# Sheet Music Scanner vs Musicnotes

The clearest difference is monetization model: Musicnotes at free with in-app purchases against Sheet Music Scanner's subscription. Musicnotes also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and ratings volume (43K vs 6.5K). Sheet Music Scanner's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sheet Music Scanner sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Musicnotes sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Musicnotes holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Musicnotes has 43K ratings behind it against 6.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Sheet Music Scanner's written reviews are positive against 55% of Musicnotes's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Sheet Music Scanner ships an update every 3 weeks, Musicnotes fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sheet Music Scanner | Musicnotes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (6.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sheet-music-scanner/id884984324/reviews) | **[4.8 (43K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musicnotes-sheet-music-reader/id924050984/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 6.5K | **43K** |
| Positive reviews | **61.0% of reviews** | 54.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#131** | #157 |
| Size | 77 MB | 122 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [App Sub 1 LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1667982354) | [Musicnotes](https://appshunter.io/developer/369741037) |

## What reviewers say

### Sheet Music Scanner

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

**Currently charting:** #131 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 (10)**

| 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 | $24.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $29.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $34.99 | per year |
| Notation Scanner | $34.99 | 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)


### Musicnotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/musicnotes-sheet-music-reader/id924050984)

**Currently charting:** #157 Top Free · Music (US App Store)

Access and play over 500,000 sheet music arrangements. This digital library offers interactive playback, annotation tools, and transposition features to aid in practice, performance, and learning. Organize your music, scan printed scores, and sync notes across devices.

**Highlights:** Sheet music player and reader, Interactive playback, Transpose songs, Annotation tools, Organize into set lists, Access over 500,000 arrangements, Offline access

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Musicnotes Pro | $14.99 | per year |
| PDF Sheet Music Arrangement | $2.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $3.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $4.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $5.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $6.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement | $7.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement + PDF | $8.99 | one-time |
| Sheet Music Arrangement + PDF | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great convenience
- 🎹 Fantastic range of music
- 🎶 Adjustable to skill level
- 💻 Reliable and responsive
- 🎨 Helpful playback and annotation features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Overpriced compared to other options
- 🔒 Restrictive printing and usage policies
- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🖥️ Inconsistent pricing between app and website
- 📱 Poor iPad and iPhone X support

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and inability to access purchased content
- Crashes and performance problems, especially on newer devices
- Inconsistent behavior when navigating and scrolling sheet music
- Unreliable playback and sync features

**Requested features**

- Add ability to permanently delete pre-installed songs
- Improve note-taking and annotation tools, including Apple Pencil support
- Implement better browsing and search functionality
- Allow more flexible printing and copying options
- Add seamless syncing between app and website purchases


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sheet Music Scanner free?

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

### Is Musicnotes free?

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

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

Musicnotes is rated higher. Sheet Music Scanner averages 4.5 out of 5 from 6.5K ratings, while Musicnotes averages 4.8 from 43K ratings.

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

Musicnotes shows ads; Sheet Music Scanner does not.

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

Sheet Music Scanner ships an update every 3 weeks, and Musicnotes fortnightly. Most recently, Sheet Music Scanner was updated on November 6, 2026 and Musicnotes on November 7, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Sheet Music Scanner or Musicnotes?

Sheet Music Scanner currently peaks at #131 in the App Store charts, and Musicnotes at #157. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*