Notation vs Sheet Music
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notation
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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
Sheet Music
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'Sheet Music' turns your iPhone into a pocket music notation studio. Build complete sheet music note by note — just drag elements onto the staff — then press play to hear it on a real SoundFont grand piano with every note highlighted as it sounds. Designed around the MusicXML standard, 'Sheet Music' speaks the same language as professional desktop notation apps, so your scores travel anywhere. COMPOSE BY DRAG & DROP • Drag notes, rests, clefs, key and time signatures, accidentals and dynamics straight onto the staff • Full range of durations from whole notes to 64th notes, with augmentation dots • Treble, bass and alto clefs; any key signature; flexible time signatures • Tap any element to fine-tune pitch, duration, accidental or ties in the inspector • Add as many measures as your piece needs HEAR IT INSTANTLY • Real-time playback through a piano • The note currently sounding is highlighted live on the staff • Adjustable tempo EXPORT & SHARE (Pro) • MusicXML (.musicxml) • MIDI (.mid) for your DAW • PDF for printing and sharing CLEAN, FOCUSED DESIGN • A distraction-free staff on bright paper, with light and dark themes • English and Vietnamese 'Sheet Music Premium' (one-time purchase) Unlock unlimited scores and measures, all export formats, and an ad-free studio with a single lifetime purchase — no subscription. Whether you are sketching a melody, transcribing a song, or teaching music theory, 'Sheet Music' makes notation feel effortless. Start composing today.
Screenshots
Verdict
Notation and Sheet Music are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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 $2.99 per 7 days and Sheet Music sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Notation | Sheet Music |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 凯 张 | Nguyen Hieu |
In-app purchases
Notation
- Weekly Subscription · NotationAI$2.997 Days
- Lifetime Access · NotationAI$19.99
Sheet Music
- Lifetime Premium$4.99









