# Symphony Pro vs NotateMe

The clearest difference is price: Symphony Pro at $14.99 against NotateMe's $39.99. Symphony Pro also leads on rating (3.8 vs 2.6) and ratings volume (469 vs 26). NotateMe's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 weeks) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 13.5). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Symphony Pro costs $14.99 and NotateMe $39.99 up front. Symphony Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and NotateMe sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Symphony Pro holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symphony Pro has 469 ratings behind it against 26, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Symphony Pro's written reviews are positive against 45% of NotateMe's.

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, NotateMe every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Symphony Pro | NotateMe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$14.99** | $39.99 |
| Rating | **[3.8 (469 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315/reviews)** | [2.6 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notateme/id699470139/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **469** | 26 |
| Positive reviews | **55.9% of reviews** | 44.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 365 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.5 | **6.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Xenon Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327764518) | [Neuratron Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/699470142) |

## What reviewers say

### Symphony Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315)

Compose music notation on your iPad with intuitive handwriting recognition or traditional input methods. Create scores for various ensembles, import and export in multiple formats, and utilize a wide range of notational elements. Enjoy built-in instruments for playback and auditioning.

**Highlights:** Handwriting recognition for Apple Pencil and touch, Compose for various ensembles, Import/export MusicXML, MIDI, and more, On-screen instrument input, Real-time recording and transcription, Wide range of notational elements, Print via AirPrint

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Version 4: Complete Features Bundle | Free | one-time |
| Handwriting Recognition Tool | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Handwriting recognition is great
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎨 Flexible for composing and arranging
- 💰 Good value for the price
- 🎹 Works well with Apple Pencil

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Clunky and unintuitive interface
- 🔊 Poor sound quality of instruments
- 🔒 Issues with saving and exporting files
- 🤔 Steep learning curve for some features

**Reported bugs**

- Project menu disappears unexpectedly
- Ties and tuplets not working correctly
- Inconsistent behavior when zooming and panning
- Instruments not transposing properly
- Frequent crashes when editing complex scores

**Requested features**

- Add guitar metronome
- Improve text and lyrics handling
- Allow more customization of page layout
- Implement better transposition and chord features
- Provide more orchestral percussion instruments


### NotateMe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notateme/id699470139)

Compose and edit music notation using handwritten input. This app recognizes a wide range of musical symbols, allowing for creation of scores for various ensembles. Export your work in multiple formats or share it via email.

**Highlights:** Handwritten music recognition, Compose for solo instruments and ensembles, Edit and playback scores, Export as PDF, MusicXML, MIDI, Import MusicXML files, Dropbox synchronization, PhotoScore Add-In for printed music

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NotateMe PhotoScore IAP | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent handwriting recognition
- 🎼 Convenient for jotting down musical ideas
- 💾 Good integration with Dropbox and other apps
- 🎹 Useful for piano teachers and students
- 🎨 Creative tool for composers and arrangers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🤔 Steep learning curve and not very intuitive
- 🖋️ Struggles with complex notation and articulations
- 🔍 Inaccurate recognition of accidentals and ledger lines
- 💰 Expensive for the current feature set

**Reported bugs**

- Photoscore feature crashes frequently
- Notes and rests sometimes get misplaced or lost
- Inconsistent recognition of handwritten input

**Requested features**

- Ability to import and export MusicXML files
- More customization options for layout and formatting
- Support for additional articulations and notation symbols
- Improved palm rejection and stylus compatibility
- Transposition and chord symbol features


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Symphony Pro free?

Symphony Pro costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is NotateMe free?

NotateMe costs $39.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Symphony Pro or NotateMe?

Symphony Pro is rated higher. Symphony Pro averages 3.8 out of 5 from 469 ratings, while NotateMe averages 2.6 from 26 ratings.

### Do Symphony Pro or NotateMe have ads?

Neither Symphony Pro nor NotateMe shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Symphony Pro or NotateMe?

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, and NotateMe every 2 weeks. Most recently, Symphony Pro was updated on October 20, 2026 and NotateMe on October 17, 2026.

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