Comparison

NightCore Player vs NoteHound

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

Head to head
About

NightCore Player

Features
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Play your favorite songs at the tempo you want. No downloads required. Have you ever thought, "This song would be perfect if it were just a little faster"? Most playback speed apps can only change the speed of songs stored on your device. NightCore Player connects directly to Apple Music, so you can enjoy over 100 million songs at the pace that feels right to you. You can also play your Apple Music playlists at a custom speed. Enjoy your favorite playlists in a full Nightcore-style session, or slow things down for practice and focus. Key features: - Fine-grained playback speed control in 0.01x steps - Supports fast Nightcore-style playback and slower listening - Play Apple Music playlists at custom speed - Song search, playback queue, and play history - Shuffle and repeat support Great for: - Nightcore fans who want to hear any song faster - Focus sessions with more energetic background music - Language study, dance practice, and timing exercises - Rediscovering your favorite tracks at a new tempo Turn the songs you already love into a new listening experience. Apple Music subscription required.

About

NoteHound

Features
Read full description

NoteHound is the music practice app for musicians who learn by ear. Slow any song to 0.1Ɨ 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 • 0.1Ɨ to 3.0Ɨ variable speed • Pitch-preserving time-stretch — the key never changes, even at the extremes • Speed ramp: automatically walk a loop from slow to performance tempo over n repetitions • Tap tempo and BPM detection • Tempo-map aware — handles songs that change tempo A-B LOOPING & PRACTICE TOOLS • Sample-accurate loop boundaries on the waveform • Count-in beats and pre-roll bar so you join the loop on the downbeat • Per-loop speed settings • Named sections (verse / chorus / solo / bridge) painted onto the waveform • Audio notes — 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 • Practice tracking with mastery stages: learning → practising → up-to-speed → mastered • Per-loop attempt history with max-speed-reached PIANO ROLL EDITOR • Tap notes onto a quantised grid; drag, multi-select, group, draw • Audio sync — your transcription follows the recording bar by bar • Independent display transpose so you can read in any key • Plays through nine built-in synth voices LIVE FRETBOARD VIEW • Tap a note, see exactly where it lives on the neck • Multi-string highlighting for chord shapes • Adapts automatically to the project's tuning (standard, drop D, drop C, DADGAD, baritone, 7- and 8-string) • Full-fingerboard or focused-range display • Pairs with the tab editor — every note tapped on the tab lights up on the fretboard, and vice versa GUITAR TAB EDITOR • 4 to 8 strings, any tuning • 25+ articulations: bends, slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, harmonics, palm mutes, ghost notes, dead notes, vibrato, trills, grace notes, tied notes, let-ring • Automatic fret-position suggestions based on the previous and next notes • Audio sync with the recording so the tab cursor tracks playback • Works for guitar, bass, baritone guitar, 7- and 8-string electric, ukulele 9-INSTRUMENT MULTI-TOUCH KEYBOARD • Acoustic piano, electric piano, Rhodes, organ, synth pad, strings, bass, guitar, vibraphone • Velocity-sensitive on supported devices • Doubles as a real-time MIDI-input target MIDI • Class-compliant USB and Bluetooth MIDI controllers — plug in, no drivers, no setup • Learn-mode mapping for any control to any parameter (foot pedal → play/pause, knob → speed, pad → loop toggle) • Real-time note input straight to the piano roll • MIDI file import preserves notes, tempo map, and section markers EXPORT • MIDI, PDF, MusicXML, plain-text tab, .tab, or a ZIP bundle of all of them • 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 0.25Ɨ to 1.5Ɨ speed range. NoteHound Pro is a one-time $4.99 unlock — no subscription, restore on every device with the same Apple ID. Pro adds: • Unlimited projects • Full 0.1Ɨ to 3.0Ɨ speed range • Piano roll editor • Guitar tab editor + live fretboard view • MIDI input and MIDI file import • Every export format • 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

NightCore Player4 screens
NoteHound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NightCore Player at none against NoteHound's 1. NoteHound's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. NoteHound sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NightCore Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NightCore Player ships an update every 5 months, NoteHound every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Ā· 3 level
NightCore Player versus NoteHound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNightCore PlayerNoteHound
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB109 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyuichiro MizutaniFrancesco Farruggia

In-app purchases

None

NightCore Player

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

NoteHound

One-time1
  • NoteHound Pro$9.99

Questions

Is NightCore Player free?
NightCore Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NoteHound free?
NoteHound is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do NightCore Player or NoteHound have ads?
NightCore Player shows ads; NoteHound does not.
Which is updated more often, NightCore Player or NoteHound?
NightCore Player ships an update every 5 months, and NoteHound every 9 days. Most recently, NightCore Player was updated on October 10, 2026 and NoteHound on October 8, 2026.

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