Comparison

Notion vs Piano2Notes

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

Head to head
About

Notion

Create dynamic musical compositions using traditional notation or guitar tablature. This app offers an intuitive touch-based interface, realistic playback with orchestral samples, and cross-platform syncing. Share or export your creations in various formats.

Highlights
  • Traditional musical notation
  • Guitar tablature
  • Intuitive touch interface
  • Realistic audio playback
  • Cross-platform syncing
  • Multiple export formats
Features
Read full description

With over 15 years in the App Store, Notion is a free, award-winning music composition tool for iOS, iPadOS, macOS and more! You’ll effortlessly create dynamic compositions in traditional musical notation or guitar tablature with its intuitive touch-based interface and incredibly broad editing capabilities. With a user-friendly interface and simple interactive piano keyboard, fretboard, drum pad, and even optional Handwriting Recognition, Notion makes it easy to get started composing your music. You can also hear your music performed with the most realistic playback possible, using real audio samples recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios. Notion is a native cross-platform app, meaning you can write anywhere on any device without requiring a constant Internet connection. And when you’re back online, you’ll be able to sync your work across multiple devices through your preferred cloud provider. Start your work on one device and finish it on another. Once you are happy with your creation you can share the Notion file, or export as MIDI, MusicXML, PDF or as an audio file. You can even optionally transmit scores across a network with other instances of Notion, or between Notion and the Fender Studio Pro DAW. Compose, edit, and play back your music performed with real piano and orchestral samples recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios — along with outstanding sampled guitar, bass, drums and other popular instruments. And when you’re ready for more sounds, you’ll find the extensive library of Notion Add-on Soundsets to purchase as part of the Feature Bundle. To save space, the initial app download contains just piano — you can then manage which of the bundled Soundsets to have on your device or keep in the cloud, just tap on Sound Installation. Notion has been featured in various Apple campaigns including the Apple YourVerse television commercials, and has won several awards including a prestigious music industry NAMM TEC Award for Best Smartphone/Tablet App. What you get: Notion includes unlimited staves, comprehensive editing features and core orchestral and rhythm section Soundsets — all for free. You can optionally register (also for free!) to unlock an additional Soundset (containing Solo Strings, Classical Saxophones and Glockenspiel), and the multivoice function that allows writing in up to 4 voices per staff. Then for the full experience, either sign in with your Fender Studio Pro+ membership or purchase the Notion Feature Bundle. This unlocks Handwriting Recognition, Layout Controls, all the Expansion Soundsets (including many auxiliary instruments and additional articulations and effects), additional audio export formats (m4a, OPUS, FLAC), and direct score transfer with Notion and Fender Studio Pro running on the same network. Free: Unlimited staves All editing features Core Soundsets Export as MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, wav, mp3 Welcome Pack (register for free): Soundset including Solo Strings, Glockenspiel, Classical Saxophones Additionally write for voices 3 and 4 in a single staff Feature Bundle (in-app purchase or sign in with Fender Studio Pro+): Handwriting Recognition, powered by MyScript Available on iPhone, iPad and macOS (macOS with supporting graphics tablet or using Sidecar with compatible iPad) Automatic pen vs. finger recognition to switch between handwriting and edit mode Pressure-sensitive support for Apple Pencil Adjustable timer for Handwriting Recognition Override handwriting timer by double tapping Apple Pencil (2nd Gen) Layout Control All Expansion Soundsets Additional audio export formats (m4a, OPUS, FLAC) Transmit scores across a network with other instances of Notion, or between Notion and Fender Studio Pro

About

Piano2Notes

This app uses AI to convert piano recordings into sheet music. It provides playback of the transcribed score and allows export in various formats like PDF, MIDI, and MusicXML. Share your musical creations easily with others.

Highlights
  • Transcribe piano recordings to sheet music
  • View transcribed music as classical score
  • Playback sheet music
  • Download sheet as PDF, MIDI, or MusicXML
  • Share compositions
Read full description

