Comparison

Melody Scanner vs Music Notes Helper

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

Head to head
About

Melody Scanner

Convert audio recordings and YouTube videos into musical scores. View transcriptions as classical scores, piano rolls, or guitar tabs, and play them back. Download your creations in various formats or share them with friends.

Highlights
  • Transcribe audio to sheet music
  • Support for piano, flute, violin, and guitar
  • Multiple transcription views (score, piano roll, tab)
  • Playback functionality
  • Download sheet music (PDF, MIDI, MusicXML)
  • Share compositions
  • Desktop version synchronization
Read full description

Transcribe piano music recordings to scores and edit them online. SUPPORTED INSTRUMENTS: Piano, Flute, Violin (beta), Accoustic Guitar (beta) Currently only solo instruments are supported, no bands or orchestras. FUNCTIONS » Transcribe YouTube song covers, microphone recordings and audio files to sheet music » View the transcribed music as classical score, piano roll or guitar tab » Playback the sheet music and listen to the result » Download sheet as PDF, MIDI, or MusicXML » Share your compositions with your friends » Synchronize with the desktop version 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! » 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 show you the results. » 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 useful suggests! WHY DO I NEED AN ACCOUNT? You create an account to ensure that only you can access your created sheet music! A lot of computing power is necessary to generate the scores from the audio, so it needs to run on a powerful server in the cloud. Also, you can access your sheets from the desktop version, too, by signing in using the same account. FREE AND PREMIUM » Transcribing audio to sheet music is a computation expensive process and needs to be run on a powerful server in the cloud. Your PREMIUM purchase supports us paying our checks and developing new features for the app. » The FREE version of this app covers Microphone and YouTube transcriptions. Uploading your own files is a PREMIUM feature. » In the FREE version sheets are limited to 40 bars (about 2 minutes). Upgrading to PREMIUM will unlock the full sheet. » PREMIUM subscriptions can be cancelled at any time and you will continue to use PREMIUM features until the end of the subscription period. » All with PREMIUM transcribed songs will stay unlocked forever. REQUIREMENTS » Internet: active internet connection for server connectivity » Microphone (optional) DESKTOP VERSION » There is a desktop version of this app available, which you can access in your browser. » The desktop version covers even more features like editing your sheets, since there is more space available on a bigger screen » You can login with the same account and synchronize your scores between multiple devices Give music your personal note! SUMMARY Transcribe music recordings from YouTube, MP3 or microphone to sheet music and edit them online. With the Melody Scanner App you can create on-the-go recordings of your instrument. Those are uploaded to your personal cloud songbook and transcribed to score. You can record your instrument, import YouTube videos or upload MP3 files. It has never been so easy to create sheet music! 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@melodyscanner.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/

About

Music Notes Helper

Features
Read full description

Using this app you can find the notes in a recorded or imported piece of music. Simply record audio or import an audio file into the app, select the desired part of the music, and tap the "Find Notes" button. The app will then find all the notes in that part of the music. Now tap the "Play Notes" button to hear the generated notes with piano key sounds. You can also edit the results, modify the notes, and save it. Please note that the app can find the notes perfectly when there is no backing track. Otherwise, it may affect the accuracy of the results. Trying with different parameters for the minimum note duration, or the music tempo may help you achieve better results. Also this app helps you learn and recognise notes by listening to each of the 88-piano notes in a loop. You can also play a virtual piano and learn about different scales.

Screenshots

Melody Scanner4 screens
Music Notes Helper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Melody Scanner at none against Music Notes Helper's shown. Melody Scanner also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 12 months) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.6). On price, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Melody Scanner sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Music Notes Helper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Melody Scanner ships an update fortnightly, Music Notes Helper every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Melody Scanner versus Music Notes Helper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMelody ScannerMusic Notes Helper
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.7 (35 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews27.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings35 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKlangio GmbHBita Sobhani

Bugs and requests

Melody Scanner

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • Upload function not working
  • App doesn't recognize stave lines/notation
  • App gives too many notes at once or notes octaves apart
  • Errors when generating sheet music
  • Premium features not unlocked after payment
Show 15 more
  • No sound from transcriptions
  • App jams on recording
  • White screen when uploading from YouTube
  • Cannot log back in after first use
  • Transcription errors
  • App doesn't detect volume/sound
  • Cannot open YouTube to transpose
  • Transcription not accurate
  • App doesn't work after payment
  • Record function jams
  • Errors prevent music creation
  • Doesn't transcribe music correctly
  • Doesn't work at all
  • App doesn't recognize simple melodies
  • Audio quality is lousy and scratchy

Requested features

10 requests
  • Single instrument mode on app
  • Full song transcription (not just 1 min)
  • Ability to export full transcriptions
  • More accurate transcription for complex music
  • Improved MIDI playback accuracy
Show 5 more
  • Ability to add YouTube songs
  • More instrument options (e.g., drums)
  • Better sound quality for transcriptions
  • Full song playback without blocking
  • Option for one-time purchase instead of subscription

Music Notes Helper

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Melody Scanner

Subscriptions2
  • Melody Scanner Premium Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Melody Scanner Premium Yearly$44.991 Year
1 purchases

Music Notes Helper

One-time1
  • Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Melody Scanner free?
Melody Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Music Notes Helper free?
Music Notes Helper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Melody Scanner or Music Notes Helper have ads?
Music Notes Helper shows ads; Melody Scanner does not.
Which is updated more often, Melody Scanner or Music Notes Helper?
Melody Scanner ships an update fortnightly, and Music Notes Helper every 12 months. Most recently, Melody Scanner was updated on September 21, 2026 and Music Notes Helper on September 17, 2026.

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