Comparison

Score Creator vs Notation Pad

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

Head to head
About

Score Creator

Easily compose and edit sheet music on your mobile device. This app simplifies music creation with a text-keyboard-like interface for notes and chords, supports multiple instruments and clefs, and allows for lyric and chord symbol writing. It's ideal for songwriters, teachers, and students.

Highlights
  • Compose music scores with various clefs and symbols
  • Write lyrics and chord symbols
  • Multi-track support for different instruments
  • Playback sound for each instrument
  • Transpose songs and import/export MIDI/MusicXML
  • Export to PDF and audio files
  • Editing assistant features
Features
Read full description

Score Creator is a music composition application that is specially designed for mobile platforms. It's a simple but powerful music creation tool that caters your need of writing music on the go. *** The app's user experience is completely optimized to make composing music on mobile devices easier and faster than ever. No more "tapping and zooming" the screen just to add a music note or a chord symbol. No more "dragging and dropping" from the palette just to add a sharp/flat sign. All you need to do to write a song is just tapping the keyboards (notes and chords) that are designed like a text keyboard. COMPOSING MUSIC IS NOW AS SIMPLE AS TEXTING TO YOUR FRIENDS! *** Apart from being a songwriting app for songwriters, Score Creator also functions as a music teaching and learning assistant tool for music teachers and students. Teachers can teach students how to read music notation by directly entering music notes into the app and playing back the song, while music students can practice by themselves by notating their favorite songs into the app and playing along with their own music instruments. *** The app is a perfect tool for writing different types of sheet music, including lead sheet, solo instruments, SATB choir, sheet for brass & woodwind bands, ... *** FEATURES: - Compose music score. The app supports treble, alto, bass and neutral clefs, with a wide range of notes and music symbols: note length, time signature, key signature, slurs, ties, dynamics, articulations & ornaments, ... - Write lyrics. - Write chord symbols. - Multiple tracks with different instruments: piano, guitar, violin, saxophone, drum, flute, horn, tuba, ukulele, mandolin, ... - Score for transposing instruments: saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone), Bb clarinet, Bb trumpet, ... - Playback sound for each instrument. - Transpose songs into any key. - Import songs from MIDI & MusicXML files. - Change clef, time/key signature and tempo in the middle of a song. - Export songs to MIDI or MusicXML files so that they can be imported into other apps such as Finale, Encore, MuseScore, Sibelius, ... The files can be copied to your computer or sent via email. - Send exported MIDI files to other apps on your current device. - Import MIDI files from other apps. - Export songs to PDF files. - Export songs to audio files (.wav, .mp3). - Editing assistant features: multiple selecting notes, copy & paste, undo & redo, ... - SCAN SHEET MUSIC FROM PHOTOS. - SCAN SHEET MUSIC FROM PDF. *** End User License Agreement: https://www.termsfeed.com/eula/c6cf438c81097acbfd5a7d51600b6bba *** Privacy policy: The app does not collect or store any kind of personal information.

About

Notation Pad

Create, edit, and play sheet music with this comprehensive notation editor. Compose original pieces, transcribe existing music, and even collaborate in real-time. Ideal for musicians of all levels, from beginners learning notes to experienced composers.

Highlights
  • Real-time collaborative editing
  • MusicXML, MIDI, PNG, and PDF export
  • High-quality playback sound
  • Support for up to 8 staves
  • Over 100 instrument sounds
  • Lyric editing
  • Multi-voice support
Features
Read full description

A sheet music creator and music notation editor on iOS. For any music lover or composer, Notation Pad gives you the ability to read, compose, edit, playback music scores and write lyrics. With it you can be a talented composer and great sheet music maker anywhere. As long as you have a little knowledge of sheet music, you can write music composition simply by touching and moving. You could use it as your songbook or scoresheet. It is also designed for a beginner who wants to learn music score, music notes and tablature. It can handle ensemble, choir or symphony score, also it supports for a single track piano score. With the help of it you could easily record the flashes of inspiration wherever they strike. Are you ready to compose music in a simple way? ----------------------- Features: -Realtime multi-person collaborative editing via SharePlay. -Export/Import the industry-popular MusicXML file format, allowing for exchanging sheet music with other software (Finale, Sibelius, Encore, MuseScore, etc). -Export MIDI file. -Export PNG image and PDF document. -High quality sound for playback. -Support editing up to 8 staff at the same time. -Support over 100 kinds of musical instrument. Piano, organ, guitar, violin, sax, flute, brass, bass, etc. -Support multi-voice. -A great lyric app. ----------------------- Supported notation: *A variety of music note types, from whole note to 128th note and dotted note *Chord, staff, track *Treble, alto and bass clef *Edit lyrics *A variety of time signatures *All standard key signatures *Adjustable tempo *All accidentals (sharps, flats, double sharps, double flats, and naturals) *Tie, slur, and tuplet *Many types of ornament *A wide range of dynamics ----------------------- UNLIMITED ACCESS SUBSCRIPTION - Support up to 8 staff - Config parts(add, delete, reorder) - Change key for each part - Change beat type and tempo - Config clef for each staff - Config sound for each part - No watermark image export - No Ads - Support 2nd voice part - Transpose instruments - Pickup bar - Import data file - Edit downloaded music score - Unlock all 100+ instruments - The subscription is $6.99 weekly with trial - Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase - Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period - Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal - Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that service, where applicable - Terms of use: https://service.notationpad.com/terms_service.html

