Comparison

mellowD vs NotationPlayer

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

Head to head
About

mellowD

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TRAIN YOUR INTONATION WITH PRECISION mellowD helps beginners and advanced players of string instruments systematically improve their intonation. Play scales or random notes on your instrument — the app analyzes your pitch in real time and gives you clear feedback on accuracy and progress. No more guessing. No more uncertain notes. You instantly see how cleanly you play. CORE FEATURE: INTONATION TRAINING • Play selected scales on your instrument • Live analysis of your pitch • Precise feedback on your intonation • Evaluation after each exercise • Track your progress over time Perfect for a focused 5-minute daily practice. WHO IS MELLOWD FOR? • Beginners • Music students • Returning players • Teachers supporting their lessons Ideal for structured practice at home or during lessons. ADDITIONAL FEATURES • INTERACTIVE FINGERBOARD Learn the positions of all notes on the fingerboard and play simple melodies virtually on your smartphone. • PRECISE TUNER Tune your string instrument with adjustable reference frequency and tolerance range. • METRONOME Practice scales with rhythmic precision — from slow to fast. WHY MELLOWD IS DIFFERENT Many apps only offer a tuner or a metronome. mellowD goes further: you actively train your intonation — with measurable progress. MULTILINGUAL German, English, Italian, Spanish, and French. mellowD was developed by me, an active musician — from musician, for musicians. Make your intonation measurable. Train with purpose. Play more in tune.

About

NotationPlayer

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NotationPlayer turns your sheet music into sound. Open any MusicXML or ABC file, choose from over 100 realistic instruments, and hear your music played back instantly — with full tempo control, transposition, and a built-in metronome. Built for trad and folk musicians, with full MusicXML support for classical, jazz, and any sheet music you read. PLAY YOUR MUSIC • Play MusicXML and ABC notation files with realistic instrument sounds • Adjust tempo from half speed to double speed without changing pitch • Transpose to any key with one tap • Built-in metronome with click, woodblock, and bodhrán sounds • Count-in option for a clean start • Auto-scroll follows the music as it plays FIND NEW TUNES • Search over 30,000 traditional tunes from The Session • Browse the ABC Notation archive and Henrik Norbeck's collection • Paste ABC or MusicXML notation directly into the app • 55 sample tunes included — Celtic, Classical, Bluegrass, and Jazz LEARN AND PRACTISE • Tap any note to set a cue point and play from there • Loop any section by selecting start and end notes — perfect for tricky passages • Show note names (C, D, E…) above or below every note — helpful for beginners and for unfamiliar clefs • Lyrics displayed and synced to playback • Swing control for jazz and traditional styles MULTI-TRACK MIXER • Assign different instruments to each voice or part 100+ instruments including fiddle, tin whistle, mandolin, piano, guitar, flute, and more • Volume, pan, mute, and solo controls per track • Guitar chord accompaniment from chord symbols ANNOTATE YOUR SCORES • Draw on your scores with pen and highlighter • Add text notes anywhere on the page • Multiple colours and tools • Your annotations are saved with each tune ORGANISE YOUR MUSIC • Build tune sets — group tunes into medleys that play seamlessly • Create playlists with sets and individual tunes • Ensemble mode — add backing instruments to your playlists • Speed control for playlist playback • Favourites and search across your library EXPORT AND SHARE • Export scores as PDF for printing or sharing with bandmates • Export audio as MP3 • Share with other musicians WORKS OFFLINE NotationPlayer works without an internet connection. Your tunes, instruments, and playlists are always available — perfect for rehearsals, sessions, and practice anywhere. Built for musicians who want their notation to do more than just sit on the page. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

mellowD4 screens
NotationPlayer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: mellowD at none against NotationPlayer's 2. NotationPlayer's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. NotationPlayer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. mellowD asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

mellowD ships an update every 5 weeks, NotationPlayer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
mellowD versus NotationPlayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermellowDNotationPlayer
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKai LehmannChorusLogic Ltd.

In-app purchases

None

mellowD

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

NotationPlayer

Subscriptions1
  • NotationPlayer Monthly$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • Full Access$6.99

Questions

Is mellowD free?
mellowD is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NotationPlayer free?
NotationPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do mellowD or NotationPlayer have ads?
Neither mellowD nor NotationPlayer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, mellowD or NotationPlayer?
mellowD ships an update every 5 weeks, and NotationPlayer every 2 weeks. Most recently, mellowD was updated on October 3, 2026 and NotationPlayer on October 7, 2026.

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