Comparison

Music Reader vs Sheet Show

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

Head to head
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

About

Sheet Show

This app helps musicians manage and display sheet music digitally. It allows importing PDFs, hands-free page turning with a foot pedal, and includes a metronome. Share music across devices or use it offline.

Highlights
  • Import PDF sheet music
  • Hands-free page turning
  • MIDI device control
  • Add annotations and triggers
  • Integrated metronome
  • Offline availability
  • Cross-device sharing
Features
Read full description

Sheet show manages and displays sheet music for music practice or performance. Stop flipping pages and enjoy playing more! - import PDF sheet music files obtained from the web or scanned from your own sheet music - define the page ordering within a pdf and play extents within a page for superior handling of repeat sections - use a bluetooth foot pedal for hands-free operation (or tap or swipe to change pages) - select sounds or actions in MIDI-connected apps and devices - add annotations and triggers to sheet music - track and display what and how much you play (optional) - includes a metronome with per-song tempo saving, and the ability to trigger tempo changes within a song - uses iCloud for seamless sharing of PDFs and setlists between multiple devices, but allows saving to device to ensure availability for offline use - supports both portrait and landscape use - search for songs by title, artist, composer, genre, year or rating - numerous ways to import PDFs, including copying PDFs with the Files app or a Mac, Airdrop and sharing PDFs from other apps - use on new Mac computers (i.e. Macs that have an Apple Silicon processor) Free to download and try. Offers a one-time in-app purchase to remove restrictions on quantity and size of PDFs that can be displayed.

Screenshots

Music Reader4 screens
Sheet Show4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sheet Show at 100% against Music Reader's 51%. Sheet Show also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Music Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Sheet Show sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Music Reader ships an update every 4 months, Sheet Show every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Music Reader versus Sheet Show: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMusic ReaderSheet Show
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (192 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews51.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings192 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size183 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer嵩 张Kevin Brain

Customer experience

Music Reader

All ratings188 ratings
Positive88.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews49 reviews
Positive51.0%
Neutral4.1%
Negative44.9%

Sheet Show

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Music Reader

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

Sheet Show

One-time1
  • Unlimited PDF Storage$2.99

Questions

Is Music Reader free?
Music Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sheet Show free?
Sheet Show is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Music Reader or Sheet Show have ads?
Music Reader shows ads; Sheet Show does not.
Which is updated more often, Music Reader or Sheet Show?
Music Reader ships an update every 4 months, and Sheet Show every 5 weeks. Most recently, Music Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and Sheet Show on October 7, 2026.

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