# Show|Ready vs Musicnotes

The clearest difference is rating: Musicnotes at 4.8 against Show|Ready's 2.8. Musicnotes also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (55% vs 26%). Show|Ready's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Musicnotes sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Show|Ready asks for nothing beyond the download.

Musicnotes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Musicnotes has 43K ratings behind it against 81, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 26% of Show|Ready's written reviews are positive against 55% of Musicnotes's.

Show|Ready ships an update every 4 months, Musicnotes fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Show|Ready | Musicnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (81 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showready/id686687677/reviews) | **[4.8 (43K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musicnotes-sheet-music-reader/id924050984/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 81 | **43K** |
| Positive reviews | 26.4% of reviews | **54.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#196** |
| Size | 12 MB | 121 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Right On Cue Services, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/543773969) | [Musicnotes](https://appshunter.io/developer/369741037) |

## What reviewers say

### Show|Ready

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/showready/id686687677)

This app provides essential music rehearsal tools for musical theater productions. It offers playback features on iOS devices and director's editing on iPads. A license from a theatrical publisher is required to use the app.

**Highlights:** Music playback, Director's editing (iPad), iOS compatibility, License integration

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Handy tool for learning parts
- 👍 Useful for theater kids
- 👍 Good for practicing songs
- 👍 Helpful for learning harmonies
- 👍 Can layer voices in/out

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Constantly crashing
- 🐛 Glitchy and buggy
- 🐛 App freezes often
- 🐛 Hard to play transition tracks
- 🐛 Sound stops instead of restarting

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes constantly
- App freezes frequently
- App glitches
- App randomly kicks user out
- Buttons not visible on iPhone screen

**Requested features**

- More musical sounds than synth
- Minute/seconds counter for song length
- Ability to move tab bar to bottom
- Mobile view score
- Ability to make notes on the score


### Musicnotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musicnotes-sheet-music-reader/id924050984)

**Currently charting:** #196 Top Grossing · Music, #206 Top Free · Music (US App Store)

Access and play a vast library of digital sheet music. Practice with interactive tools, transpose keys, and annotate scores. Organize your music into set lists for lessons, rehearsals, or performances.

**Highlights:** Interactive sheet music player, Key transposition tool, Annotation and markup, Set list organization, 500,000+ sheet music arrangements, Personal sheet music upload, Interactive playback with tempo control

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Musicnotes Pro | $14.99 | per year |
| PDF Sheet Music Arrangement | $2.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $3.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $4.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $5.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $6.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $7.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $8.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement + PDF | $8.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement + PDF | $9.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $12.99 | one-time |
| Pro Credit Pack (3 Credits) | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great convenience
- 🎹 Fantastic range of music
- 🎶 Adjustable to skill level
- 💻 Reliable and responsive
- 🎨 Helpful playback and annotation features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Overpriced compared to other options
- 🔒 Restrictive printing and usage policies
- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🖥️ Inconsistent pricing between app and website
- 📱 Poor iPad and iPhone X support

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inability to access purchased content
- Crashes and performance problems, especially on newer devices
- Inconsistent behavior when navigating and scrolling sheet music
- Unreliable playback and sync features

**Requested features**

- Add ability to permanently delete pre-installed songs
- Improve note-taking and annotation tools, including Apple Pencil support
- Implement better browsing and search functionality
- Allow more flexible printing and copying options
- Add seamless syncing between app and website purchases


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Show|Ready free?

Show|Ready is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Musicnotes free?

Musicnotes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Show|Ready or Musicnotes?

Musicnotes is rated higher. Show|Ready averages 2.8 out of 5 from 81 ratings, while Musicnotes averages 4.8 from 43K ratings.

### Do Show|Ready or Musicnotes have ads?

Musicnotes shows ads; Show|Ready does not.

### Which is updated more often, Show|Ready or Musicnotes?

Show|Ready ships an update every 4 months, and Musicnotes fortnightly. Most recently, Show|Ready was updated on October 11, 2026 and Musicnotes on October 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*