Notation Pad vs Drum Charter
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
Drum Charter
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Drum Charter is a professional drum notation app for creating, editing, and playing drum charts using an intuitive text-based format. Perfect for drummers, music teachers, and composers who need a fast, distraction-free way to write drum patterns. KEY FEATURES * Text-Based Notation Simple ASCII symbols represent drums: 'x' for hi-hat, 'o' for snare, 'Q' for kick. Triplet notation with the ³ symbol for advanced rhythms. Fast to type, easy to read. * Staff Notation Read the same chart as real drum notation on a five-line staff: noteheads per instrument, beams, rests, triplets, flams, ghost notes, repeat signs and rehearsal marks. Switch per song with [notation: staff] or live in Concert Mode. * Smart Symbol Palette Context-aware: symbols that don't fit the current line are greyed out. * Real-Time Audio Playback High-quality drum sounds powered by FluidR3_GM soundfont. Hear patterns instantly with professional MIDI-based playback. * Flam & Ghost Notes Two expressive symbols for snare: Flam for quick grace notes before the main hit, Ghost for subtle quiet notes. Perfect for Jazz, Funk, and dynamic playing. * Lyrics Mode Create charts without drum notation - just lyrics, chords, and cues. Perfect for multi-instrumentalists with mixed setlists. Section headers in teal, cue lines in gray. Embedded drum bars automatically detected. Chord symbols highlighted in blue. * PDF Export Export as PDF — as the character grid, or as engraved staff notation on A4. Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. * MusicXML Export Export to MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale and more — with triplets, repeats, flams, ghost notes and rehearsal marks. * MIDI File Export Export as Standard MIDI Files with two-voice layout. Configurable stem grouping. Import into any DAW. * Practice Mode A full-screen practice room for your e-drums. Loop any range of bars, with an optional count-in. Every hit you play appears on the notation, colour-coded by accuracy, with missed notes marked. A calm readout shows whether you rush or drag and how even you are - the two things that actually help. Output latency is compensated automatically. Repeat counts are honoured, so you practise the phrase as written. * Concert Mode with Foot Pedal Full-screen performance view with large custom font (10-40pt). Turn pages hands-free with arrow keys, Bluetooth page turners or MIDI foot pedals. Your setlist is the folder of the current song. Metronome click, beat grouping, play and skip controls. Native macOS fullscreen. Multi-column lyrics with [columns: N]. * Multi-Time Signature Support Full support for 4/4, 3/4 (Waltz), and 6/8 (Compound Time). UI picker for quick time signature changes. * Swing & Shuffle Support Authentic Jazz/Blues feel with standard swing notation. Write "Shuffle" for classic 67% swing, or specify 50-75%. UI button with 5 presets. * BPM Control via Metadata Set tempo in the chart with [140 BPM], 60-200 BPM. * Smart Bar Management Auto-numbering up to 999 bars. Repeat notation (4x) for efficient charting. Move bars up/down. Section headers for song structure. * Combination Symbols Three symbols for simultaneous Snare+Tom hits: p (Snare+Tom1), d (Snare+Tom2), g (Snare+FloorTom). Perfect for complex fills. * Multi-Column Export 2, 4, 6 or 8 bars per line, optionally with spaces instead of rests (Logic Pro). * Universal App - iPhone, iPad, Mac Native experience on all devices with seamless iCloud sync. Start on iPhone, continue on iPad or Mac. WHO IS THIS FOR? - Drummers learning new songs - Music teachers creating lesson materials - Composers sketching drum parts - Multi-instrumentalists with mixed setlists - Anyone who prefers text over complex notation software PLATFORM SUPPORT - iPhone (iOS 15.0 or later) - iPad (iPadOS 15.0 or later) - Mac (macOS 12.0 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel) - Optimized for all screen sizes Perfect for drummers who want professional results without complexity.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Drum Charter at none against Notation Pad's 10. Drum Charter also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). Notation Pad's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads 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. Drum Charter asks for nothing beyond the download.
Notation Pad ships an update monthly, Drum Charter every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notation Pad | Drum Charter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (5.3K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 55.9% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 5.3K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 162 MB | 147 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 嵩 张 | Ralf Brauchler |
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
Drum Charter
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
Drum Charter
No in-app purchases









