# Music Reader vs Music Scanner

The clearest difference is ads: Music Scanner at none against Music Reader's shown. Music Scanner also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (80% vs 51%). Music Reader's advantage is ratings volume (193 vs 7) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Music Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Music Scanner sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Music Reader against 4.4 for Music Scanner. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Music Reader has 193 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 51% of Music Reader's written reviews are positive against 80% of Music Scanner's.

Music Reader ships an update every 4 months, Music Scanner every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Music Reader | Music Scanner |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (193 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-reader-sheet-music-note/id1491308446/reviews)** | [4.4 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-scanner/id6772433292/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **193** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 51.0% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 183 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [嵩 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/1091921941) | [Relax Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1692483871) |

## What reviewers say

### Music Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-reader-sheet-music-note/id1491308446)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Access | $2.99 | per month |
| Pro Access | $14.99 | per year |
| Pro Access | $14.99 | per year |


### Music Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-scanner/id6772433292)

Identify songs by humming, singing, or lyrics. Scan sheet music to play it back, transcribe audio to notation, and access lyrics and album art. Store your musical creations and practice history in the cloud.

**Highlights:** Music identification by audio, lyrics, or description, Sheet music scanning and playback, Audio to notation transcription, Tempo and key adjustment, Lyrics and album art fetching, Cloud sync for library and history

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| musicscanner | $3.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Music Reader free?

Music Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Music Scanner free?

Music Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Music Reader or Music Scanner?

Music Reader is rated higher. Music Reader averages 4.5 out of 5 from 193 ratings, while Music Scanner averages 4.4 from 7 ratings.

### Do Music Reader or Music Scanner have ads?

Music Reader shows ads; Music Scanner does not.

### Which is updated more often, Music Reader or Music Scanner?

Music Reader ships an update every 4 months, and Music Scanner every 2 days. Most recently, Music Reader was updated on November 11, 2026 and Music Scanner on November 10, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*