisable and makes the process of making music an extension of the way you think - by understanding that every musician is different. 

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Score readers are not often designed by musicians. In fact, they’ve rarely been developed with musicians in mind at all. 

We’ve custom-built a new app to pair with the nkoda library so you can consume and toil over as much music as you please, customise your toolboxes to suit your immediate needs and enjoy beautiful renderings of your favourite pieces.

You can read your nkoda library music on our music reader app, or upload any PDF from your device or cloud and we will render it into our .kda format while you work. You can even upload your iPhone and Apple device files, too. The .kda quality is like no other.

What makes our reader different from any other is that you control what you see and how your toolbox is organised. You can annotate while navigating through your scores. Your annotation tools can be kept open while you turn pages, annotating freely as you work. And there is no limit to the number of toolboxes you create. How you work is up to you.

For access to our entire library search for the nkoda library in the app store.

## Key features

- Customizable score reader
- Read nkoda library music
- Upload and convert PDFs
- Flexible annotation tools
- Organize custom toolboxes
- Beautiful score renderings

## Recent user reviews (10 of 28)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nkoda-sheet-music-reader/id1598124079/reviews.md

### 1/5 — REAL Classical Musicians Should NOT use Nkoda

*2023-01-12, version 1.0.8*

Nkoda is a scam. It’s grossly overpriced and it’s IMPOSSIBLE to obtain parts that can be used in performances, rehearsals, or even practice unless you use their useless apps (plural). Parts can’t be downloaded to use with OUTSTANDING apps (such as ForScore) which can be used in ALL of the above applications and so much more. 

This is a total WASTE OF MONEY for a nothing burger. Classical orchestral musicians should run, not walk, from this completely useless pair of apps unless they like throwing money down the toilet.

### 1/5 — Great idea, terrible execution

*2022-12-28, version 1.0.8*

I’d gladly pay for a product like this but the app just doesn’t work. The amount of time it takes to log-in or pull up a single file is unworkable, even just for score perusal. Finally the app has simply stopped working altogether and won’t allow me to even sign in. Hugely disappointing.

### 1/5 — Horrible

*2022-11-14, version 1.0.8*

Horrible app. It’s heavy, it’s slow, weird to navigate. Plus, I want to get a score, not subscribe to anything. Get your act together.

### 1/5 — Absolutely useless

*2022-10-17, version 1.0.7*

I swear, I’m going to throw my iPad if I see that marimba player splash screen one more time. 

I don’t know what broke, but I can no longer sign in via my Apple ID on my iPad or on my phone.  Nothing works.  Im still logged in on my laptop, but that’s fairly useless.  

Paying $99 year for something I cannot even access anymore. 

And WHY are there two apps??? 

This whole thing needs an overhaul.  There’s too much good music on this site, but it’s useless when the interface is broken.

### 1/5 — unreliable

*2022-09-08, version 1.0.5*

improvements are being made. but still far from reliable

out of all things, why does it not instantaneously load ‘offline’ scores? 

i would never use this reader on a performance. i cant use it because there is a chance a page wont turn or appear pixelated

also there needs to be tabs to open and go/back between multiple score, instead of waiting 3 minutes every time to load a new score

please realize that your fancy editing toolbox is useless if the app won’t open up a score. please hire experienced developers

also search engine is bad. i should be able to search composer and instrument without entering name of the piece

please benchmark the search engine of idagio, which is optimized for classical music

### 2/5 — Annotations are not intuitive

*2022-08-10, version 1.0.5*

This is the best sheet music reader I’ve found to read in landscape mode.  My pdfs are too long to fit on my 12.9 iPad in landscape.  So I see the top of the page and then have to do something to see the bottom half.  In other music readers I have to swipe up.  But in nkoda it shows with red marks on both sides of the page where to tap for a page turn, and then it goes to the bottom of the page.  
But the annotations and toolbars have me frustrated.  It could be that I am new to Apple and iPads.  I watched the short videos in the help section button but they show up very small.  It’s difficult to see where she is tapping.  Long taps are supposed to let you change font size and color, but that menu doesn’t appear for me.  I chose the basic piano toolbox set, but maybe I have to make my own to be able to edit it.  I wish there was a place to ask a simple question.

### 1/5 — Useless if you want to actually be able to use the scores

*2022-07-22, version 1.0.5*

I was prepared to pay for the subscription in order to access the rich catalog of scores, but canceled because Nkoda forces you to use their extremely poor ereader, rather than allowing downloads for import into ForScore (by far the best music app I’ve found for rehearsal and performance) or even my iPad’s native pdf or ebook reader. The Nkoda reader user experience is poor, bordering on completely unusable, and it is not a legitimate replacement for ForScore. I would gladly use a version that allowed personal access to the catalog, but not if I’m trapped in a slow, unresponsive, badly designed app.

### 1/5 — Why two apps?

*2022-07-21, version 1.0.5*

I’ve been using nkoda for at least 3 years and I was bummed to see that they’ve now split into two apps which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and makes life much harder. I’ve even thought about dropping my subscription over this (and other bugs and issues). It’s too expensive for what it offers and the quality of the build. Sorry! I’m really sad I have to say this, but hopefully they will listen to users and go back to one app and fix things.

### 2/5 — Logistical nightmare

*2022-07-11, version 1.0.5*

Why have one app that is difficult to use when you can have two difficult to use apps for the same price ?

Nkoda has a great library of music but being forced to use the reader is an unnecessary hustle.

Can you please give people an option to read scores within the original app ? 

Thank you

### 1/5 — Unreliable and not easy to use

*2022-07-06, version 1.0.5*

The previous version (single app) was ok, but this one is vey slow and unreliable. Sometimes it freezes when downloading or logging in or for no particular reason. Also, it does seem to me that splitting the library and the reader into two separate apps makes the user experience much worse. Sorry, that’s my honest opinion.

## Frequently asked questions about nkoda sheet music reader

### What does the nkoda sheet music reader app do?

This app is a fully customizable music score reader designed by musicians. It allows you to read music from the nkoda library, upload your own PDFs from your device or cloud storage, and convert them into a high-quality .kda format for viewing and editing.

### What are the key features of this music reader?

Key features include a highly customizable interface where you control what you see and how your toolboxes are organized. It offers flexible annotation tools that can remain open while navigating pages, allowing for free annotation. The app also provides beautiful renderings of musical pieces.

### Is this app free to use?

Based on the provided information, the app itself is free to download and use. Access to the nkoda library, which contains a vast collection of music, may have separate subscription or access requirements, which can be searched for in the app store.

### What devices is the nkoda sheet music reader compatible with?

The app is designed for Apple devices, including iPhones and iPads. It can also process PDF files uploaded from your device or cloud storage, suggesting broad compatibility with common file sources.

### How does this app help musicians?

This app aims to make the process of making music an extension of how a musician thinks by providing a tool that understands individual needs. It allows for personalized workflows through customizable toolboxes and annotation features, making it easier to practice, study, and perform music.

## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.0.11 — 2023-04-03

- Along with our automated backup system, which runs every few minutes, you now have the option to manually back up your uploads, annotations, and data through the Cloud Backup option under Settings.
- If you have stored annotations and uploads in nkoda without using an account, now you can transfer the data to a new or an existing account just by signing in/signing up.

### 1.0.10 — 2023-02-21

- New resizing capabilities for annotation tools
- General bug fixes and performance improvements.

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## More apps by nkoda limited

- [nkoda: sheet music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nkoda-sheet-music/id1327811418)

All apps by nkoda limited: https://appshunter.io/developer/1327811417

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*