Comparison

Notalune vs PlayScan

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

Head to head
About

Notalune

Instantly identify notes on printed sheet music by pointing your device at it. Supports multiple naming conventions and offers practice modes to help you learn. Designed for privacy with on-device processing and no internet connection required.

Highlights
  • Real-time note name overlay
  • Multiple naming conventions (English, German, Solfège, Katakana)
  • On-device processing for privacy
  • Practice mode with hidden notes
  • PDF import and annotation
  • Integrated metronome
  • Correction tools for clef and key
Features
Read full description

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.

About

PlayScan

Instantly hear sheet music by photographing it. This app recognizes notes and plays them back, allowing for faster practice and learning. Features include tempo adjustment, a per-staff mixer, and A-B looping for difficult passages.

Highlights
  • Scan sheet music with camera
  • Instant audio playback of scores
  • Adjustable tempo and pitch
  • Per-staff mixer for muting/soloing
  • A-B loop for practice
  • Import PDF and image files
  • Organize and annotate scores
Features
Read full description

PlayScan is a sheet music scanner that plays your score the moment you photograph it. Point your camera at a printed score, and PlayScan recognizes the notes and plays them back — so you can hear, practice, and learn faster. THE PLAYER IS ALWAYS FREE Unlike other scanners, playback is never locked. Open a score and press play — no subscription needed. PLAY & PRACTICE • Moving cursor follows the music as it plays • Adjust tempo without changing pitch • Per-staff mixer — mute or solo each voice/hand • A–B loop to drill tricky passages • Transpose to any key • Metronome with count-in SCAN & IMPORT (Pro) • Camera scan with automatic edge detection • Multi-page documents • Import PDF and images • Recognition tuned for piano, vocal, and ensemble scores ORGANIZE & SHARE (Pro) • Folders and a searchable library • Annotate pages with pen, marker, and text • Export to MusicXML, MIDI, or .notaz (full transfer with playback) Your documents stay on your device. Scanned images are sent only for recognition and deleted within 24 hours. No account required. Free: the full player + a limited number of scans per month. Pro: unlimited scanning, multi-page, PDF import, and export. Terms of Use: https://zarifergashev.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://zarifergashev.web.app/privacy Support address: zarifergashev4@gmail.com

Screenshots

Notalune4 screens
PlayScan4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PlayScan at 3.5 against Notalune's 1.0. PlayScan also leads on ratings volume (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Notalune sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and PlayScan sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PlayScan holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 1.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 4 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notalune ships an update every 10 days, PlayScan weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Notalune versus PlayScan: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotalunePlayScan
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)3.5 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings14 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDAVID CHRISTIAN LICHTAGZarifjon Ergashev

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Notalune

One-time1
  • Notalune Pro$9.99
3 purchases

PlayScan

Subscriptions3
  • PlayScan Pro$2.997 Days
  • PlayScan Pro$4.991 Month
  • PlayScan Pro7 Days trial$34.991 Year

Questions

Is Notalune free?
Notalune is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is PlayScan free?
PlayScan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Notalune or PlayScan?
PlayScan is rated higher. Notalune averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while PlayScan averages 3.5 from 4 ratings.
Do Notalune or PlayScan have ads?
Neither Notalune nor PlayScan shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notalune or PlayScan?
Notalune ships an update every 10 days, and PlayScan weekly. Most recently, Notalune was updated on October 31, 2026 and PlayScan on November 9, 2026.

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