# StaffPad Reader — View and sync StaffPad scores > Synchronized digital music stand for viewing and rehearsing scores. (iPhone/iPad app by StaffPad Ltd..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staffpad-reader/id1258751006 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [StaffPad Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1258751005) - Category: Music, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 3.00/5 from 10 App Store ratings · 12 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 14.5 · 646 MB - Languages: American English, Arabic, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, European Portuguese and 4 more - Released: 2020-02-04 - Data updated: 2026-06-11 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staffpad-reader/id1258751006/reviews.md ## What is StaffPad Reader? StaffPad Reader is a groundbreaking synchronised digital music stand for StaffPad scores. Share your score with one tap across a local Wi-Fi network, see changes in real-time, enjoy automatic page turns, a sync'd click track, an easy-to-read dark mode and make intuitive personal annotations using your finger or an Apple Pencil. StaffPad Reader is the most advanced way to view, rehearse and perform music scores. NO MORE PRINTING =============== Devices running StaffPad and StaffPad Reader on the same WiFi network can share the same score effortlessly between them, using StaffPad's ScoreSync feature. No difficult file management, no web links, passwords or accounts. Just open the Reader... and that's it! Press ScoreSync in StaffPad, and the score magically appears on all the connected Readers. Once you're done, deactivate ScoreSync in StaffPad, and the piece just disappears... no more file clutter! This removes the expensive, time consuming hassle of formatting, printing and distributing paper scores. For musicians, it simplifies the process of getting the music in the first place down to one step: opening the app. CHANGES? NO PROBLEM! =================== Need to make a change, fix a few notes or try out some new ideas? No worries - the Reader stays in total sync with StaffPad. Make changes on the fly, and the score instantly updates on all the connected Readers. Don't have StaffPad? Don't worry - you can still sync multiple Readers together. IN PERFECT SYNC ============= Not only does the Reader synchronise the score content amongst devices, it also synchronises everyone in time as well. Press play in StaffPad, and all the Readers will play at exactly the same time. Connect headphones, turn on the metronome, and you've got an entire orchestra playing exactly where they need to be. PAGE TURNS MADE SIMPLE ==================== During playback, the Reader can smartly turn the pages for you. As you approach the bottom line of the first screen of music, it'll neatly "peek" the upcoming measures over the top. This gives you a seamless, effortless reading experience without awkward scrolling, swiping or foot stomping. However, if you want to swipe, scroll or stomp ... you can do that too, with built in support for bluetooth page turns, and intuitive manual page turn controls. PERSONAL ANNOTATIONS ==================== If you have an Apple Pencil, just start drawing on the score to annotate, like you would with paper. If you don't, just enable the markup layer first and then use your finger to annotate. The red pen and yellow highlighter are private annotations just for you. The grey pen will send those markings across all the Readers, and back to StaffPad - perfect for section leaders to mark up the score for everyone in one go. Your annotations are saved securely, and retrieved next time you see that same score. OPEN STAFFPAD SCORES ==================== The Reader is designed to live sync scores from StaffPad itself. But, it can still open StaffPad format (.stf) scores that have been sent to you. Simply use the import feature found on the main screen. SCORE PLAYBACK ============== Score playback via the StaffPad Core Library. This gives you 60 instruments and the ability to play back scores that have been opened from StaffPad. Three listen modes help you perfect your performance: rehearse with the virtual orchestra, preview the whole score, or hear just your part in isolation. ## Key features - Real-time score synchronization - Automatic page turns - Sync'd click track - Dark mode - Personal annotations - ScoreSync feature ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | StaffPad Reader Pro | $12.