Comparison

NotateMe Now vs Staventabs

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

Head to head
About

NotateMe Now

Compose music notation on your device using handwriting recognition or by photographing printed sheet music. Instantly play back, edit, and export your creations as MusicXML or MIDI files. Ideal for learning, teaching, or creating music on the go.

Highlights
  • Handwriting music notation
  • PhotoScore Now printed score capture
  • Instant playback and editing
  • MusicXML and MIDI export
  • Recognizes wide range of notation symbols
  • Automatic barlines, clefs, and time signatures
Features
Read full description

Free single-staff version of NotateMe - the ground-breaking music composition software from Neuratron, featuring powerful handwriting recognition and PhotoScore Now printed score capture. 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 printing at the end! - Includes PhotoScore Now - A free 1-staff version of the PhotoScore Add-In (In-App Purchase) for full NotateMe. Take photos of printed sheet music with your device's camera, so you can play back and edit them with NotateMe Now! 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. - Great when learning or teaching music notation. - Email MusicXML and MIDI files of your scores to friends or other musicians. Open in desktop notation packages. - NotateMe Now recognizes a wide range of music notation symbols, including notes (with solid, open, and slanted noteheads), flags, beams, leger lines, multiple voices per staff, chords, rests, accidentals (natural, sharp, double sharp & flat), augmentation dots, ties, slurs, hairpins, clef changes, key signatures. Barlines, clefs, time signatures and triplets are added automatically. - It works while you write - the printed score updates automatically without you needing to stop and wait. - If NotateMe Now 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. DEVICE REQUIREMENTS MINIMUM RECOMMENDED: iPhone 5/s/c, iPod Touch 5 onwards, iPad (2nd generation onwards, 3rd generation onwards for PhotoScore Add-In), iPad mini 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 Now: 5MP rear facing camera with auto-focus, 1 GB RAM. Good lighting conditions.

About

Staventabs

Compose and edit musical scores and tablature with a user-friendly interface. Create new pieces from scratch or templates, input notes intuitively, and enhance your compositions with advanced editing tools. Practice your songs with playback and metronome features, and manage your projects seamlessly.

Highlights
  • Score and tablature editing
  • Intuitive note input
  • Virtual piano and fingerboard
  • Instrument previews
  • Playback and metronome
  • AI-powered scale suggestions
  • MIDI and MusicXML import/export
Features
Read full description

A simple notation and tab editor, Staventabs could become your indispensable helper in music creation. Use smart and convenient tools of Staventabs for composing and improving scores on your iPad or iPhone. Get inspired by viewing majestic classics scores or practicing good old jazz. Easily edit sheet music and tablature with user friendly interface like never before. Share musical inspiration with your band using Staventabs files. Create music • Start your new score from the scratch or with one of the two dozen templates² • Enter notes with intuitive instrument-independent interface or virtual Piano Keyboard • Explore and edit your score with sophisticated Piano Roll and Drums Editor • Choose from 22 groups of the instruments (keyboards, guitars, strings, drums, percussions, etc.)² listening their preview fragments • Use context-sensitive selection for bars, chords and tracks • Modify notes with dots, tuplets and ties • Make your music alive with lyrics • Customize clefs, key signatures and time signatures for bars • Change dynamics • Switch between enharmonic equivalents of the notes • Use customizable voices • Setup tunings with the large value of presets • Navigate around the score with Tracks board • Easily copy, paste and remove selected areas • Switch fast between tablature and stave inputs • Edit tabs with easy-to-use numeric keypad or virtual Fingerboard • Input notes by Staff Positions • Set the visibility for instrument parts in the score • Edit title and information about creators • Select and customize horizontal, vertical or page layout for your score • Use Scientific or Helmholtz pitch notation when entering notes • Add repeat signs and volta brackets • Don’t worry about losing data thanks to auto-saving • Connect your MIDI devices to Staventabs Practice your songs • Play the whole composition or selected fragment • Customize metronome clicking and countdown • Change track’s audio properties on-the-fly • Loop the playback of the desired part Improve compositions • Mark non-playable objects with "Highlight issues" • Use the "Starred scales" AI to determine the chromatic scales most similar to the selected area • Adjust the semitones of the selected area notes to the chromatic scale • Customize the chromatic scale for adjustment³ • Diminish, augment and subdivide note values • Transpose pitches by semitones Manage projects • Browse your projects with convenient file manager • Store your compositions in iCloud Drive and keep them up-to-date across all your iOS devices • Create new projects and duplicate existing (up to three editable projects in free version)¹ • Listen to preview fragments of the scores directly from the files menu • Open SNT, MIDI, MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML (MXL), Guitar Pro (GPX, GP5, GP4, GP3) and Karaoke (KAR) files • Edit MIDI, MusicXML, MXL, Guitar Pro and Karaoke files¹ • Organize your files from a desktop computer using iTunes or iCloud Drive • Open files from Mail and other applications (Dropbox, Box, etc.) • Convert files between supported formats¹ Share your brand-new hits with friends • Email your scores and tabs right from Staventabs • Print your score¹ • Export to PDF and MPEG-4 AAC¹ Features marked with superscript numbers are available via the corresponding in-app purchases: ¹ Unlimited Projects ² Additional Instruments ³ Advanced Composing

Screenshots

NotateMe Now3 screens
Staventabs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Staventabs at 3.8 against NotateMe Now's 2.2. Staventabs also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 31%). NotateMe Now's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (6.0 vs 16.4). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Staventabs sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. NotateMe Now asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Staventabs holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 71 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of NotateMe Now's written reviews are positive against 65% of Staventabs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NotateMe Now ships an update every 2 weeks, Staventabs every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
NotateMe Now versus Staventabs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotateMe NowStaventabs
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (26 ratings)3.8 (71 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.8% of reviews64.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2671 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS6.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB128 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNeuratron LtdIvan Korovin

Customer experience

NotateMe Now

All ratings26 ratings
Positive26.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative69.2%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive30.8%
Neutral9.3%
Negative59.8%

Staventabs

All ratings71 ratings
Positive66.2%
Neutral11.3%
Negative22.5%
Written reviews228 reviews
Positive64.9%
Neutral12.3%
Negative22.8%

Bugs and requests

NotateMe Now

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Staventabs

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Imported MIDI files lose instrument assignments
  • Disappearing projects after updates
  • Inability to adjust note lengths in piano roll
  • Metronome not audible over instrument playback

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for grace notes and ornaments
  • Implement repeat/coda symbols
  • Allow custom font and layout options
  • Integrate MIDI input and output
  • Improve chord recognition accuracy

In-app purchases

None

NotateMe Now

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Staventabs

One-time3
  • Advanced composing$9.99
  • Unlimited projects$10.99
  • Additional instruments$10.99

Questions

Is NotateMe Now free?
NotateMe Now is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Staventabs free?
Staventabs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, NotateMe Now or Staventabs?
Staventabs is rated higher. NotateMe Now averages 2.2 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Staventabs averages 3.8 from 71 ratings.
Do NotateMe Now or Staventabs have ads?
Neither NotateMe Now nor Staventabs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NotateMe Now or Staventabs?
NotateMe Now ships an update every 2 weeks, and Staventabs every 3 weeks. Most recently, NotateMe Now was updated on November 1, 2026 and Staventabs on November 1, 2026.

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