The Great Composers vs Notalune
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Great Composers
Explore the lives and works of 227 influential Western music composers from the Medieval era to the 21st century. Each profile includes a biography, portrait, and curated YouTube video links. Navigate easily with a searchable and sortable table, and gain historical context with a music history outline.
- Profiles of 227 composers
- In-depth biographies
- High-resolution portraits
- Curated YouTube video links
- Searchable and sortable composer table
- Western music history outline
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The Great Composers is a richly detailed guide to the lives and works of 227 influential figures in Western music history, spanning from the Medieval era to the 21st century. It includes nearly all the major composers who shaped the evolution of European music. Each profile features a high-resolution portrait and an in-depth biography, along with four curated YouTube video links showcasing the composer’s music—note that these videos require an internet connection. Users can easily navigate the app through a searchable composers table, which can be sorted either chronologically or alphabetically. To provide historical context, the app also includes a concise outline of Western music history. Whether you're a passionate music lover, a dedicated student, a seasoned teacher, or a professional musician, this app serves as an invaluable companion for exploring the rich legacy of classical music. As Best10Apps.com puts it, “A detailed guide to the lives and works of 205 composers from Medieval to the 21st Century. It's a must-have app for music lovers.”
Notalune
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Notalune shows the name of every note, right on your own sheet music. Point your iPhone or iPad at printed sheet music and Notalune overlays the note names directly above the notes: English (C D E F G A B), German and Czech (C D E F G A H), solfège (do re mi) or Japanese katakana (ド レ ミ). No typing, no searching, no flipping through theory books. BUILT ON TRUST Notalune follows one rule: blank beats wrong. If it is not sure about a note, it leaves it unnamed instead of guessing. One tap on the traffic light shows how confident every name is (green, orange, red). Every scan starts with a quick clef check, and any name can be corrected in two taps. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Quick reading: point at one measure or a whole page and get the names in seconds. Nothing to create first; keep the reading or let it go • Any measure opens in place, with practice, editing, re-reading and sharing tools around it • Pieces: build your own library, piece by piece, measure by measure • Whole pages: photograph a full page or import a scan, map its measures, and read them one tap at a time • PDF import: title, composer and tempo fill in from the file, and every measure reads itself in while you watch • Open in Notalune: send a PDF from Mail, Files or WhatsApp straight into the app • Octave numbers, if you want them: c¹ c² in the Central European style, C4 C5 elsewhere • Annotated page: the assembled page with every name in place; practice from it with pinch-zoom and free pan • Print and share: export the annotated page or the whole piece as a PDF (Pro) • Metronome: a real mechanical metronome with tap tempo, free and unlimited • Corrections: fix any name, change the clef or key, or revert; uncertain notes are easy to spot FOR REAL SHEET MUSIC From method books and first songbooks up to harder repertoire. Recognition works best on printed music photographed up close, one measure at a time. In My Sheet Music you can assemble and read whole pages, measure by measure. A SCAFFOLD, NOT A CRUTCH The names are made to be hidden. In practice mode, tap a single name to hide just that note and test yourself. Tap again to reveal it, or bring them all back at once. The goal is the day you read without Notalune. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything happens on your device. Photos are processed on-device and stored only in the app. No accounts, no ads, no analytics, no tracking. The app never connects to the internet. If you opt in to help improve recognition, correction snippets are stored locally on your device; you decide if and when to share them, manually. FREE AND PRO Free: 10 quick readings in total, 3 pieces with one page each, the full metronome, practice mode, and every reading and correction tool. The 10 readings are a one-off allowance, not a daily quota - nothing resets, and nothing expires. Pro: Notalune Pro is a one-time purchase - no subscription, no trial to expire - that removes the limits and adds printing & sharing of annotated PDFs. Family Sharing included. IPHONE AND IPAD One purchase covers both. On iPad the reading page shows at close to print size, so you can play straight from the stand. LANGUAGES Seven: English, Czech, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese. Note naming in English (B), German and Czech (H), solfège, or Japanese katakana. The naming follows your choice, not your phone's language: a fixed-do player keeps do re mi on an English phone. Notalune reads notes so you can play them.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Notalune at Free against The Great Composers's $3.99. Notalune also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 7 months). The Great Composers's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On ads and device support 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
Notalune is free to download; The Great Composers costs $3.99 up front. Notalune sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Great Composers asks for nothing beyond the download.
The Great Composers ships an update every 7 months, Notalune every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Great Composers | Notalune |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hon Fai Yiu | DAVID CHRISTIAN LICHTAG |
In-app purchases
The Great Composers
No in-app purchases
Notalune
- Notalune Pro$9.99
Questions
Is The Great Composers free?
Is Notalune free?
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Which is updated more often, The Great Composers or Notalune?
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