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 12) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staffpad-reader/id1258751006/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Can’t open the same score twice *2024-09-18, version 1.6* Once you open a score, I guess it copies it to the a different folder? because when you try to open the same one again it says it cannot copy it because a score with the same name already exists. Since I can’t otherwise get past the syncing home screen, I can’t open any scores I have opened before. Its a pretty big bug. ### 3/5 — Good, but buggy *2024-08-27* I have purchased and really like StaffPad as a composition tool, and wanted to use the Reader as a practice app to rehearse the music I've written in StaffPad. Unfortunately, the experience wasn't that good - it's lacking tools and I found the reader extremely buggy. Missing functions: I'd like to be able to loop a section for practice, and I'd like to modify the playback tempo. Playback works only for the default Staffpad instruments - if the score uses a custom instrument, it's silent. I'd like to be able to ideally use all libraries installed in StaffPad, or at least switch a staff to one of the provided instruments. Playback was very inconsistent. There are options to choose which parts get played (my voice, other voices, all voices), which is useful, but doesn't always work. Sometimes it will randomly play all voices even if only my voice is selected for playback. Sometimes the volume would change wildly - I'm talking switching between extremely loud and very silent. Sometimes the automatic page turn didn't work. Maybe it's just my use case (personal practice) that isn't too well supported, but it's a pity - otherwise it's a beautiful and well-made app. ### 1/5 — Cannot restore my purchase on Ventura *2023-07-18, version 1.5.7* I want to view my Staffpad score from my iPad. I own the full version of Reader. However when I click restore I get this message "“icon.png” couldn’t be moved because you don’t have permission to access" I gave the app full disk access and still did not work. ### 4/5 — Not Perfect *2022-10-13, version 1.5.7* I love StaffPad, but this app is still in the development phase. I haven’t actually tried syncing with other devices because I mainly use this app to watch music that I wrote in a more “readable” format (or to play along with individual parts). The problem is, I haven’t been able to get the automatic page turning to work for a while. It worked on and off when I first got the app about a year ago, but it hasn’t worked ever since. I emailed the developers, and they responded saying they would address the issue, but it hasn’t changed as of yet. Another thing I have found with this app (as well as StaffPad) is that when playing directly from the iPad speakers, it is unusually quiet (even with all of the audio settings set to full). It’s fine in headphones, but not the device speakers. Not sure why you can’t or haven’t made it louder, but that’s just a little annoying. I can see the potential that this app could have, but it isn’t there yet. ### 2/5 — Annotations are a syncing mess *2022-01-04, version 1.5.1* I know this is a free app, but it has a lot of potential with a lot of issues.. let me get straight to the list of issues: 1. Public annotation syncing (the grey annotation) only sometimes syncs back to Staffpad.. this is horrible. I’ve tested this several times, and i think you need to put a little more QA into this. The idea here is to ensure that things get synced, and there’s no way to really do that if it only half of the time works. 2. There’s an import function to import a Staffpad file, but no way to really save the annotations back to the main file.. you are stuck relying on this ScoreSync stuff, which only works (point #1). 3. If I’m in ScoreSync mode, i do not have a play button… Why is there a Play button that only works in import mode? I get that this is a feature, but this idea to have some central playback device is really limiting… can we not find a way to bypass this? S e.g. a menu option? 4. I strongly dislike this app’s reliance on a sync between devices… this seriously needs to be standalone - especially with the Import function and annotations… a performer is sometimes the composer, and therefore there needs to be a way to publically add annotations via the reader.. …but to be honest, a lot of what I’m looking for would simply be solved by adding a Page view to Staffpad…. This reader app is not really that useful for most, and I think the use case here is best solved in other simpler ways. ### 1/5 — Big update? *2021-12-22, version 1.5* It’s good to see you finally updating this app but the one thing everyone complains about is handwriting recognition which you clearly have not addressed. I paid the full price for this, and at that price point, overpriced notation software, feeling like a beta tester and like a complete idiot for giving you my money. ### 1/5 — Don’t waste your money *2021-10-26, version 1.4.6* I was really looking forward to using this app but it just does’t recognize my handwriting. I am using a brand new iPad pro 2021 with Apple Pencil 2. I have no problem using the handwriting feature in Notion for iPad. Staffpad also doesn’t feature a page view which is a major drawback. I definitely wasted almost $100 bucks. ### 5/5 — Excelente App *2021-06-05, version 1.4.6* Apple debe calificar esta app como #1 en música. Es excelente para grupos musicales. No tengo palabras para decir lo increíble que esta la app. No hay mejor app que esta en combinación con Staffpad. 