Comparison

Notation Pad vs Staff Editor

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

Head to head
About

Notation Pad

Create, edit, and play sheet music with this comprehensive notation editor. Compose original pieces, transcribe existing music, and even collaborate in real-time. Ideal for musicians of all levels, from beginners learning notes to experienced composers.

Highlights
  • Real-time collaborative editing
  • MusicXML, MIDI, PNG, and PDF export
  • High-quality playback sound
  • Support for up to 8 staves
  • Over 100 instrument sounds
  • Lyric editing
  • Multi-voice support
Features
Read full description

A sheet music creator and music notation editor on iOS. For any music lover or composer, Notation Pad gives you the ability to read, compose, edit, playback music scores and write lyrics. With it you can be a talented composer and great sheet music maker anywhere. As long as you have a little knowledge of sheet music, you can write music composition simply by touching and moving. You could use it as your songbook or scoresheet. It is also designed for a beginner who wants to learn music score, music notes and tablature. It can handle ensemble, choir or symphony score, also it supports for a single track piano score. With the help of it you could easily record the flashes of inspiration wherever they strike. Are you ready to compose music in a simple way? ----------------------- Features: -Realtime multi-person collaborative editing via SharePlay. -Export/Import the industry-popular MusicXML file format, allowing for exchanging sheet music with other software (Finale, Sibelius, Encore, MuseScore, etc). -Export MIDI file. -Export PNG image and PDF document. -High quality sound for playback. -Support editing up to 8 staff at the same time. -Support over 100 kinds of musical instrument. Piano, organ, guitar, violin, sax, flute, brass, bass, etc. -Support multi-voice. -A great lyric app. ----------------------- Supported notation: *A variety of music note types, from whole note to 128th note and dotted note *Chord, staff, track *Treble, alto and bass clef *Edit lyrics *A variety of time signatures *All standard key signatures *Adjustable tempo *All accidentals (sharps, flats, double sharps, double flats, and naturals) *Tie, slur, and tuplet *Many types of ornament *A wide range of dynamics ----------------------- UNLIMITED ACCESS SUBSCRIPTION - Support up to 8 staff - Config parts(add, delete, reorder) - Change key for each part - Change beat type and tempo - Config clef for each staff - Config sound for each part - No watermark image export - No Ads - Support 2nd voice part - Transpose instruments - Pickup bar - Import data file - Edit downloaded music score - Unlock all 100+ instruments - The subscription is $6.99 weekly with trial - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that service, where applicable - Terms of use: https://service.notationpad.com/terms_service.html

About

Staff Editor

Learn music notation by interactively placing and editing notes on a musical staff. This app offers an educational and recreational way for beginners to explore the fundamentals of music composition and hear their creations.

Highlights
  • Interactive music staff
  • Drag and drop note placement
  • Edit note pitch by dragging
  • Remove notes easily
  • Play composed melodies
  • Beginner-friendly music education
Features
Read full description

Staff Editor leads you to the world of music notation by allowing you to work interactively with a predefined set of music notes on the staff. It offers an opportunity for beginners to understand the fundamentals and feel the beauty of music in both an educational and a recreational manner. Simply drag different notes and place them on different positions of the staff as you wish to hear them. If you wish to edit a note, drag it upward or downward to alter the pitch, or you can remove it directly. Once you are satisfied with the note combinations that are placed on the staff, play the melody to enjoy the creational work you just composed.

Screenshots

Notation Pad4 screens
Staff Editor4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notation Pad at 4.3 against Staff Editor's 3.0. Notation Pad also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (monthly vs every 12 months). Staff Editor's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Notation Pad sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and Staff Editor sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notation Pad holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notation Pad has 5.3K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Notation Pad's written reviews are positive against 33% of Staff Editor's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notation Pad ships an update monthly, Staff Editor every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Notation Pad versus Staff Editor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotation PadStaff Editor
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (5.3K ratings) — better3.0 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews55.9% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings5.3K — better8
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size162 MB30 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer嵩 张Yang Zhao

Customer experience

Notation Pad

All ratings5,264 ratings
Positive81.4%
Neutral5.7%
Negative12.9%
Written reviews465 reviews
Positive55.9%
Neutral8.6%
Negative35.5%

Staff Editor

All ratings8 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral66.7%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Notation Pad

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Subscription popup that cannot be closed
  • Instruments turning into drums unexpectedly
  • Inability to delete or modify certain elements

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more instrument options
  • Improve editing capabilities
  • Allow changing key signatures and time signatures without premium
  • Provide better tutorials and documentation
  • Fix issues with note placement and playback

Staff Editor

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Notation Pad

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Access7 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Unlimited Access Monthly$14.991 Month
One-time8
  • Guitar Instrument Group$0.99
  • Ensemble Instrument Group$0.99
  • Brass Instrument Group$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Reed Instrument Group$0.99
  • Pipe Instrument Group$0.99
  • Strings Instrument Group$1.99
  • All Instruments Pack$4.99
  • Extras Package$19.99
4 purchases

Staff Editor

One-time4
  • Instruments Pack$0.99
  • Choirs Pack$0.99
  • Fun Voices Pack$0.99
Show 1 more
  • Remove Advertisements$1.99

Questions

Is Notation Pad free?
Notation Pad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Staff Editor free?
Staff Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notation Pad or Staff Editor?
Notation Pad is rated higher. Notation Pad averages 4.3 out of 5 from 5.3K ratings, while Staff Editor averages 3.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Notation Pad or Staff Editor have ads?
Staff Editor shows ads; Notation Pad does not.
Which is updated more often, Notation Pad or Staff Editor?
Notation Pad ships an update monthly, and Staff Editor every 12 months. Most recently, Notation Pad was updated on November 1, 2026 and Staff Editor on October 10, 2026.

Other comparisons