Comparison

Henle Library vs Smart Soloist

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Henle Library

Access high-quality digital Urtext editions of classical music scores on your tablet. Practice, rehearse, and perform with a range of interactive features designed for musicians of all levels. Enjoy annotations, metronome, playback, and more.

Highlights
  • Digital Urtext editions
  • Customizable score purchases
  • Print and export PDFs
  • Score modification and annotations
  • Metronome and recording
  • Part and score switching
  • Explanatory notes access
Features
Read full description

“With the Henle Library app a new era begins for classical musicians.” Daniel Hope An indispensable app for professional musicians, amateurs, students and teachers. The Henle Library app delivers G. Henle Publishers’ reliable Urtext editions straight to your tablet. You can practise, rehearse and make music – whenever and wherever you like. And you can enjoy the many unique features of Henle’s digital scores.  Features: - Filter Henle Urtext according to your individual needs and purchase as required (individual part, single movement, bundles etc.) - Free version available for music students (licences for music colleges) - Print, export PDFs, share - Modify the score to suit your needs - Superimpose alternative professional fingerings (or choose “No fingerings”) - Unlimited possibilities for your own annotations - Easily switch between the part and the score at exactly the same measure - Open explanatory notes (footnotes, Critical Report etc.) at the appropriate place in the score - Record and play back your own recordings - Use the integrated metronome - Navigate extremely rapidly - Create and use playlists Do you like our app? Please consider writing a review. Thank you!

About

Smart Soloist

This app provides an on-screen score that advances automatically with highlighted bars, featuring a bouncing ball cue for anticipating entrances. It offers high-quality orchestral audio and allows users to record and create CD-quality solo performances.

Highlights
  • Automatic score advancement
  • Visual cue bouncing ball
  • High-quality orchestral audio
  • Tempo and volume customization
  • CD-quality recording
  • Cross-platform support
Features
Read full description

On screen score advances automatically with the current bar highlighted. Design and save your tempo and volume setting to suit your playing style. Visit smartsoloist.com to view our tutorial video. Visual cue provided by a bouncing ball, like a conductor’s baton that lets you anticipate the orchestra's entrances. The high quality orchestral audios are either from recordings of live orchestra or MIDI rendered by our composers using orchestral samples. Change the tempo with minimal effect on the sound quality. Record your playing. Create CD quality recordings of yourself as soloist! Try our fully functional free demos (no sign-in required). Many pieces are available for in-App purchase. Cross-platform app can be used in up to 5 devices simultaneously. Please make sure the "silence mode" is off in your i-phone, otherwise the audio will be silent.

Screenshots

Henle Library4 screens
Smart Soloist2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Smart Soloist at 100% against Henle Library's 35%. Smart Soloist also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). Henle Library's advantage is ratings volume (94 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Henle Library sells 8 one-off in-app purchases and Smart Soloist sells 19 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Smart Soloist holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Henle Library has 94 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 35% of Henle Library's written reviews are positive against 100% of Smart Soloist's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Henle Library ships an update every 3 months, Smart Soloist fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Henle Library versus Smart Soloist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHenle LibrarySmart Soloist
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (94 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings94 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size54 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGuenter Henle VerlagSmart Soloist

Customer experience

Henle Library

All ratings94 ratings
Positive39.4%
Neutral18.1%
Negative42.6%
Written reviews193 reviews
Positive34.7%
Neutral21.8%
Negative43.5%

Smart Soloist

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Henle Library

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • Annotations deleted after app updates or restarts
  • Eraser function fails to remove marks consistently
  • Marks don't record when crossing between staff lines
  • App crashes when opening purchased scores
  • Purchased scores disappear from library
Show 15 more
  • Blank pages appear when turning pages
  • App freezes during export to PDF
  • Infinite loading screen in online store
  • Confirmation emails for credit purchases don't arrive
  • App takes 40+ seconds to start
  • Scores don't load immediately after purchase
  • Annotation dots appear randomly when lifting pen
  • Fingering annotations shrink in upper ledger lines
  • Score skips to random pages during performance
  • Export PDF quality is low resolution and fuzzy
  • Annotation layer prevents writing in certain areas
  • Zoom function jumps back to start of page
  • Eraser requires tapping far from annotation to delete
  • Palm rejection fails with Apple Pencil
  • Print layout produces single-line pages for multi-movement pieces

Requested features

20 requests
  • Undo/redo functionality for annotations
  • Ability to print entire multi-movement pieces together
  • Half-page turning option for performers
  • Playlist or collection grouping system
  • Individual score parts (not just full scores)
Show 15 more
  • Better annotation layer management
  • Improved Apple Pencil support and sensitivity
  • Customizable eraser behavior
  • Page turn animation or visual cues
  • Ability to hide specific staves or parts
  • Microphone-activated page turning commands
  • Difficulty ratings visible before purchase
  • Digital-physical score bundling/discounts
  • Better search and filtering in store
  • Support for foot pedal page turners
  • Ability to import scores from other sources
  • Multiple annotation layers with visibility toggle
  • Customizable metronome settings
  • Landscape orientation improvements
  • Persistent user settings and preferences

Smart Soloist

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Henle Library

One-time8
  • 10 Credits$0.99
  • 22 Credits$1.99
  • 55 Credits2 variants$5.99
Show 5 more
  • 100 Credits2 variants$9.99
  • 200 Credits2 variants$19.99
  • 300 Credits$29.99
  • 500 Credits$49.99
  • 1000 Credits$79.99
19 purchases

Smart Soloist

One-time19
  • Chopin Piano Concerto 1 Mov. 3$9.99
  • Chopin G. Polonaise Brillante$9.99
  • Beethoven Piano Conc 2, Mov. 3$9.99
Show 16 more
  • Beethoven Violin Concerto Mov3$9.99
  • Beethoven Violin Concerto Mov2$9.99
  • Grieg Piano Concerto Mov. 1$13.99
  • Beethoven Violin Concerto Mov1$13.99
  • Beethoven Piano Conc 4 Mov 1-3$19.99
  • Grieg Piano Concerto$19.99
  • Rachmaninoff Paganini Var 1-24$19.99
  • Chopin Piano Conc 1 ,Mov. 1-3$19.99
  • Tchaikovsky Piano concerto # 1$19.99
  • Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2$19.99
  • Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.1$19.99
  • Beethoven Violin Concerto 1-3$19.99
  • Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #1$19.99
  • Beethoven Piano Conc #1, 1-3$19.99
  • Rachmaninoff Piano Conc 2, 1-3$24.99
  • Rachmaninoff Piano Conc #3 All$29.99

Questions

Is Henle Library free?
Henle Library is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smart Soloist free?
Smart Soloist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Henle Library or Smart Soloist?
Smart Soloist is rated higher. Henle Library averages 3.0 out of 5 from 94 ratings, while Smart Soloist averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Henle Library or Smart Soloist have ads?
Neither Henle Library nor Smart Soloist shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Henle Library or Smart Soloist?
Henle Library ships an update every 3 months, and Smart Soloist fortnightly. Most recently, Henle Library was updated on November 1, 2026 and Smart Soloist on October 24, 2026.

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