5 estrellas para sus creadores. ### 2/5 — Vous ne gagnerez pas de temps *2021-05-16, version 1.4.6* Acheté 100$ pour être plus productif par rapport à un Musescore (gratuit) que je trouvais déjà excellent. Staffpad vous promet une reconnaissance aisée des notes et symboles saisis au pencil mais il n’en est rien il faut parfois se reprendre 20 fois pour dessiner 4 doubles/triples (je vous laisse imaginer le temps perdu), le sens des hampes est une horreur a éditer notamment pour la batterie. Ce sens une fois édité n’est d’ailleurs même pas mémorisé lorsque vous faites un simple copier-coller. Je ne trouve pas de fonction pour colorer les notes, on ne peux choisir les sauts de lignes pour faire une partition propre c’est lui qui choisi. Il ne sait pas superposer les notes si vous ne changez de pas de voix… Pour l’instant tout ce que je peux dire c’est qu’il manque énormément de développement pour le rendre utilisable d’un point de vue professionnel, son seul point fort la qualité du son. À voir lors de prochaines mises à jours… ### 1/5 — you won't respond! *2021-05-02, version 1.4.6* i'm a teenager and never one to write bad reviews, but customer service won't respond to my emails and the actual staffpad app won't let me review it (it says that i can't review something i don't own, but the whole issue is that i do own it.) staffpad won't work for me. i've done the interactive tutorial, deleted things, pressed every button in the app, but it won't let me write on the actual staff. the tracker on my apple pen won't even show up. i don't understand why, and i tried writing to you but i've gotten no answer. please, please respond and help me with this. i honestly believe it's a good app, i just want it to work for me. i was really looking forward to it. thank you :) ## Frequently asked questions about StaffPad Reader ### Does StaffPad Reader have ads? No, StaffPad Reader is ad-free, allowing for an uninterrupted user experience. ### What devices does StaffPad Reader support? StaffPad Reader is currently supported on iPads, offering a dedicated tablet experience for musicians. ### How often is StaffPad Reader updated? The app was last updated on September 20, 2023, indicating ongoing development and support. ### What is the age rating for StaffPad Reader? StaffPad Reader has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. ### Can I sync scores without StaffPad? Yes, you can still sync multiple StaffPad Reader devices together even if you do not have StaffPad. ### How does StaffPad Reader handle annotations? You can make private annotations with an Apple Pencil or finger, or share public annotations across devices for collaboration. ### What is the user rating for StaffPad Reader? StaffPad Reader has a rating of 3.0 stars based on 10 user ratings. ### Is StaffPad Reader free to use? Yes, StaffPad Reader is available for free, allowing musicians to access its features without an upfront cost. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.6 — 2023-09-20 This version adds compatibility for the latest StaffPad scores, and now includes the score playback feature as standard. ### 1.5.7 — 2022-07-05 - This updates the Reader to stay in line with the recently released 1.5.7 version of StaffPad, and includes changes for rendering dynamics above the staff, plus displaying the new time Staff in the conductor score. - The click track now stays steady without volume emphasis on the downbeat. It can still be differentiated by a slight pitch difference; this should help with hearing the click track more accurately in loud environments. ### 1.5.3 — 2022-01-31 This update features bug fixes and enhancements, as well as several fixes to the layout of boxed text on a score and the display of multirests when there's many tempo markings present. ### 1.5.1 — 2021-12-29 This is a hotfix update to address a few issues we discovered since releasing the major Audio Update to StaffPad and StaffPad Reader before the holiday season - We fixed an issue that could cause StaffPad Reader to drain battery too quickly - We fixed an issue relating to glissandi - We fixed an issue relating to fermatas used at the end of the piece - StaffPad Reader should now more reliably import scores with invalid characters in the titles ### 1.5 — 2021-12-21 - This update adds compatibility support for the latest StaffPad 1.5 score files. - We've also made the metronome setting persistent, so you can set it once and forget it - no need to toggle it for every score you open! - Minor fixes and enhancements ## Apps similar to StaffPad Reader | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [nkoda: sheet music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nkoda-sheet-music/id1327811418) | 4.0 (232) | Free | Music | | [Iconica Sketch - Orchestra app](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iconica-sketch-orchestra-app/id6504404183) | 4.8 (104) | $26.99 | Music | | [SeeScore 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/seescore-2/id1515250125) | 4.5 (4) | Free | Music | | [Enote - Sheet Music App](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/enote-sheet-music-app/id1539408514) | 3.3 (17) | Free | Music | | [Dorico - Compose Music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dorico-compose-music/id1556625090) | 4.6 (2,059) | Free | Music | | [Quartet 1](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quartet-1/id1623038041) | 4.2 (45) | $19.99 | Music | ## More apps by StaffPad Ltd. - [StaffPad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staffpad/id1442074103) All apps by StaffPad Ltd.: https://appshunter.io/developer/1258751005 --- *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 2026-06-11.*