Comparison

RubatoMusic vs NoteHound

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

Head to head
About

RubatoMusic

Features
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You're the conductor. The music follows your gesture. Conduct Beethoven with a baton in front of the camera, or play FΓΌr Elise with a single finger. RubatoMusic knows the notes; you bring the tempo, the dynamics, the feeling. Speed up, and it takes off. Slow down, and it breathes. Stop, and it waits for you. CONDUCT YOUR WAY β€’ Baton: conduct in front of the camera with a green-tipped stick β€’ Swipe: back and forth across the golden string β€’ Tap: tap anywhere, the firmer the louder β€’ Beat: one stroke = one beat, like on the podium CONDUCT REAL RECORDINGS Active listening: conduct a real orchestra recording, or your own songs. The music follows your tempo without changing pitch. PLAY AND PROGRESS β€’ Challenge: follow the instructions (allegro, piano, forte, a break…) and level up β€’ Notes scroll toward the string so you see what's coming β€’ DJ mode: effect and loop pads β€’ Effects: reverb, vibrato, distortion, delay β€’ PianoRoll: write your own pieces, then conduct them 100+ PIECES, 25+ INSTRUMENTS Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi, Chopin, Pachelbel, Joplin, folk tunes and nursery rhymes. Piano, violin, cello, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, choir, music box… FOR EVERYONE RubatoMusic is the mobile version of RUBATO, the tool used in France by special-needs educators, music therapists and care facilities. No sheet music, no lessons, no account, no ads. Children, beginners, music lovers, seniors. Perfect for unforgettable family moments. VoiceOver supported. In English, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. FREE β€’ About 30 pieces and 15 instruments β€’ Every way to play, the Challenge, DJ mode, PianoRoll β€’ 2 of your own audio files a day β€’ Concert tickets: play a whole piece to unlock a premium piece for 24 hours PREMIUM β€’ All 100+ pieces and 25+ instruments β€’ Your own audio files without limit β€’ MIDI import and export, unlimited saves SUBSCRIPTION Premium subscription: auto-renewing monthly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel your subscription in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. LEGAL Terms of Use: https://faceted-watch-bdc.notion.site/2f7b4b221020804fbf9adc9e101426c6 Privacy Policy: https://faceted-watch-bdc.notion.site/2f7b4b221020804fbf9adc9e101426c6

About

NoteHound

Features
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NoteHound is the music practice app for musicians who learn by ear. Slow any song to 0.1Γ— without dropping the key. Loop the trickiest bar with sample-accurate A-B markers and a count-in click. Transcribe what you hear onto a piano roll, a 4-to-8-string guitar tab, or a live fretboard. Export to MIDI, PDF, MusicXML, plain-text tab, or a ZIP bundle for your teacher. No subscription. No account. Your audio and your transcriptions stay on your device. FEATURES SLOW DOWN MUSIC β€’ 0.1Γ— to 3.0Γ— variable speed β€’ Pitch-preserving time-stretch β€” the key never changes, even at the extremes β€’ Speed ramp: automatically walk a loop from slow to performance tempo over n repetitions β€’ Tap tempo and BPM detection β€’ Tempo-map aware β€” handles songs that change tempo A-B LOOPING & PRACTICE TOOLS β€’ Sample-accurate loop boundaries on the waveform β€’ Count-in beats and pre-roll bar so you join the loop on the downbeat β€’ Per-loop speed settings β€’ Named sections (verse / chorus / solo / bridge) painted onto the waveform β€’ Audio notes β€” pin a voice memo anywhere on the waveform (a fingering cue, a practice reminder, a note from a teacher) and the recording auto-plays when the playhead reaches that point β€’ Practice tracking with mastery stages: learning β†’ practising β†’ up-to-speed β†’ mastered β€’ Per-loop attempt history with max-speed-reached PIANO ROLL EDITOR β€’ Tap notes onto a quantised grid; drag, multi-select, group, draw β€’ Audio sync β€” your transcription follows the recording bar by bar β€’ Independent display transpose so you can read in any key β€’ Plays through nine built-in synth voices LIVE FRETBOARD VIEW β€’ Tap a note, see exactly where it lives on the neck β€’ Multi-string highlighting for chord shapes β€’ Adapts automatically to the project's tuning (standard, drop D, drop C, DADGAD, baritone, 7- and 8-string) β€’ Full-fingerboard or focused-range display β€’ Pairs with the tab editor β€” every note tapped on the tab lights up on the fretboard, and vice versa GUITAR TAB EDITOR β€’ 4 to 8 strings, any tuning β€’ 25+ articulations: bends, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, harmonics, palm mutes, ghost notes, dead notes, vibrato, trills, grace notes, tied notes, let-ring β€’ Automatic fret-position suggestions based on the previous and next notes β€’ Audio sync with the recording so the tab cursor tracks playback β€’ Works for guitar, bass, baritone guitar, 7- and 8-string electric, ukulele 9-INSTRUMENT MULTI-TOUCH KEYBOARD β€’ Acoustic piano, electric piano, Rhodes, organ, synth pad, strings, bass, guitar, vibraphone β€’ Velocity-sensitive on supported devices β€’ Doubles as a real-time MIDI-input target MIDI β€’ Class-compliant USB and Bluetooth MIDI controllers β€” plug in, no drivers, no setup β€’ Learn-mode mapping for any control to any parameter (foot pedal β†’ play/pause, knob β†’ speed, pad β†’ loop toggle) β€’ Real-time note input straight to the piano roll β€’ MIDI file import preserves notes, tempo map, and section markers EXPORT β€’ MIDI, PDF, MusicXML, plain-text tab, .tab, or a ZIP bundle of all of them β€’ Hand a transcription to any DAW or notation app: Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Sibelius, Dorico, MuseScore, Finale, Guitar Pro FREE vs PRO Free includes two starter projects, basic A-B looping, the on-screen keyboard, and the 0.25Γ— to 1.5Γ— speed range. NoteHound Pro is a one-time $4.99 unlock β€” no subscription, restore on every device with the same Apple ID. Pro adds: β€’ Unlimited projects β€’ Full 0.1Γ— to 3.0Γ— speed range β€’ Piano roll editor β€’ Guitar tab editor + live fretboard view β€’ MIDI input and MIDI file import β€’ Every export format β€’ Speed ramp, named sections, audio notes per section DESIGNED FOR Self-taught guitarists, pianists, and bassists. Music students. Music teachers preparing materials. Producers reverse-engineering a sample. Drummers learning fills. Anyone who learns songs by ear. Requires iPhone or iPad on iOS 17 or later. No account needed.

Screenshots

RubatoMusic4 screens
NoteHound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: RubatoMusic at 15.2 against NoteHound's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. RubatoMusic sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month and NoteHound sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RubatoMusic ships an update fortnightly, NoteHound every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
RubatoMusic versus NoteHound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRubatoMusicNoteHound
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.2 β€” better17.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size142 MB109 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFrederic BerthouFrancesco Farruggia

In-app purchases

1 purchases

RubatoMusic

Subscriptions1
  • Rubato Music Premium$3.991 Month
1 purchases

NoteHound

One-time1
  • NoteHound Pro$9.99

Questions

Is RubatoMusic free?
RubatoMusic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NoteHound free?
NoteHound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RubatoMusic or NoteHound have ads?
Neither RubatoMusic nor NoteHound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RubatoMusic or NoteHound?
RubatoMusic ships an update fortnightly, and NoteHound every 9 days. Most recently, RubatoMusic was updated on November 13, 2026 and NoteHound on October 31, 2026.

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