Comparison

Flat vs Pure Score Reader

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

Head to head
About

Flat

Create, edit, and play sheet music and guitar tabs with this intuitive composer app. It offers a wide range of instruments, notation tools, and collaboration features. Import and export in various formats, and share your creations with a large community.

Highlights
  • Compose and edit sheet music
  • Create guitar tabs
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Import MusicXML, MIDI, PDF
  • Export to PDF, MIDI, MP3, WAV
  • Large community library
  • 90+ instruments
Features
Read full description

Write, play and share music, anywhere! Flat is the sheet music app trusted by 5M+ musicians worldwide. Compose, notate, and collaborate on scores for any instrument, from guitar tabs to full orchestras, across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and your web browser. Free features include: → Quick notation input via touch piano, guitar fretboard, or drum pads → 90+ instruments including piano, guitar, violin, saxophone, drums, voice, and more → 100K+ original scores in the community → Edit music scores on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and in your web browser → Hundreds of notation symbols: articulations, dynamics, measures, text, and more → Autocompletion when adding chords → Transposition by key, interval, or tone → Import MusicXML and MIDI files → Import PDF sheet music and convert it into fully editable scores → Keyboard shortcuts for iPad keyboard and fretboard → Share scores publicly or privately Collaborate in real-time: → Real-time collaboration for a dynamic experience → Inline comments for live feedback → Find collaborators in the Flat community Share your music: → Join the monthly Flat community challenge and win prizes → Explore hundreds of thousands of original scores from composers worldwide → Get featured and connect with fellow musicians Subscribe to Flat Power to unlock the full experience across all your devices. Flat Power, premium features: → Unlimited cloud storage → Automatic sync so your full library stays connected on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and web browser → 180+ instruments including high-quality audio → Advanced export: individual parts, multi-rest print, remove Flat branding → Layout and styles: page dimensions, spacing, chord style, Jazz and Handwritten fonts → Custom note heads: Boomwhackers colors, Note Names, Shape-Note (Aiken) → Version history: view and revert to any past version of your scores → Advanced audio: per-part volume and reverb controls → Input notes with MIDI devices (USB and Bluetooth) → Autosave with full version history → Customizable keyboard shortcuts → Priority support → PDF and photo import pages included with every plan: - Monthly plan: 10 PDF import pages/month + full premium features - Yearly plan: 20 PDF import pages/month + full premium features (best value) - Lifetime plan: full premium features + 20 PDF import pages (one-time purchase, no renewal) Terms for in-app payments: Payment will be charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the period. Manage and cancel subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy: https://flat.io/help/en/policies Questions or feedback: ios@flat.io

About

Pure Score Reader

Features
Read full description

Your sheet music, always on stage. Pure Score Reader is a fast, distraction-free reader for your PDF scores. Import, annotate, and build setlists — then turn pages with a tap, a swipe, or a Bluetooth pedal. Everything a performer needs, and nothing in the way. ■ Distraction-free reading Read one page at a time or as a two-page spread. Smart zoom crops blank margins so the music fills the screen — nothing else gets in the way. ■ Effortless page turns Turn pages with a tap, a swipe, or a Bluetooth foot pedal — and pick up right where you left off. ■ Annotate in layers Mark up with a pressure-sensitive pen and highlighter. Keep fingerings, cuts, and cues on separate layers you can show or hide per performance. ■ Setlists Build a virtual score book — pages picked from any piece, in your running order. Jump straight to the next number. ■ Find any score fast Organize with labels and folders, and search by title or composer. Your whole library is one tap away. ■ Sync through your Drive Keep every device in sync through your own Google Drive. Your scores stay yours — there's no account to create. ■ Your library stays yours Works offline. No ads, no analytics profile, no selling your data. Just your music. ■ Simple, fair pricing Start free with up to 4 scores, 2 setlists, and PDFs up to 15 MB — annotations, layers, and Drive sync included. Unlock everything with a single one-time purchase (Essential): unlimited scores, unlimited setlists, any PDF file size, and all future updates. No subscription — pay once, keep it forever.

Screenshots

Flat4 screens
Pure Score Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: Flat at #144 against Pure Score Reader's unranked. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Flat sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Pure Score Reader sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flat ships an update fortnightly, Pure Score Reader every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 10 level
Flat versus Pure Score Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlatPure Score Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (7K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews67.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings7K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
Best chart rank#144 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size219 MB17 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperTutteo LimitedSukodama Inc.

Bugs and requests

Flat

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Notes and rests disappear
  • Playback issues and audio glitches
  • Difficulty selecting and editing notes
  • Syncing and saving problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more percussion instruments
  • Improve note entry and editing
  • Allow custom soundfonts
  • Implement measure repeat signs
  • Add more advanced notation options

Pure Score Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Flat

Subscriptions4
  • Flat Power (Monthly)$9.991 Month
  • Flat Power (Yearly)$29.991 Year
  • Flat Power (Yearly)$39.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Flat Power (Yearly)$49.991 Year
One-time6
  • PDF import 30 credits$9.99
  • PDF import 70 credits$17.99
  • Flat Power (Lifetime)$119.00
Show 3 more
  • Flat Power (Lifetime)$179.99
  • Flat Power (Lifetime)$199.00
  • Flat Power (Lifetime)$299.99
1 purchases

Pure Score Reader

One-time1
  • Pure Score Reader Essential$17.99

Questions

Is Flat free?
Flat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pure Score Reader free?
Pure Score Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Flat or Pure Score Reader have ads?
Neither Flat nor Pure Score Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Flat or Pure Score Reader?
Flat ships an update fortnightly, and Pure Score Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, Flat was updated on October 26, 2026 and Pure Score Reader on October 10, 2026.

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