Comparison

IMSLP vs Music Reader

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

Head to head
About

IMSLP

Access a vast digital library of classical music scores on your iOS device. Enjoy full access to commercial recordings, instant downloads, and new uploads with a membership subscription. Support the music community while exploring a comprehensive collection.

Highlights
  • Browse IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
  • View musical scores
  • Access commercial recordings
  • Instant downloads
  • Access new uploads instantly
  • Membership subscription benefits
Features
Read full description

Browse IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library and view scores from the comfort of your iOS device. IMSLP Membership Subscription Length of subscription: 1 month. Benefits include: • Full access to commercial recordings • Access all features in this app • No waiting for downloads • Access new uploads instantly • Knowing that you helped keep IMSLP running and serving the music community 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 publication, where applicable. Terms of Service and Privacy policy - https://imslp.org/wiki/IMSLP:Terms_of_Service_and_Privacy_policy_(app)

About

Music Reader

This app is a comprehensive tool for sheet music. It allows users to view, learn, listen, mark, and play musical scores. It supports various music genres and instruments, acting as a portable songbook and powerful player.

Highlights
  • View and play sheet music
  • Mark and annotate scores
  • Import MusicXML and NotationPad files
  • Supports dark mode
  • Transposition (PRO)
  • Change instrument parts (PRO)
Features
Read full description

Music Reader provides all you need about sheet music. You could view, learn, listen, mark and play music notes and notations as you want. it is your portable songbook and a powerful sheet music reader & player. A easy-to-use painting system for you to draw any marks on sheets. From classic to popular, from rock to country, from piano to symphony, all kinds of music played well in Music Reader. *Compatible with dark mode *Supports importing MusicXML(.xml) and NotationPad(.ecz) file PRO ACCESS SUBSCRIPTION - No Ads - Transposition - Change instrument for parts - Support layers for painting marks - The subscription price is $4.99/monthly, $14.99/yearly - 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/sheetmusicplus/terms_service.html

Screenshots

IMSLP4 screens
Music Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: IMSLP at none against Music Reader's shown. IMSLP also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (70% vs 52%). Music Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. IMSLP sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month and Music Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 — 4.6 for IMSLP against 4.5 for Music Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 507 and 188 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of IMSLP's written reviews are positive against 52% of Music Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IMSLP ships an update every 10 days, Music Reader every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
IMSLP versus Music Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIMSLPMusic Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (507 ratings) — better4.5 (188 ratings)
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better52.1% of reviews
Number of ratings507 — better188
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size232 MB183 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProject Petrucci LLC嵩 张

Customer experience

IMSLP

All ratings507 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral3.7%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews297 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral11.4%
Negative18.5%

Music Reader

All ratings188 ratings
Positive88.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive52.1%
Neutral4.2%
Negative43.8%

Bugs and requests

IMSLP

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Crashes when opening scores
  • Scores disappearing from library
  • Login issues and lost data
  • Incompatibility with older devices after updates
  • Annotation issues causing loss of data
Show 1 more
  • Inability to edit file information after import

Requested features

11 requests
  • Predictive text for score annotations
  • Ability to restore original zoom settings
  • Metric to indicate device performance during page turns
  • Folder-like organization system
  • Color wheel and custom pen/highlighter options
Show 6 more
  • Ability to rename music files
  • Different color folder options
  • Split view support
  • Easier way to import scores from other sources
  • Instrumentation information for scores
  • Sorting by instrumentation

Music Reader

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

IMSLP

Subscriptions1
  • Membership Subscription$3.991 Month
3 purchases

Music Reader

Subscriptions3
  • Pro Access$2.991 Month
  • Pro Access7 Days trial$14.991 Year
  • Pro Access$14.991 Year

Questions

Is IMSLP free?
IMSLP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Music Reader free?
Music Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, IMSLP or Music Reader?
IMSLP is rated higher. IMSLP averages 4.6 out of 5 from 507 ratings, while Music Reader averages 4.5 from 188 ratings.
Do IMSLP or Music Reader have ads?
Music Reader shows ads; IMSLP does not.
Which is updated more often, IMSLP or Music Reader?
IMSLP ships an update every 10 days, and Music Reader every 4 months. Most recently, IMSLP was updated on September 24, 2026 and Music Reader on September 18, 2026.

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