Screenshots

Score Creator4 screens
Notation Pad4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Notation Pad at 4.3 against Score Creator's 3.5. Notation Pad also leads on ratings volume (5.3K vs 493) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15). Score Creator's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Score Creator sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Notation Pad sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Notation Pad holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notation Pad has 5.3K ratings behind it against 493, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Score Creator's written reviews are positive against 56% of Notation Pad's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Score Creator ships an update weekly, Notation Pad monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Score Creator versus Notation Pad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScore CreatorNotation Pad
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (493 ratings)4.3 (5.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.6% of reviews — better55.9% of reviews
Number of ratings4935.3K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size299 MB162 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTRAN PHUONG嵩 张

Customer experience

Score Creator

All ratings493 ratings
Positive59.8%
Neutral15.0%
Negative25.2%
Written reviews614 reviews
Positive60.6%
Neutral15.6%
Negative23.8%

Notation Pad

All ratings5,264 ratings
Positive81.4%
Neutral5.7%
Negative12.9%
Written reviews465 reviews
Positive55.9%
Neutral8.6%
Negative35.5%

User reviews

Score Creator

From 493 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Great for composing music on the go
  • 💡 Useful for learning and practicing music
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🚀 Helpful for arranging and transcribing music

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔇 Poor sound quality of instruments
  • 🔇 Lack of dynamics and articulation support
  • 🔇 Limited range of instruments
  • 💰 Paywall for advanced features

Notation Pad

From 5.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🎼 Good for basic music notation
  • 🎹 Helpful for piano/keyboard players

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Many features locked behind paywall
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable at times
  • 📱 Limited functionality compared to desktop apps
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find features

Bugs and requests

Score Creator

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sudden loss of data and unsaved work
  • Playback issues, including notes not playing correctly
  • Instrument key signatures not working as expected
  • App crashing on launch or when opening certain scores
  • Inability to edit or modify existing compositions

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add more percussion instruments
  • Implement dynamics, articulations, and expression markings
  • Allow for more than 2 instruments in the free version
  • Improve the drum notation and playback
  • Add support for chords, trills, and other advanced notation
Show 2 more
  • Implement a swing/shuffle feature
  • Improve the transposition and key signature handling

Notation Pad

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Subscription popup that cannot be closed
  • Instruments turning into drums unexpectedly
  • Inability to delete or modify certain elements

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more instrument options
  • Improve editing capabilities
  • Allow changing key signatures and time signatures without premium
  • Provide better tutorials and documentation
  • Fix issues with note placement and playback

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Score Creator

Subscriptions5
  • One-month full version$4.991 Month
  • Basic user - one year$6.993 Months
  • Three-month full version$10.993 Months
Show 2 more
  • Basic user - one year$17.491 Year
  • One-year full version$27.491 Year
One-time2
  • Basic user - full version$23.99
  • Lifetime full version$98.99
10 purchases

Notation Pad

Subscriptions2
  • Unlimited Access7 Days trial$6.997 Days
  • Unlimited Access Monthly$14.991 Month
One-time8
  • Guitar Instrument Group$0.99
  • Ensemble Instrument Group$0.99
  • Brass Instrument Group$0.99
Show 5 more
  • Reed Instrument Group$0.99
  • Pipe Instrument Group$0.99
  • Strings Instrument Group$1.99
  • All Instruments Pack$4.99
  • Extras Package$19.99

Questions

Is Score Creator free?
Score Creator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notation Pad free?
Notation Pad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Score Creator or Notation Pad?
Notation Pad is rated higher. Score Creator averages 3.5 out of 5 from 493 ratings, while Notation Pad averages 4.3 from 5.3K ratings.
Do Score Creator or Notation Pad have ads?
Neither Score Creator nor Notation Pad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Score Creator or Notation Pad?
Score Creator ships an update weekly, and Notation Pad monthly. Most recently, Score Creator was updated on September 23, 2026 and Notation Pad on September 22, 2026.

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