Music Reader vs Melody
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- View and play sheet music
- Mark and annotate scores
- Import MusicXML and NotationPad files
- Supports dark mode
- Transposition (PRO)
- Change instrument parts (PRO)
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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
Melody
Record and visualize songs played on your digital piano. Connect your device via USB to capture performances and export them as videos. Ideal for musicians looking to share their playing.
- Record digital piano performances
- Visualize songs
- Export as video
- USB connection for iPhone/iPad
- Free to download
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Melody allows you to record and visualise songs played on your digital piano and export them as videos. Plug your iPhone or iPad to the piano via a USB cable, tap record, and play. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Music Reader at 4.5 against Melody's 3.4. Music Reader also leads on ratings volume (192 vs 7) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.0). Melody's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Music Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Melody sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Music Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Music Reader has 192 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Music Reader's written reviews are positive against 50% of Melody's.
Music Reader ships an update every 4 months, Melody every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | Music Reader | Melody |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (192 ratings) — better | 3.4 (7 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 51.0% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 192 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 183 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 嵩 张 | Andrey Ufimcev |
Customer experience
Music Reader
Melody
In-app purchases
Music Reader
- Pro Access$2.991 Month
- Pro Access7 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Pro Access$14.991 Year
Melody
- Melody Pro7 Days trial$0.991 Month









