Notation vs Skiffy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notation
Create, edit, and share professional sheet music on your mobile device. This app offers intuitive touch notation, multi-staff playback, and web score sharing for composers, arrangers, and students. Export to various formats and collaborate easily.
- Touch notation keyboard
- Multi-staff playback
- Web score sharing
- MusicXML, MIDI, PDF export
- Cloud sync
- Lyrics and chord support
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Notation is professional sheet music notation for composers, arrangers, and music students. Capture a motif at the piano, tweak harmony on your commute, or share a link before rehearsal—all on iPhone or iPad with lyrics and chords. If you read a staff, you can go from a piano sketch to multi-staff scores for class and rehearsal. TOUCH NOTATION A notation keyboard replaces deep menus: tap notes and markings, or select on the staff to edit. Undo/redo for commutes, rehearsal gaps, or at the piano. On the free tier, inserting or editing measures shifts later bars automatically so the rest of the score stays aligned. WRITE AND HEAR IT Multi-staff playback; on long scores, playback follows your edit position. Composer Pro: per-staff Mute and Solo for full scores. WEB SCORE SHARING Generate a web score link—text or email to teachers, singers, or collaborators. Any browser shows standard notation and multi-part playback without installing the app. Print-friendly pages for handouts. PDF for archives and fixed layout; web links when your choir or band needs to hear the piece before rehearsal. Many mobile apps stop at PDF or screenshots; Notation shares playable web scores with the same playback and layout as on your device. EXPORT AND INTERCHANGE MusicXML, MIDI, PDF (screen preview + A4 print PDF). Import MusicXML without length limits—continue in MuseScore, Sibelius, etc. Free tier: starter export allowance. Composer Pro: unlimited export, clean PDF (see app for web-link limits). IPAD PRO WORKSPACE On iPad, library and score sit side by side for desktop-like sessions. iPhone: full notation and sharing when you are catching ideas on the go. YOU CAN ALSO: - Piano keyboard chord stacks; multi-verse lyrics with melismas and paste lyrics line by line; measure insert/copy/paste/delete - Ties, slurs, manual beams—free - Cloud sync (web links need sign-in + sync); Composer Pro: 8 staves, 2 voices per staff, transpose, meter changes NOTATION COVERAGE: * Notes/rests, dots, ties, slurs, beams (manual break/join) * Triplets; quintuplets–septuplets (Composer Pro) * Ornaments, articulations, dynamics, hairpins * Lyrics (verses), chords; title/composer/lyricist header * Clefs, time, tempo; major/minor keys; accidentals * Repeats, voltas, D.S./D.C.; pickups; measure-level edits * Templates: piano grand, treble/bass single staff, custom; long-score paging SUBSCRIPTION & LEGAL (COMPOSER PRO — OPTIONAL) Notation offers an optional paid membership called Composer Pro. You can subscribe in the app under Me → Upgrade. No subscription is required to create, edit, save, or play scores on the free tier. AUTO-RENEWABLE SUBSCRIPTION • Name: Composer Pro — Weekly Plan • Length: 1 week (renews every week) • Price: Shown on the in-app purchase screen before you confirm (localized price; may vary by country or region). If a free trial is available in your region, it is displayed on the subscription screen before purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the price of the selected plan. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial, if offered, is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. WHAT COMPOSER PRO INCLUDES • Advanced composing: full transposition and any key; up to 8 staves and 2 voices per staff; meter changes and special/additive meters; undo/redo; advanced repeat playback • Delivery & export: unlimited exports (MusicXML, and web score links); • Playback: full instrument library; per-staff mute and solo • Other: ad-free experience; community publishing; priority support Privacy Policy: https://solfegehub.com/UserManagerPrivacy_en.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://solfegehub.com/UserManagerTerms_en.html
Skiffy
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Skiffy is a simple, focused Eurorack case designer for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Browse modules, build a collection, and lay out your rack to scale. BROWSE • A large, growing catalog spanning many manufacturers, with real faceplate art and specs, cached for offline use • Search that ignores accents and word order; filter by function (VCO, VCF, VCA, LFO, sequencer, effect, and more) and by 3U or 1U format; sort by name, manufacturer, or HP COLLECTION • Track the modules you own and the ones on your wishlist, and pick your preferred faceplate variant • Add custom modules with your own faceplate photo and a crop-to-fit editor RACKS • Multi-row cases with a typed HP width and the 3U and 1U rows you choose • A to-scale canvas on a single HP grid, so 1U and 3U rows line up exactly. Pinch or scroll-wheel to zoom, pan, and fit to screen • Drag a module into a slot, rearrange by dropping it beside others (neighbours slide aside), or set it aside outside the case, with snapping and haptics • A searchable module picker that only offers modules that fit the tapped slot • Live metrics: HP used, +12V / −12V / +5V draw against your budget, module count, total value, and maximum depth, plus a full stats sheet EVERYWHERE • One app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, with native macOS forms and keyboard and trackpad support • Your racks, collection, and custom modules sync through your own iCloud account, and everything works offline • Free, with no account, no ads, and no tracking. The catalog is anonymous and your data stays in your iCloud
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Skiffy at none against Notation's 2. Skiffy also leads on ads (none vs shown). Notation's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price 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. Notation sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Skiffy asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Notation | Skiffy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | — |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 凯 张 | Gavin Vickery |
In-app purchases
Notation
- Weekly Subscription · NotationAI3 Days trial$3.997 Days
- Lifetime Access · NotationAI$19.99
Skiffy
No in-app purchases









