Comparison

Notation Pad vs PlayScore 2

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

PlayScore 2

Scan sheet music from photos or PDFs and have it played back. Adjust instruments, tempo, and transposition. Export your scores as MusicXML and MIDI for further editing.

Highlights
  • Scan music from photos and PDFs
  • Playback with scrolling notation
  • Adjust volume, instrument, and transposition
  • Smart metronome with time signature recognition
  • Export as MusicXML and MIDI
  • Create 'Playable Score' documents
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Play all kinds of music direct from photos, images and PDF scores. Export as MusicXML and MIDI Snap music with your camera or import images and PDFs. PlayScore will play them right back to you, scrolling through the song following measure by measure • Adjust volume, instrument and transposition for each staff • Accompany yourself while you sing or play your instrument - PlayScore 2 will even count you in! • Playback with smart metronome that understands time signatures • Create Playable Score Documents that anyone can play back by downloading PlayScore 2 • Export Full Notation MusicXML to score editors with text, dynamics, articulation and more PlayScore 2 reads and plays all kinds of music straight off the page† such as: • Songs • Piano, organ, guitar • Hymns • Solos and Sonatas • Chamber, band and orchestral Choirs and ensembles - Learning a new piece? Create a Playable Score, so each member can listen to their part on its own or standing out from the others. • 19 high quality instruments per staff to choose from • Change tempo (even while playing) • Tap anywhere to play, or drag with a finger to create a loop • Mute and adjust volume, and change instrument for each staff individually • Transpose the whole song or by instrument (transposing instruments) * Adjustable multi-measure count-in and metronome * Swing playback • Adjustable dynamic range PlayScore 2 makes it easy to create multi-page Playable Scores: • Rearrange recapture or delete pages • Select a page range in a PDF • Clip and mask • Search and sort by title or composer Subscriptions - Even without a subscription you can • Play and interact with any PlayScore Playable Score • Play pages of music in unlimited staves from a photo • Create and share single page playable documents PlayScore 2 Productivity subscription • Create and play multi-staff, multi-page scores captured with the camera or imported as images • Export your documents for anyone to play • Interact with scores, auto-transpose transposing instruments, export MIDI files PlayScore 2 Professional subscription • Create Playable Score documents from PDF scores that anyone can play • Export any score as MIDI and MusicXML containing full notation and text Productivity and Professional versions are available as 1-month or 12-month auto-renewing subscriptions. • The payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal • You may manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings on-line after purchase Important: Capturing copyrighted music without the copyright holder's permission is illegal. PlayScore 2 recognises full music notation – see full spec at playscore.co † please see online help for exclusions Terms of use: https://playscore.co/terms-of-use

Screenshots

Notation Pad4 screens
PlayScore 23 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: PlayScore 2 at free with in-app purchases against Notation Pad's subscription. PlayScore 2 also leads on chart position (#138 vs unranked). Notation Pad's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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 PlayScore 2 sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Notation Pad against 4.1 for PlayScore 2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.3K and 4.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of Notation Pad's written reviews are positive against 50% of PlayScore 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notation Pad ships an update monthly, PlayScore 2 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Notation Pad versus PlayScore 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotation PadPlayScore 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (5.3K ratings) — better4.1 (4.8K ratings)
Positive reviews55.9% of reviews — better50.3% of reviews
Number of ratings5.3K — better4.8K
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#138 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better16
Further details — not scored
Size162 MB93 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer嵩 张Organum Limited

Customer experience

Notation Pad

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

PlayScore 2

All ratings4,533 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral6.0%
Negative16.2%
Written reviews491 reviews
Positive50.3%
Neutral13.0%
Negative36.7%

User reviews

Notation Pad

From 5.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎼 Good for basic music notation
  • 🎹 Helpful for piano/keyboard players

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Many features locked behind paywall
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable at times
  • 📱 Limited functionality compared to desktop apps
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find features

PlayScore 2

From 4.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent app for learning music
  • 👍 User-friendly and easy to use
  • 🎉 Impressive music recognition capabilities
  • 💡 Helpful for practicing and isolating parts
  • 🎨 Versatile playback options (tempo, instrument)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent note/rhythm recognition
  • 🔢 Limitations on number of pages scanned
  • 🔇 Issues with volume and audio quality
  • 🤔 Struggles with complex or handwritten scores
  • 💰 Subscription-based model

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

PlayScore 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes and freezes when scanning/importing
  • Playback issues with timing and note accuracy
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
  • Exporting to MIDI/MusicXML not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to import PDFs and multiple pages
  • Improved support for transposition and clef changes
  • Metronome functionality and count-in feature
  • Annotation and score editing capabilities
  • Organizational tools (folders, playlists)

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

PlayScore 2

Subscriptions4
  • PlayScore Productivity$5.991 Month
  • PlayScore 2 Professional month$6.991 Month
  • PlayScore Productivity$34.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • PlayScore 2 Professional year$59.991 Year

Questions

Is Notation Pad free?
Notation Pad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PlayScore 2 free?
PlayScore 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notation Pad or PlayScore 2?
Notation Pad is rated higher. Notation Pad averages 4.3 out of 5 from 5.3K ratings, while PlayScore 2 averages 4.1 from 4.8K ratings.
Do Notation Pad or PlayScore 2 have ads?
Neither Notation Pad nor PlayScore 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notation Pad or PlayScore 2?
Notation Pad ships an update monthly, and PlayScore 2 every 2 months. Most recently, Notation Pad was updated on October 24, 2026 and PlayScore 2 on October 25, 2026.

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