Comparison

Music Calculator vs NoteTamer

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

Head to head
About

Music Calculator

A music notation sketchpad for composing and practicing. Quickly input notes and rhythms with a calculator-style keypad, then hear them played back with various instrument sounds. Ideal for learning, practicing difficult passages, or capturing musical ideas.

Highlights
  • Calculator-style note input
  • Precise playback with 25 instrument sounds
  • Tempo control and looping for practice
  • Support for multiple staves and voices
  • MusicXML import and export
  • Key and time signature changes
  • Automatic beaming and tuplets
Features
Read full description

A sketchpad for music, for practice and for composing. Notes go in on a keypad as quick as a calculator, and play back exactly as written. FOR PRACTICE Copy out what you're learning: an exercise, a few difficult measures, the piece your teacher assigned. Hear how it should sound, then slow it down, loop it, and raise the tempo as you improve. Pianists can write both hands on a grand staff, and choirs can write out all four parts and hear them together. Check your rhythm counting or your harmony homework by ear. The keypad is simple enough for children to use, and the selected note's name, such as F#, shows on its key as you write. FOR COMPOSING Write down a melody, a chord progression or a four-part harmony before you forget it, and hear every part played back with real instrument sounds. Use one instrument or several, with up to four voices on each staff, and keep every idea in your library. HOW IT WORKS Tap a note value to add a note, drag up or down to set its pitch, and drag sideways for sharps and flats. The keys are large, so there are no toolbars of tiny icons and no stylus. WRITE IT • Notes and rests from double whole notes to 128th notes, with up to three dots • Chords, and up to four voices per staff, each in its own color with stems placed for you • Several parts, each with as many staves as it needs: a piano grand staff, SATB on two staves, a duet, a small group • Treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs, with clef changes anywhere • Every key signature, chosen from an interactive circle of fifths, with key changes anywhere • Simple and compound time signatures, and a pickup measure where a piece starts with one • Ties, accidentals, staccato, accents and tenuto • Triplets, quintuplets and nested tuplets • Automatic beaming HEAR IT • Precise playback in pitch, rhythm and tempo, looping continuously • Long-press play to set the tempo, from 30 to 240 BPM, even while the music plays: slow a passage down as far as you need, then raise the tempo as your playing improves • 25 instrument sounds, from grand piano and harpsichord to strings, brass, woodwinds, harp and guitar • Two metronome channels and a volume for every part • The score glides along as it plays and each note lights up as it sounds KEEP AND SHARE IT Every passage is saved to your library and named for you. Import MusicXML (.musicxml, .xml, .mxl) from other notation apps, with its notes, rhythms, keys and clefs, and export MusicXML to finish a piece in desktop notation software. Built for iPhone, one-handed, and for iPad, with a full-width keypad and a library sidebar. Pinch or double-tap to zoom. There are no ads and no account to create, and your music stays on your device. WHAT IT ISN'T Music Calculator is built for short passages and ideas, not symphonies. It doesn't do dynamics, slurs, lyrics or chord symbols, print or export PDFs, export audio or MIDI, or scan sheet music. If you need those, a desktop engraving program is the right tool. If you want to write a passage down and hear it in seconds, this is. TRY IT FREE To use Music Calculator, choose a monthly or annual subscription, each with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, or a one-time lifetime purchase. The subscription is called Music Calculator Pro on Apple's purchase sheet and in your Apple Account settings. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase, or at the end of the free trial. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in your Apple Account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you buy a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://music-calculator.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

NoteTamer

Improve your musical sight-reading skills with instant feedback on every note played. Practice percussion rhythms or melodies in treble and bass clef.

Highlights
  • Pitch detection for instant feedback
  • Practice sight-reading on any instrument
  • Rhythm mode for percussion
  • Melody mode for treble/bass clef
  • Generated musical scores
Features
Read full description

Practise sight-reading on any instrument by playing generated scores. NoteTamer uses pitch detection to give you instant feedback on every note you play. Use the rhythm mode to practise with percussion scores, or the new melody mode to practise with treble or bass clef melodies.

Screenshots

Music Calculator4 screens
NoteTamer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Music Calculator at 4.7 against NoteTamer's 1.0. Music Calculator also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). NoteTamer's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Calculator sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and NoteTamer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Music Calculator holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Music Calculator ships an update every 2 weeks, NoteTamer monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Music Calculator versus NoteTamer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMusic CalculatorNoteTamer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJET Powered Apps Ltd.Evan Snoswell

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Music Calculator

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Music Calculator Pro$49.99
1 purchases

NoteTamer

One-time1
  • Melody Mode$6.99

Questions

Is Music Calculator free?
Music Calculator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NoteTamer free?
NoteTamer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Music Calculator or NoteTamer?
Music Calculator is rated higher. Music Calculator averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while NoteTamer averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Music Calculator or NoteTamer have ads?
Neither Music Calculator nor NoteTamer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Music Calculator or NoteTamer?
Music Calculator ships an update every 2 weeks, and NoteTamer monthly. Most recently, Music Calculator was updated on November 7, 2026 and NoteTamer on November 5, 2026.

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