Comparison

SheetScope vs Notation

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

Head to head
About

SheetScope

Transform sheet music PDFs, photos, or scans into editable digital scores. Convert MIDI files into sheet music. Recognition and editing occur directly on your device, with exports in MusicXML, MIDI, and PDF formats.

Highlights
  • Sheet music recognition from PDF, photo, or scan
  • MIDI to sheet music conversion
  • On-device editing of scores
  • Playback of recognized scores
  • Export to MusicXML, MIDI, and PDF
  • Supports lead sheets, piano, SATB, and drum notation
Features
Read full description

Turn a sheet-music PDF, photo, or scan into an editable digital score. Drop in a MIDI file and get sheet music the other way round. Recognition runs entirely on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and results export as MusicXML, MIDI, and PDF. ■ Free · Score recognition — the first page of a PDF, photo, or camera scan, shown on screen to check and edit · MIDI → score — MIDI files exported from a DAW become sheet music, with no bar limit · Editing — select notes, move them up or down, fix accidentals, listen · Add and delete notes, change durations, swap rests and notes, set repeats and 1st/2nd endings by hand · Playback — hear the recognised score right away ■ Pro (one-time lifetime purchase, not a subscription) · Recognise every page of a document · Export — MusicXML (opens in MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale and others), MIDI, PDF ■ What it reads · Lead sheets and single-line melodies with chord symbols · Piano grand staff · SATB choir systems · Drum notation · Key and time signatures, ties, slurs, triplets, chord symbols · Repeat barlines (1st/2nd endings are only partly read — treat them as a guide; missed endings can be entered by hand in the editor. D.C. and coda are not read) ■ About accuracy — please read before buying Measured against scores with known answers (our own tests, September 2026). · Clean printed lead sheets: notes (pitch and duration) 90-99%. Dense sixteenth-note songs around 80% · SATB choir: about 93% · Piano: simple pieces 95%+, complex pieces around 80% — treat as a guide · Drums: hi-hat and snare nearly exact; kick drum misses about half the hits in busy bars — treat as a guide · Ties about 87%, slurs about 60% · Photos: straight, well-lit photos match PDF results; tilted or blurry photos drop sharply · Handwritten and tablature scores are not supported · MIDI → score: quantised MIDI is exact. Piano with up to two voices is accurate; three or more voices and performed (unquantised) MIDI are a guide only Automatic recognition is a first draft. The app is built for checking and correcting in the editor, and it removes most of the time you would spend entering notes by hand. Try your own scores in the free tier before you decide. ■ No internet needed Recognition, editing, and export all happen on your device. Score images are never uploaded. No account, no ads. ■ Copyright Convert only scores you own the rights to, public-domain scores, or scores you have permission to use. The app is made for personal study and practice and has no sharing or upload features. ■ Made for · Players and arrangers moving paper scores into editable files · Producers turning lead sheets into MIDI for a DAW · Choir directors and singers making part-practice audio · Composers tidying MIDI sketches into notation

About

Notation

Read full description

YOUR DIGITAL SHEET MUSIC LIBRARY. MORE ROOM FOR MUSIC. Keep your scores organized, add personal annotations and work on challenging passages: Notation brings your PDF library and powerful music tools together on iPad and iPhone. For musicians, students and teachers – at home, in lessons, at rehearsals and in concert. YOUR LIBRARY, ORGANIZED Import your own PDF scores and organize your repertoire into collections and setlists. Favorites, search and bookmarks help you find the right piece and passage. Add work details and notes. On-device PDF analysis suggests metadata; you decide what to accept. Read your music, turn pages and zoom in on details. The included sample score “Recuerdos de la Luna” lets you try things out right away. PRACTICE WITH LOOPS AT YOUR OWN PACE Link imported audio or your own recordings to your scores. Place markers in the waveform to define practice sections and repeat exactly the passage you want to work on. Adjust playback speed for the entire track or your loops and progress step by step. Notation automatically estimates the BPM. If needed, correct the value manually or tap the beat with TAP. Confirm manual entries; a valid TAP result is saved automatically after a short pause. These features work with both imported audio and your own recordings. MAKE YOUR SCORES YOUR OWN Add fingerings, highlight important passages and write personal reminders directly on the page. Use the pen, text, musical symbols and shapes – from a simple line to a music staff. Colors, line widths and layers help you organize your annotations. Use Apple Pencil on compatible iPads, or draw and annotate with your finger in Drawing mode on iPhone. RECORD, LISTEN, KEEP PRACTICING Record your playing and listen alongside the corresponding score. Then use your recording to practice with loops and adjusted playback speed. A metronome and chromatic tuner round out your toolkit. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PRACTICE See how long you have practiced and which pieces you have worked on. Weekly, monthly and yearly views show your practice history. Select today or a previous practice day in the calendar to explore its details. CONNECTED ON IPAD AND IPHONE Sync your library data through iCloud across devices using the same Apple Account. PDF and audio files are stored in iCloud Drive. Content already available on your device can also be used without an internet connection. A short interactive introduction helps you get started. Notation is available in German, English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese (Brazil). START FREE. EXPAND WITH PRO. Use Notation without a time limit with up to: • 5 of your own PDF files • 5 imported audio tracks • 5 of your own recordings Each limit applies separately. The included sample score does not count. Items in Trash continue to take up a slot until permanently deleted. Pro removes these quantity limits with a one-time In-App Purchase – no subscription. The price is shown before you buy. Restore your Pro purchase using the same purchase account. GOOD TO KNOW Requires iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 or later. Imports, saved recordings and syncing require iCloud Drive to be enabled and sufficient storage. Recording and the tuner require microphone access. Notation does not automatically play PDF scores and is not music notation software. Audio files, a sheet music catalog and additional iCloud storage are not included. Other content and practice times shown in screenshots are sample data.

Screenshots

SheetScope4 screens
Notation4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: SheetScope at 17.0 against Notation's 26.0. 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. SheetScope sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Notation sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SheetScope ships an update every 3 days, Notation every 4 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
SheetScope versus Notation: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSheetScopeNotation
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHYO SEOP LEEMoritz Kuntz

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SheetScope

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$5.99
1 purchases

Notation

One-time1
  • Pro$9.00

Questions

Is SheetScope free?
SheetScope is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Notation free?
Notation is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SheetScope or Notation have ads?
Neither SheetScope nor Notation shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SheetScope or Notation?
SheetScope ships an update every 3 days, and Notation every 4 days. Most recently, SheetScope was updated on November 6, 2026 and Notation on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons