Notalune vs Pianora
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notalune
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Notalune shows the name of every note, right on your own sheet music. Point your iPhone or iPad at printed sheet music and Notalune overlays the note names directly above the notes: English (C D E F G A B), German and Czech (C D E F G A H), solfège (do re mi) or Japanese katakana (ド レ ミ). No typing, no searching, no flipping through theory books. BUILT ON TRUST Notalune follows one rule: blank beats wrong. If it is not sure about a note, it leaves it unnamed instead of guessing. One tap on the traffic light shows how confident every name is (green, orange, red). Every scan starts with a quick clef check, and any name can be corrected in two taps. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Quick reading: point at one measure or a whole page and get the names in seconds. Nothing to create first; keep the reading or let it go • Any measure opens in place, with practice, editing, re-reading and sharing tools around it • Pieces: build your own library, piece by piece, measure by measure • Whole pages: photograph a full page or import a scan, map its measures, and read them one tap at a time • PDF import: title, composer and tempo fill in from the file, and every measure reads itself in while you watch • Open in Notalune: send a PDF from Mail, Files or WhatsApp straight into the app • Octave numbers, if you want them: c¹ c² in the Central European style, C4 C5 elsewhere • Annotated page: the assembled page with every name in place; practice from it with pinch-zoom and free pan • Print and share: export the annotated page or the whole piece as a PDF (Pro) • Metronome: a real mechanical metronome with tap tempo, free and unlimited • Corrections: fix any name, change the clef or key, or revert; uncertain notes are easy to spot FOR REAL SHEET MUSIC From method books and first songbooks up to harder repertoire. Recognition works best on printed music photographed up close, one measure at a time. In My Sheet Music you can assemble and read whole pages, measure by measure. A SCAFFOLD, NOT A CRUTCH The names are made to be hidden. In practice mode, tap a single name to hide just that note and test yourself. Tap again to reveal it, or bring them all back at once. The goal is the day you read without Notalune. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything happens on your device. Photos are processed on-device and stored only in the app. No accounts, no ads, no analytics, no tracking. The app never connects to the internet. If you opt in to help improve recognition, correction snippets are stored locally on your device; you decide if and when to share them, manually. FREE AND PRO Free: 10 quick readings in total, 3 pieces with one page each, the full metronome, practice mode, and every reading and correction tool. The 10 readings are a one-off allowance, not a daily quota - nothing resets, and nothing expires. Pro: Notalune Pro is a one-time purchase - no subscription, no trial to expire - that removes the limits and adds printing & sharing of annotated PDFs. Family Sharing included. IPHONE AND IPAD One purchase covers both. On iPad the reading page shows at close to print size, so you can play straight from the stand. LANGUAGES Seven: English, Czech, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese. Note naming in English (B), German and Czech (H), solfège, or Japanese katakana. The naming follows your choice, not your phone's language: a fixed-do player keeps do re mi on an English phone. Notalune reads notes so you can play them.
Pianora
Transform sheet music into playable piano notes or convert songs into musical scores. This app offers visual aids like a lit-up keyboard and highlighted measures to enhance practice. It supports various import formats and export options for your musical creations.
- Sheet music to piano notes
- Audio/video to piano notes
- Visual piano keyboard display
- Adjustable playback tempo
- MIDI, MusicXML, WAV export
- On-device processing
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Turn sheet music into sound. Turn songs into piano notes. Found a sheet of music but don't know how it should sound? Heard a beautiful melody but can't find the sheet music? Pianora helps you turn both into playable piano notes, so you can listen, follow along, and practice in a more intuitive way. From sheet music to piano Take a photo of your sheet music, import images or a PDF, or open a MusicXML file. Pianora recognizes the notes and opens them in a built-in player, ready for practice. Instead of guessing how the music should sound, you can hear it first, follow the currently playing measure, and learn at your own pace. From songs to piano notes Sometimes you don't have sheet music—just a song you love. Import an audio or video file, record directly from your piano, or paste a link to content you have the rights to use. Pianora analyzes the piano performance and converts it into playable notes. Audio recognition is optimized for piano music. Recordings with clear piano audio will produce the best results. A player built for piano practice Pianora is more than a music player. It helps you see what's happening while you listen. • Highlight the currently playing measure • Watch an 88-key piano light up as each note is played, with different colors for the left and right hands • Tap anywhere on the score to jump to that position • Swipe through Falling Notes mode to quickly navigate your performance Choose the view that fits the way you practice: • Sheet Music + Piano Keyboard • Sheet Music only • Falling Notes for a more visual learning experience Practice your way Everyone learns differently. With Pianora, you can: • Slow down or speed up playback without changing pitch • Adjust the tempo (BPM) • Transpose up or down by up to 12 semitones • Show or hide note names in Falling Notes mode For music converted from audio, you can also switch between the original recording and the generated piano playback to compare the result. Export your music Save and share your work in popular formats: • MIDI • MusicXML • WAV • M4A (AAC) Your music stays on your device Sheet music recognition and audio recognition are processed directly on your iPhone. Your sheet music and recordings are not uploaded to a server during processing, giving you greater privacy and letting you work with confidence on your own music. Whether you're learning, teaching, or simply exploring Whether you're just starting your piano journey, preparing lessons for your students, or curious about how a piece is played, Pianora makes learning piano more visual, more intuitive, and more enjoyable.
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Verdict
Notalune and Pianora are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Notalune sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Pianora sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Notalune ships an update every 10 days, Pianora weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notalune | Pianora |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 3.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 2 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 151 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | DAVID CHRISTIAN LICHTAG | Cuong Nong |
In-app purchases
Notalune
- Notalune Pro$9.99
Pianora
- 1 Month Pro$9.991 Month
- Sale - 1 Year Pro$44.991 Year
- 1 Year Pro$49.991 Year
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- 3 Days Trial - 1 Year Pro3 Days trial$69.991 Year