» Transcribe piano recordings to sheet music » Transcribe piano MP3 files to sheet music » View the transcribed music as classical score » Playback the sheet music and listen to the result » Download sheet as PDF, MIDI, or MusicXML » Share your compositions with your friends HOW DOES IT FUNCTION? Once your music piece is uploaded, our artificial intelligence powered transcriber processes it to generate a sheet music based on what it hears. When the processing is finished, you get three outputs - a Midi file, a PDF engraved sheet, and a MusicXML digital note sheet. It has never been easier to convert piano pieces to sheet music! WHAT THIS APP DOESN'T OFFER » Separation of multiple instruments: The note recognition can't separate multiple instruments. If you record multiple instruments playing simultaneously you will get bad transcription results! As the name says, Piano2Notes will work only with piano recordings. » Live note recognition: This app is not able to show you live note recognition results. Instead, it will take some time to perform the frequency analysis and shows you the final sheet music. » 100% match percentage: This app won't detect 100% of the played notes and there will also be wrong detections. But depending on the quality of the input signal, it will give you more than useful sheet! REQUIREMENTS » Internet: active internet connection for server connectivity » Microphone SUMMARY Transcribe music recordings from your microphone to sheet music. With Piano2Notes you can create on-the-go recordings of your instrument. Those are uploaded to your personal songbook and transcribed to score. Musical note recognition for piano has never been so easy! CONTACT US We're always happy to hear from you. No matter what comes to your mind, we want to hear it. Would you like another feature? Does something not work as expected? Send us an e-mail at: support@piano2notes.com This app is actively developed and there are updates on a regular base The Apple Terms of Use apply: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Notion4 screens
Piano2Notes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Piano2Notes at 4.3 against Notion's 2.9. Piano2Notes also leads on ratings volume (294 vs 68). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Notion sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Piano2Notes sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Piano2Notes holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 68 and 294 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 42% of Notion's written reviews are positive against 37% of Piano2Notes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Notion versus Piano2Notes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotionPiano2Notes
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (68 ratings)4.3 (294 ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.7% of reviews — better36.6% of reviews
Number of ratings68294 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size146 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFender DigitalKlangio GmbH

Customer experience

Notion

All ratings68 ratings
Positive45.6%
Neutral11.8%
Negative42.6%
Written reviews503 reviews
Positive41.7%
Neutral16.1%
Negative42.1%

Piano2Notes

All ratings294 ratings
Positive81.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews71 reviews
Positive36.6%
Neutral9.9%
Negative53.5%

User reviews

Notion

From 68 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🎨 Great sound quality and instrument samples
  • 💡 Handwriting recognition feature
  • 🔗 Seamless integration with desktop version
  • 👍 Useful for composing on the go

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔀 Inconsistent and buggy note/chord entry
  • 💸 Expensive in-app purchases for full functionality
  • 🤔 Unintuitive interface and steep learning curve
  • 🔍 Poor documentation and support

Piano2Notes

From 294 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Dream come true app
  • 🎶 Accurate music transcription
  • 🎹 Converts music to piano sheet
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Great for composing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • ❌ PDF export issues
  • 📉 Inaccurate transcriptions
  • 💸 Subscription costs are high
  • 🚫 Cannot download anything

Bugs and requests

Notion

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to change key signatures mid-piece
  • Incorrect transposition of notes and chords
  • Text formatting and positioning issues
  • Unreliable MIDI file import/export
  • Playback distortion and timing issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to customize note beaming and stem direction
  • Option to display note letter names
  • Improved handwriting recognition for complex rhythms
  • Folder organization for better file management
  • Keyboard shortcuts for power users

Piano2Notes

Reported bugs

17 issues
  • App stops working
  • Desktop website doesn't work
  • App crashes when creating PDF
  • Subscription not recognized
  • App crashes when tapping download button
Show 12 more
  • Key not changing
  • Cannot download anything
  • PDF export issues
  • Subscription restore function doesn't work
  • Customer service not responding
  • App logs out and loses info
  • YouTube links not working
  • App crashes on PDF creation
  • Cannot fast forward
  • App doesn't open
  • Transcription speed mismatch
  • PDF export changes notes

Requested features

9 requests
  • Ability to edit notes
  • Improve general accuracy
  • Add enharmonic transposition option
  • Allow editing of transcribed music
  • Fix PDF export issues
Show 4 more
  • Add ability to use alternative sources (file, YouTube url)
  • Improve speed of transcription
  • Add dark mode
  • More flexible ticket system

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Notion

One-time10
  • Classical guitar$0.99
  • Harp$0.99
  • Jazz Alto Sax$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Vibraphone$0.99
  • Marimba$0.99
  • Jazz Bass$0.99
  • Percussion Bundle$4.99
  • Handwriting$7.99
  • Feature Bundle$14.99
  • All Sounds Bundle$29.99
8 purchases

Piano2Notes

Subscriptions4
  • Piano2Notes Pro Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Klangio Universe Monthly$24.991 Month
  • Piano2Notes Pro Yearly$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Klangio Universe Subscription$149.991 Year
One-time4
  • Single Token$2.99
  • 3 token package$5.99
  • 10 tokens package$9.99
Show 1 more
  • 50 Tokens Package$24.99

Questions

Is Notion free?
Notion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Piano2Notes free?
Piano2Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notion or Piano2Notes?
Piano2Notes is rated higher. Notion averages 2.9 out of 5 from 68 ratings, while Piano2Notes averages 4.3 from 294 ratings.
Do Notion or Piano2Notes have ads?
Neither Notion nor Piano2Notes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notion or Piano2Notes?
Notion ships an update every 6 weeks, and Piano2Notes every 6 weeks. Most recently, Notion was updated on September 23, 2026 and Piano2Notes on September 25, 2026.

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