NotateMe vs MIDISynth Control
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NotateMe
Compose and edit music notation using handwritten input. This app recognizes a wide range of musical symbols, allowing for creation of scores for various ensembles. Export your work in multiple formats or share it via email.
- Handwritten music recognition
- Compose for solo instruments and ensembles
- Edit and playback scores
- Export as PDF, MusicXML, MIDI
- Import MusicXML files
- Dropbox synchronization
- PhotoScore Add-In for printed music
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Ground-breaking music composition and notation software from Neuratron, featuring handwritten music recognition. Top 10 Music App in 62 countries! iPad Pro & Apple Pencil recommended for best results. - Quickly and accurately enter music notation with your finger or stylus. - Write music on the train, in a plane, by a lake, or just sitting comfortably on your sofa! - Simple, intuitive interface with little to distract you from your creativity - similar to writing with pen and paper, but with instant playback, editing and a score suitable for publishing at the end! - Write music for solo instruments (including voice and piano), drums or ensembles from string quartets and choirs to full orchestral scores. Includes support for transposing instruments. - PhotoScore Add-In (In-App Purchase): Take photos of printed sheet music with your device's camera, so you can play back and edit them with NotateMe! Recognizes 5-line staves and most markings including chords, flags, beams, rests, accidentals, articulation marks, clefs, key signatures, time signatures, tuplets, slurs, ties, hairpins and text including lyrics, dynamics and instrument names. Note: Requires 5MP camera & 1 GB RAM - so not for iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPad Mini (1st gen) or earlier. - Email PDF, MusicXML and MIDI files of your scores to friends or other musicians. Open in other apps and desktop notation packages. Print to paper. - Import and edit MusicXML files (most music symbols supported). - Automatically sync your scores to Dropbox so you can edit them on your phone whilst you are out, and then on your tablet when you get back. - Great when learning or teaching music notation. - NotateMe recognises a wide range of music symbols, including notes (with solid, open, and slanted noteheads), flags, beams (even cross-staff*), leger lines, multiple voices per staff, chords, rests, accidentals (natural, sharp, double sharp & flat), articulation marks, augmentation dots, ties, slurs, hairpins, clef changes, key signatures. Barlines, clefs, time signatures and tuplets are added automatically. - Drag and drop (or set selected drawings to) further music symbols including cross noteheads, pedal markings, ornaments and appoggiatura. - Add chord-symbols, dynamics, technique, tempo changes and lyrics to your score. Write comments or ideas in 'red pen'. - If NotateMe doesn’t recognize your style immediately, keep at it, as it will adjust. Leave clear space between symbols and make markings clearer with further strokes if any transcription errors occur. If you experience problems, tap 'Help Improve NotateMe' from the Export menu and we will analyze your handwriting to help us improve NotateMe further. * Cross-staff beaming requires an iPad DEVICE REQUIREMENTS MINIMUM RECOMMENDED: iPhone 5/s/c, iPad (3rd gen onwards, iPad mini (2nd gen onwards), iPod Touch 5 onwards Screen size - 4 inches diagonal Writing implement - Finger or stylus PhotoScore Add-In: 5MP rear facing camera with auto-focus, 1 GB RAM. Good lighting conditions. Note: It may take a short while for you to become accustomed to aligning parts of musical symbols when writing using a finger, particularly on a smaller screen. WILL NOT RUN ON iPhone 3GS OR iPod Touch 4th Gen or earlier. RECOMMENDED: iPad Pro with Apple Pencil Screen size - 9.7+ inches diagonal PhotoScore Add-In: 5MP rear facing camera with auto-focus, 1 GB RAM. Good lighting conditions.
MIDISynth Control
Control multiple MIDI synthesizers and drum machines from one app. Offers in-depth editing for built-in synths and customizable control maps for external gear. Sync with Ableton Link and add advanced features via in-app purchases.
- Centralized control for multiple MIDI synths
- In-depth editing for popular built-in synths
- Customizable control maps for external synths
- Global layout creation for multiple devices
- Patch storage, randomization, and morphing
- Ableton Link support for syncing
- Arpeggiator and drum repeat functionality
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MIDISynth-Control provides a control hub for your MIDI synthesisers from a single application and also provides in-depth editing for a number of inbuilt, popular synths and drum machines. For the inbuilt synths, all controls are automatically provided, as well a librarian features and functionality specific to the synth. For all other synths it is possible to define your own control map for the controls you wish access to and then lay these out as you see fit. From here global layouts can be created allowing several synths & drum machines to be controlled from a single screen in the app. In-built synths: Novation Circuit & Tracks, Novation Circuit Mono Station, Novation Peak & Summit, Elektron Digitakt, Elektron Digitone, Korg Minilogue xd & Prologue In-built controllers: Novation Launchpad X, Novation Launchpad Mini MK3 As well as being able to store and retrieve patch and synth data to/from your mobile device each editor also provides bi-directional communication, patch randomisation features, patch morphing, XY controls, mixer view (if appropriate), and a performance mode (separate In-App Purchase). A fully featured arpeggiator and drum repeat functionality are available as an IAP. Ableton Link support is provided for syncing individual sequencers to a Link session. This can also be used for syncing LFO and ARP clocks if they exist on the synth. There is also a Link+ IAP available which allows up to 6 other USB devices to be synced to a Link session - this can be used standalone and no other purchases are necessary. Keyboard and drumpad functionality can be added for up to six external synths using the Keyboard/Drumpad+ IAP. No other purchases are necessary. With each module purchase a single user definable layout in available in a 2x2 to 8x8 grid. With the purchase of the Rand/Morph/Performance module this is increased to 6 user layouts. Each module offers a 3-day trial version with some restrictions in order for testing before purchase.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: MIDISynth Control at Free against NotateMe's $39.99. MIDISynth Control also leads on rating (3.4 vs 2.6) and review sentiment (64% vs 45%). NotateMe's advantage is iOS requirement (6.0 vs 9.3). On ratings volume, 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
MIDISynth Control is free to download; NotateMe costs $39.99 up front. NotateMe sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MIDISynth Control sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
MIDISynth Control holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 12 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of NotateMe's written reviews are positive against 64% of MIDISynth Control's.
NotateMe ships an update every 2 weeks, MIDISynth Control every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NotateMe | MIDISynth Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $39.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.6 (26 ratings) | 3.4 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 44.5% of reviews | 63.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 26 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 6.0 — better | 9.3 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Neuratron Ltd | Lee Huddleston |
Customer experience
NotateMe
MIDISynth Control
Bugs and requests
NotateMe
Reported bugs
3 issues- Photoscore feature crashes frequently
- Notes and rests sometimes get misplaced or lost
- Inconsistent recognition of handwritten input
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to import and export MusicXML files
- More customization options for layout and formatting
- Support for additional articulations and notation symbols
- Improved palm rejection and stylus compatibility
- Transposition and chord symbol features
MIDISynth Control
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NotateMe
- NotateMe PhotoScore IAP$29.99
MIDISynth Control
- Link+$5.99
- Keyboard/Drumpad+$6.99
- Control+$9.99
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- Novation Circuit MonoStation$10.99
- Rand/Morph/Performance$12.99
- Novation LPX$12.99
- Novation LCXL$12.99
- Novation Circuit$19.99
- Elektron Digitakt$19.99
- Elektron Digitone$19.99
- Novation Peak & Summit$27.99








