Comparison

Read Notes vs Musa

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

Head to head
About

Read Notes

Learn to read sheet music for various instruments, including piano, guitar, and drums. Practice with interactive exercises, song arrangements, and receive timing feedback. An optional premium subscription offers more songs and an ad-free experience.

Highlights
  • Multi-instrument support (piano, guitar, ukulele, violin, drums)
  • Interactive sheet music reading
  • Ear training and chord practice
  • Timed challenges and leaderboards
  • Progress tracking and feedback
  • Learn through familiar song arrangements
Features
Read full description

Read sheet music one step at a time, on piano, guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, violin or drums. Choose an instrument from Home to see its quests and song library. Compete on guitar, bass, ukulele, violin and drums with quick matches, daily challenges and leaderboards. Start free as a guest; groups are optional. Live players, recorded results and computer practice are clearly labeled. All instrument Quests are free. Finish each practice, earn up to three stars, and continue at your own pace. KEEP YOUR PIANO PRACTICE Continue your piano Quests, Drills, ear training and chord practice. Start piano Quests in treble clef, bass clef or both. Your existing piano progress and purchases are preserved. CONNECT NOTATION WITH YOUR INSTRUMENT • Guitar: connect staff notation and TAB with all six strings and fret positions. • Bass guitar: find notes on the fretboard and practice melodies in a lower register. • Ukulele: learn chord shapes and strumming on screen, then explore melodies. • Violin: connect notes with strings and the finger or position labels shown. • Drums: identify kick, snare and hi-hat on the score and select the matching pads. LEARN THROUGH FAMILIAR MUSIC Explore practice arrangements of existing pieces, with score sources and excerpts identified. Listen to an example, choose a range of measures and repeat it. Drum songs use educational accompaniments. After a one-bar count-in, tap the pads with the metronome and melody and get timing feedback on your screen taps. KNOW WHAT TO PRACTICE NEXT Use demonstrations and hints, then try independently. Review mistakes and follow each instrument’s progress. Screen exercises do not listen through a microphone or assess physical playing technique. Start with free practice. Optional Monthly Premium unlocks additional songs, removes ads while active. Existing lifetime purchases remain valid. Renews monthly until canceled. Manage or cancel in your store account. Subscribe and restore purchases with your App Store account. No app sign-in is required. Terms of Use (English / 한국어): https://readnotesgame.com/terms.html Privacy Policy (English / 한국어): https://readnotesgame.com/privacy.html

About

Musa

This game makes learning music notes fun for children aged 7-12. It features engaging mini-games, a story mode, and practice tools for treble and bass clefs. Designed to supplement music lessons and prepare for exams.

Highlights
  • Treble and bass clef learning
  • 45 levels across three islands
  • Mini-games: Name the Note, Virtual Piano, Falling Notes
  • Rhythm practice with tap-back challenges
  • Boss exams with drag-and-drop
  • Collectible characters and storyline
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Musa came home from her piano lesson upset - she had forgotten all the notes on the treble clef. And the music school exam was coming soon. That's how "Musa" - a music notes learning game - was born. To make learning notes fun, not boring textbook drilling. WHAT'S INSIDE - Treble and bass clef - 45 levels across three islands - Mini-games: - "Name the Note" - staff quiz - Virtual Piano - play melodies on the keyboard - "Falling Notes" - speed arcade challenge - Rhythm Jungle: a new island with 15 levels - Listen to rhythms and tap them back; build measures with notes and rests - Boss exams: drag-and-drop notes onto the staff - Collectible Notiki characters: Do-bunny, Re-fox, Mi-cat, Fa-owl, Sol-dolphin, La-butterfly, Si-firefly - Storyline: Musa saves Notlandia from the villain Cacophony WHO IT'S FOR - Kids ages 7-12 - Beginning piano, violin, or guitar students - Music school students (grades 1-3) - Practice between music lessons - Solfege exam preparation KIDS SAFETY - Completely free - No ads - No in-app purchases - No internet required after download VISUAL STYLE Vintage music book aesthetic - parchment pages, hand-drawn illustrations, warm sepia tones. No flashy cartoon visuals. LANGUAGES English and Russian. Full localization of interface and learning content. TECHNICAL - Works offline after initial download - iPhone and iPad support - Haptic feedback - High-quality audio (real-time note synthesis) Made by a father for his daughter and her classmates at music school. Development driven by feedback from parents and music teachers. Channel: t.me/musa_notlandia Web version: musa.mddt.tech

Screenshots

Read Notes4 screens
Musa4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Musa at 100% against Read Notes's 50%. Musa also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ads (none vs shown). Read Notes's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). On price, ratings volume 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. Read Notes sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Musa asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Musa holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 3 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Read Notes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Musa's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Read Notes ships an update every 5 days, Musa every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Read Notes versus Musa: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRead NotesMusa
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (7 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size92 MB42 MB
Age rating12+4+
Developerminjae LeeAleksandr Volkov

Customer experience

Read Notes

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Musa

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Read Notes

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Premium$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • Remove Ads$7.99
None

Musa

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Read Notes free?
Read Notes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Musa free?
Musa is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Read Notes or Musa?
Musa is rated higher. Read Notes averages 4.7 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Musa averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Read Notes or Musa have ads?
Read Notes shows ads; Musa does not.
Which is updated more often, Read Notes or Musa?
Read Notes ships an update every 5 days, and Musa every 3 months. Most recently, Read Notes was updated on November 12, 2026 and Musa on November 9, 2026.

Other comparisons