# Sheet Music Scanner vs IMSLP

The clearest difference is monetization model: IMSLP at freemium against Sheet Music Scanner's subscription. IMSLP also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (70% vs 61%). Sheet Music Scanner's advantage is ratings volume (6.5K vs 514) and chart position (#127 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sheet Music Scanner sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and IMSLP sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Sheet Music Scanner against 4.6 for IMSLP. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sheet Music Scanner has 6.5K ratings behind it against 514, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of Sheet Music Scanner's written reviews are positive against 70% of IMSLP's.

Sheet Music Scanner ships an update every 3 weeks, IMSLP every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sheet Music Scanner | IMSLP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (6.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sheet-music-scanner/id884984324/reviews) | **[4.6 (514 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imslp/id1373671782/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.5K** | 514 |
| Positive reviews | 61.0% of reviews | **70.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#127** | — |
| Size | 77 MB | 232 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [App Sub 1 LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1667982354) | [Project Petrucci LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1373671781) |

## What reviewers say

### Sheet Music Scanner

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sheet-music-scanner/id884984324)

**Currently charting:** #127 Top Grossing · Music (US App Store)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notation Scanner | $4.99 | per month |
| Notation Scanner | $9.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $14.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $17.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $22.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $22.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $22.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $22.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $24.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $29.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $34.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $34.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $44.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Game changing app
- 👍 Helpful for learning music
- 💡 Useful for singers and musicians
- 🚀 Accurate scanning and playback
- 👍 Great value for the price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Misses notes, rhythms, and symbols
- 🐛 Struggles with complex music
- 🔒 Requires subscription to fully use
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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)


### IMSLP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/imslp/id1373671782)

Access a vast digital library of classical music scores on your iOS device. Enjoy full access to commercial recordings, instant downloads, and new uploads with a membership subscription. Support the music community while exploring a comprehensive collection.

**Highlights:** Browse IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library, View musical scores, Access commercial recordings, Instant downloads, Access new uploads instantly, Membership subscription benefits

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Membership Subscription | $3.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Integrated IMSLP library
- 👍 Well-made app
- 👍 Game changer for musicians
- 👍 Indispensable for professionals and amateurs
- 👍 Fantastic offering

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when zooming in and annotating
- 💰 Money grabbing with constant subscription prompts
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Annotation issues and lost data
- 🐛 Battery drain on iPad

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening scores
- Scores disappearing from library
- Login issues and lost data
- Incompatibility with older devices after updates
- Annotation issues causing loss of data

**Requested features**

- Predictive text for score annotations
- Ability to restore original zoom settings
- Metric to indicate device performance during page turns
- Folder-like organization system
- Color wheel and custom pen/highlighter options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sheet Music Scanner free?

Sheet Music Scanner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is IMSLP free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Sheet Music Scanner or IMSLP?

IMSLP is rated higher. Sheet Music Scanner averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6.5K ratings, while IMSLP averages 4.6 from 514 ratings.

### Do Sheet Music Scanner or IMSLP have ads?

Neither Sheet Music Scanner nor IMSLP shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sheet Music Scanner or IMSLP?

Sheet Music Scanner ships an update every 3 weeks, and IMSLP every 10 days. Most recently, Sheet Music Scanner was updated on October 29, 2026 and IMSLP on October 29, 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.*