Comparison

Melody Scanner vs Music Scanner

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 Scanner

Identify songs using AI clues, humming, or lyrics. Scan sheet music to play it back with various instrument sounds. Transcribe audio recordings into playable sheet music.

Highlights
  • AI music identification by clues, humming, or lyrics
  • Sheet music scanning and interactive playback
  • Audio to sheet music transcription
  • Lyrics, tabs, and cover art retrieval
  • Personalized music library with cloud sync
  • Smart practice tools (slow down, transpose)
Features
Read full description

Unlock the power of AI with Music Scanner, an all-in-one companion for musicians, students, teachers, and music lovers. Combining audio recognition, AI-powered text search, sheet music scanning, and audio-to-notation transcription, Music Scanner connects sound, text, and notation. AI-POWERED MUSIC IDENTIFICATION & SEARCH Never get stuck with a song stuck in your head again. Find songs in four ways: • AI Clues & Description Search: Can’t remember the title or exact lyrics? Search with clues like “80s synth song that sounds like Depeche Mode,” “Drake collab with Future,” or a partial lyric. • Vocal & Live Lyrics Analysis: Identify tracks from singing, humming, or spoken lyric snippets. • Melody Fingerprinting: Recognize melodies, including live performances and acoustic covers. • Music Database Integration: Get fast, high-accuracy matches powered by global music databases. SHEET MUSIC READER & PLAYER Turn paper scores and digital sheets into interactive audio. • Scan & Play (OMR): Snap a photo or upload a PDF score. Optical Music Recognition converts printed notation into interactive audio. • 100+ Instruments: Hear scores with sounds including piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, guitars, percussion, and more. • Smart Practice Tools: Slow down or speed up playback, transpose to another key, or use arpeggiator mode to hear chord notes one at a time. AI AUDIO-TO-SHEET MUSIC TRANSCRIPTION Turn a musical idea into playable notation. Record a short clip or upload an audio file, and Music Scanner transcribes it into sheet music. • Sing, hum, whistle, or play an instrument to get started. • Preview and edit the generated notation, then play it back. • Adjust the instrument, tempo, and key, or try AI-suggested styles. • Use monophonic mode for single-note melodies or try experimental polyphonic mode for multi-note audio. • Save your transcription to your library or share it. LYRICS, TABS & COVER ART • Retrieve lyrics, album artwork, and chords or tabs for identified and searched songs. YOUR PERSONAL MUSIC LIBRARY • Cloud Sync: Save scanned sheet music, audio transcriptions, custom audio tracks, and identified songs to your profile. • Organized History: Revisit practice sessions, AI search results, and discovered songs. PERFECT FOR • Students & Beginners: Practice sheet music at your own pace with audio playback. • Musicians & Vocalists: Transcribe musical ideas, transpose keys, explore chords, and find songs from memory. • Music Enthusiasts: Identify tracks or search by lyrics, clues, and era. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Melody Scanner4 screens
Music Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Music Scanner at 3.0 against Melody Scanner's 1.6. Music Scanner also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). Melody Scanner's advantage is review sentiment (28% vs 0%) and ratings volume (36 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Scanner sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Music Scanner holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Melody Scanner has 36 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 28% of Melody Scanner's written reviews are positive against 0% of Music Scanner's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Melody Scanner ships an update fortnightly, Music Scanner every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Melody Scanner versus Music Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMelody ScannerMusic Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.6 (36 ratings)3.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings36 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB109 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperKlangio GmbHRelax Software, LLC

Customer experience

Melody Scanner

All ratings35 ratings
Positive11.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative85.7%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive27.5%
Neutral2.9%
Negative69.6%

Music Scanner

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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 Scanner

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 Scanner

Subscriptions1
  • musicscanner$3.991 Month

Questions

Is Melody Scanner free?
Melody Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Music Scanner free?
Music Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Melody Scanner or Music Scanner?
Music Scanner is rated higher. Melody Scanner averages 1.6 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Music Scanner averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Melody Scanner or Music Scanner have ads?
Neither Melody Scanner nor Music Scanner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Melody Scanner or Music Scanner?
Melody Scanner ships an update fortnightly, and Music Scanner every 2 days. Most recently, Melody Scanner was updated on November 4, 2026 and Music Scanner on October 31, 2026.

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