Notation Pad vs Tambu
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
Tambu
This app serves as a digital notebook for musicians to store practice materials, record sessions, and monitor progress. It allows users to plan practice routines, organize their music library, and review past sessions to identify areas for improvement.
- Digital practice notebook
- Record audio clips
- Track practice progress
- Plan practice sessions
- Organize music library
- Log session details
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Tambu is your digital practice notebook. Store the exercises and pieces you are practicing, record your practice sessions and track your progress. - Track your practice: easily see notes and details from past practice sessions and track your progress - Record audio clips: listen back to spot issues and improve - Choose what to track: only jot down a quick note about the session, or log everything you practiced and how it went - it’s up to you - Plan your sessions: easily get sidetracked? Structure your session at the start, then work your way through it - Organise your practice library: keep notes and easily see what you haven’t practiced in a while Terms of Use: https://www.tambu.fm/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://www.tambu.fm/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Tambu at 100% against Notation Pad's 56%. Tambu also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and monetization model (freemium vs subscription). Notation Pad's advantage is ratings volume (5.3K vs 2) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ads, 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
Both are free to download. Notation Pad sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and Tambu sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Tambu holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notation Pad has 5.3K ratings behind it against 2, 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 100% of Tambu's.
Notation Pad ships an update monthly, Tambu every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notation Pad | Tambu |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (5.3K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.9% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5.3K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Freemium — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 162 MB | 92 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 嵩 张 | Tambu Ltd |
Customer experience
Notation Pad
Tambu
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
Tambu
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Notation Pad
- Unlimited Access7 Days trial$6.997 Days
- Unlimited Access Monthly$14.991 Month
- Guitar Instrument Group$0.99
- Ensemble Instrument Group$0.99
- Brass Instrument Group$0.99
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- Reed Instrument Group$0.99
- Pipe Instrument Group$0.99
- Strings Instrument Group$1.99
- All Instruments Pack$4.99
- Extras Package$19.99
Tambu
- Early Adopter - Monthly7 Days trial$1.001 Month









