Comparison

NotateMe vs IMPULSation

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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.

About

IMPULSation

This app is a powerful convolution reverb that lets you load custom impulse responses for endless sound possibilities. Recreate classic amp tones, spaces, and delays with optimized signal processing. It offers a user-friendly interface with essential controls for precise sound shaping.

Highlights
  • Load custom impulse responses (.wav, .aif)
  • AUv3 and AAX plugin support
  • 88 factory presets
  • MIDI Learn and Program Change
  • Pre-Delay, Wet/Dry, Decay controls
  • Stereo Widener
  • iCloud Backup and Sharing
Features
Read full description

IMPULSation is an impulse response/convolution reverb that allows you to load in your own impulses for an an unlimited amount of neverb and amp possibilities. To give you an idea of the power of this app: There are literally hundreds of thousands of impulses freely available online and our app will load them all, given that it’s properly formatted in either .wav or .aif format. Say for example you have an electric piano sound that you want to run through a classic Fender™ AMP. You do a web search for “Fender AMP Impulses” and pick from the thousands of possibilities. You will literally spend hours upon hours freely downloading all of the available spaces, amps, reverbs, and/or delays to use within your favorite AUv3 DAW. The technology of convolving and deconvolving is a method of putting in a signal through an amp, reverb unit, delay unit, or space and with sophisticated mathematical interpolations techniques, you can create a very close replica of the actual source. Our IMPULSation is specifically designed for AMPs, reverbs, delays, and spaces of which our code is optimized to detect which is being used. The detection allows us to optimize the signal for better CPU and for optimal sound. As with all of our other apps, our goal is always simplicity with power. We give you all the important features needed for a great sound, without being too complex. The features are as follows: NEW UPDATED FEATURES: ▪ BlueTooth MiDI Capable ▪ iCloud Backup and Sharing of Presets ▪ Enhanced AUv3 Preset Resizing ▪ Expansion Pack Banners and Branding ▪ Metal support, Faster UI, Faster loading, and major CPU Updates ▪ Two Mode MIDI Program Change General Features: - AUv3 - AAX - 88 Factory Presets - The ability to load in your own impulses using the iOS files app (Works With External Drives via iPadOS) - MIDI Learn parameter **SPECIAL NOTE: Importing works by selecting a folder with .aif or .wav files in it and all of the files will be imported from that folder. App Controls: - Pre-Delay - Wet Controls with Range control for precise scaling - Dry Controls - Decay Controls - Waveform View - Stereo Widener that enhances pre-stereo signals - Master Output Includes Over 200 Impulses from very popular vintage reverb units: - LEX200 - LEX480X - RLND RE201 - RLND DEP3 Echo - EMT 244 - NBA Lush - ASR-10/DP4 - Exotic Places - Special FX ------- ATTENTION iFX Rack Users: 1. The default reverbs are the ones from the FantasyVerb 2. We will be offering a paid IAP option to import impulses. ---------------- Terms and Privacy Notices: • EULA Terms of use - https://gospelmusicians.com/EULA.html • Privacy Policy - https://gospelmusicians.com/privacy-policy.html • Terms and Conditions - https://gospelmusicians.com/terms-conditions.html

Screenshots

NotateMe4 screens
IMPULSation4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: IMPULSation at $9.99 against NotateMe's $39.99. IMPULSation also leads on rating (3.7 vs 2.6) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). NotateMe's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 11.0). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and device support 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

NotateMe costs $39.99 and IMPULSation $9.99 up front. NotateMe sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. IMPULSation asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

IMPULSation holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of NotateMe's written reviews are positive against 50% of IMPULSation's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NotateMe ships an update every 2 weeks, IMPULSation every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 9, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
NotateMe versus IMPULSation: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotateMeIMPULSation
Price$39.99$9.99 — better
Rating2.6 (26 ratings)3.7 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.5% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings26 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS6.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB139 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNeuratron LtdMIDIculous LLC

Customer experience

NotateMe

All ratings26 ratings
Positive38.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative57.7%
Written reviews173 reviews
Positive44.5%
Neutral12.1%
Negative43.4%

IMPULSation

All ratings14 ratings
Positive64.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative21.4%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

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

IMPULSation

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

NotateMe

One-time1
  • NotateMe PhotoScore IAP$29.99
None

IMPULSation

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NotateMe free?
NotateMe costs $39.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is IMPULSation free?
IMPULSation costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NotateMe or IMPULSation?
IMPULSation is rated higher. NotateMe averages 2.6 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while IMPULSation averages 3.7 from 14 ratings.
Do NotateMe or IMPULSation have ads?
Neither NotateMe nor IMPULSation shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NotateMe or IMPULSation?
NotateMe ships an update every 2 weeks, and IMPULSation every 4 months. Most recently, NotateMe was updated on September 9, 2026 and IMPULSation on September 26, 2026.

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