NoteHound vs DaCapo Studio
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NoteHound
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NoteHound is the music practice app for musicians who learn by ear. Slow any song to 0.1× 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 • 0.1× to 3.0× 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 0.25× to 1.5× 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 0.1× to 3.0× 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.
DaCapo Studio
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DaCapo Studio is an integrated music practice environment for musicians who learn by listening and playing. Start with a song, break it down, understand what you hear, isolate the part you want to learn, and practise it at your own pace. Search Apple Music, import your own tracks, or use Shazam® to identify music around you. DaCapo Studio turns your music into practice projects where sections, loops, analysis, notes, recordings and practice tools stay together. Organise projects into groups for setlists, lessons, workshops or your own music collections. Separate instruments and build your own practice mix. Isolate a part to hear it clearly, reduce or mute it to play the part yourself, then combine your mix with looping, pitch-stable slowdown, metronome and Practice Assistant. Focus on the difficult parts. Create named song sections and practise them with A-B repeat, slowdown, loop playback and fast navigation. Practice Assistant can guide you through sequences with changing tempo, loops, metronome settings, layouts and instrument mixes. Built for playing, not just tapping. Performance Mode provides larger controls and quick actions for easy access while you play. On iPhone, a dedicated landscape Performance View offers an even more focused, customisable control surface. See what’s happening in the music. Analyse tempo, key, chords, beats and musical structure. Melody / Beat Track visualises melodic and polyphonic information, chords, beats and drum events. Separated instrument tracks can also be analysed individually. Practice tools within reach. Use synced lyrics and notes, multiple metronome modes, tuner, SPL meter and recorder. Review recorded practice sessions and keep projects and recordings available across devices with iCloud. Designed for teachers too. Share individual projects or complete project groups with students, receive recorded practice sessions through AirDrop®, iMessage, email or NFC touch, and return ratings, remarks and notes that appear during project playback. Imported projects can be merged with existing work, making it easy to exchange exercises and practice recordings. And when you just want to listen, JukeBox creates Dynamic Playlists for a personalised, ad-free listening experience. Optional hourly news streams can keep you informed without interrupting the music. Whether you’re learning a riff, studying a drum groove, preparing a setlist, removing your own instrument to play along, teaching a student or working through a complete song… DaCapo Studio keeps listening, analysis and practice together in one place. Listen. See. Practice. Play. DaCapo Studio offers optional in-app purchases to unlock Premium features. Premium is available as a monthly subscription, yearly subscription or Lifetime Premium purchase. In the USA, yearly subscriptions are available with annual upfront payment only. Outside the USA, yearly subscriptions require a 12-month commitment and may be available with annual upfront payment or monthly instalments, depending on the App Store offering. The Apple Standard Terms of Use (EULA) are available at: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: DaCapo Studio at every 3 days against NoteHound's every 9 days. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. NoteHound sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and DaCapo Studio sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
NoteHound ships an update every 9 days, DaCapo Studio every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NoteHound | DaCapo Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 109 MB | 79 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Francesco Farruggia | Stefaan Peter Degroote |
In-app purchases
NoteHound
- NoteHound Pro$9.99
DaCapo Studio
- DaCapo Studio Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
- DaCapo Studio Premium Yearly$29.991 Year
- DaCapo Studio Premium Lifetime$29.99









