Comparison

MIDI Score vs Sheet Music Scanner

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

Head to head
About

MIDI Score

This app transforms MIDI files into synchronized sheet music. View musical notes as the music plays, with support for various clefs and track selection. Manage your songs and download new ones directly.

Highlights
  • Converts MIDI to sheet music
  • Synchronized playback
  • Supports multiple clefs
  • Track selection
  • Song management
  • Web and iTunes download
Features
Read full description

[MIDI Score] is an app that converts MIDI files to sheet music. While you are listening to music, you can see musical notes synchronized. FEATURES - Converts MIDI files to sheet music - Plays the sheet music with the synchronization - Supports the treble clef, the bass clef, and both - Track Selection to display the sheet music - Song management by title, artist, and tags - Song download from the web browser, and iTunes file sharing - Automatic synchronization between iOS devices via iCloud PRO VERSION (In-App Purchase) - AB Repeat - Scaling the sheet music - Adjusts the bar width and octave - Playback speed - Transposition - Fingering of piano and guitar - PDF Export, Print, and Share - Removes Ads

About

Sheet Music Scanner

Instantly listen to scanned sheet music with this app. It recognizes musical notation and plays it back on your device with various instruments and adjustable speeds. Learn music by hearing it come alive from the page.

Highlights
  • Scan printed sheet music with camera
  • Playback from photo library or PDF
  • Tap to play specific measures
  • Recognizes melody, harmony, and rhythm symbols
  • Supports multiple instruments and voices
  • Adjustable playback speed
  • Export as MIDI, MusicXML, and audio
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Scan sheet music and instantly listen with music with Sheet Music Scanner. Sheet Music Scanner makes it easy for you to scan or upload printed sheet music. Listen to the music printed on the page in a number of different formats and instruments, directly on your device. Ever wanted to know how that interesting-looking piece of sheet music actually sounds? Now you can know instantly. Just point your iPhone or iPad at the sheet and let it play the notes for you. Listen to the notes and help yourself learn along the way. Sheet Music Scanner lets you scan and playback from any part of the song, just tap the measure and listen to your sheet music. You can even choose the instrument, pick the speed and enjoy! Download Sheet Music Scanner and scan your sheet music today! 2 for 1 universal iOS app: iPhone / iPod touch and iPad - you get Sheet Music Scanner for all your iOS devices for the price of one. SHEET MUSIC SCANNER FEATURES - Scan the whole sheet instantly using your built-in camera - Scan and playback from any image in your Photo library or from a PDF * - Playback from anywhere in the song - simply tap the measure, the notes and symbols are highlighted as they're played - Reads and recognizes the following symbols of musical notation pertaining to melody, harmony, and rhythm: treble, bass, and alto (viola) clefs, notes, duration dots, rests, accidentals, note ties, triplets and other tuplets, repeat signs * - Support for voices played in tandem, e.g. both piano hands at the same time, or all the choir voices - Support for playing individual staffs separately, e.g. right or left piano hand - Support for multiple pages - Accommodates speeds between 50 and 330 beats per minute - Cloud synchronization. Access your music library on any iPhone, iPad, or Mac with iCloud Drive. * Some limitations apply - please see at the bottom of the page. EXPORT OPTIONS - Export as MIDI, MusicXML, audio (M4A / AAC, MP3, WAV), PDF to cloud storage, directly to other apps or via AirDrop - All major cloud storages supported: iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive, etc. Note that the appropriate cloud storage client app has to be installed for this to work. INSTRUMENTS - Accordion, Acoustic Bass, Alto Sax, Bagpipes, Banjo, Bass Guitar, Celeste, Cello, Choir, Clarinet, Double Bass, Flute, French Horn, Guitar - Classical, Clean, Distortion, Glockenspiel, Harp, Mandolin, Marimba, Oboe, Organ (Percussive, Pipe, Reed, Rock, Tonewheel), Piano, Recorder, Tenor Sax, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, Vibraphone, Viola, Violin, Xylophone - Supports actual instrument pitch for transposing instruments - Change your pitch standard based on instrument, from standard 440Hz to 380-480 Hz SUBSCRIPTIONS - The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. - Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Limitations - Reads printed sheet music, not handwritten or mimicking handwriting, tablatures, etc. - Reads standard oval note heads only, no special symbols like shape notes. - The following symbols are not currently supported: codas, percussion notation, dynamics, double sharps, double flats, and grace notes. These are planned to come in the future updates. - Use high-quality printed sheet music and take photos under good enough light, when scanning from your camera, for optimal results. For scanning from a file, the recommended resolution is 300 DPI or 8-12 MPx per page. - Some older prints and unusual fonts may not be recognizable. If you experience any problems, please contact support at support@sheetmusicscanner.com Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

MIDI Score4 screens
Sheet Music Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: MIDI Score at free with in-app purchases against Sheet Music Scanner's subscription. MIDI Score also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). Sheet Music Scanner's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and ads (none vs shown). On price, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. MIDI Score sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sheet Music Scanner sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sheet Music Scanner holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sheet Music Scanner has 6.4K ratings behind it against 151, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of MIDI Score's written reviews are positive against 61% of Sheet Music Scanner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MIDI Score ships an update every 2 months, Sheet Music Scanner every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
MIDI Score versus Sheet Music Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMIDI ScoreSheet Music Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (151 ratings)4.5 (6.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.5% of reviews61.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1516.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#133 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAmoriyAApp Sub 1 LLC

Customer experience

MIDI Score

All ratings151 ratings
Positive76.2%
Neutral2.6%
Negative21.2%
Written reviews115 reviews
Positive43.5%
Neutral12.2%
Negative44.3%

Sheet Music Scanner

All ratings6,365 ratings
Positive88.8%
Neutral4.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews531 reviews
Positive61.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative30.3%

Bugs and requests

MIDI Score

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Sheet Music Scanner

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Misses key signatures and accidentals
  • Struggles with handwritten or low-quality sheet music
  • Separates hands/voices incorrectly in multi-staff scores

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to manually edit scanned music
  • Improve support for repeats, codas, and complex rhythms
  • Allow selecting/isolating individual instrument/voice parts
  • Add count-in and metronome features
  • Improve export options (e.g. separate instrument tracks)

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MIDI Score

One-time1
  • Upgrade to Pro$4.99
12 purchases

Sheet Music Scanner

Subscriptions12
  • Notation Scanner$4.991 Month
  • Notation Scanner$9.991 Year
  • Notation Scanner$14.991 Year
Show 9 more
  • Notation Scanner$17.991 Year
  • Notation Scanner7 Days trial$22.991 Year
  • Notation Scanner1 Month trial$22.991 Year
  • Notation Scanner$22.991 Year
  • Notation Scanner14 Days trial$22.991 Year
  • Notation Scanner$24.991 Year
  • Notation Scanner2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Notation Scanner7 Days trial$34.991 Year
  • Notation Scanner7 Days trial$44.991 Year

Questions

Is MIDI Score free?
MIDI Score is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sheet Music Scanner free?
Sheet Music Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, MIDI Score or Sheet Music Scanner?
Sheet Music Scanner is rated higher. MIDI Score averages 4.0 out of 5 from 151 ratings, while Sheet Music Scanner averages 4.5 from 6.4K ratings.
Do MIDI Score or Sheet Music Scanner have ads?
MIDI Score shows ads; Sheet Music Scanner does not.
Which is updated more often, MIDI Score or Sheet Music Scanner?
MIDI Score ships an update every 2 months, and Sheet Music Scanner every 3 weeks. Most recently, MIDI Score was updated on September 20, 2026 and Sheet Music Scanner on September 24, 2026.

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