Musicnotes vs SheetMuse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Musicnotes
Access and play a vast library of digital sheet music. Practice with interactive tools, transpose keys, and annotate scores. Organize your music into set lists for lessons, rehearsals, or performances.
- Interactive sheet music player
- Key transposition tool
- Annotation and markup
- Set list organization
- 500,000+ sheet music arrangements
- Personal sheet music upload
- Interactive playback with tempo control
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Musicnotes is your digital sheet music reader, player and music library for practice, performance, and learning. Access and print over 500,000 officially licensed printable sheet music arrangements, scores, and practice materials to play, study, and build your skills wherever you go. Whether you're a student, teacher, hobbyist, or professional musician, Musicnotes provides reliable, interactive annotation tools to support your musical education, rehearsal, and personal growth. Musicnotes brings sheet music and scores to life with interactive playback, helping you follow the notation as you listen, learn, and practice. WHY MUSICNOTES? • Sheet music player and reader for practice, rehearsal, lessons, and performance • Read, play, organize, annotate, perform, and print from one of the most trusted sheet music apps • Transpose songs into different keys for vocal training, music theory study, and instrument practice • Mark up your sheet music with a stylus or finger to improve sight-reading, interpretation, and recall skills • Organize your sheet music and scores into set lists for lessons, recitals, rehearsals, performances or group practice • Browse over 500,000 officially licensed printable sheet music arrangements, study scores and practice sheets • Receive 100 free sheet music titles, blank sheet music and scales, to support your learning and education journey • Upload and store your personal sheet music PDFs online for easy access • Easily import your Music notes sheet music pieces into the ForScore Pro app for note management • Discover popular musicals and artists like Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, La La Land, Lady Gaga, and Bruno Mars ACCESS A WORLD OF EDUCATIONAL MUSIC RESOURCES • Take your digital sheet music library offline—perfect for students, teachers, and performers seeking reliable music reference material • Scan printed scores and convert them into digital study material • Explore free and paid music for all skill levels, instruments and voice: piano, guitar, drums, flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello, accordion, percussion, banjo, saxophone, tuba, baritone horn and more • Learn classical repertoire, lullabies, jazz standards, christmas classics or modern pop • Perfect for use in private lessons, school programs, and conservatory training PRACTICE TOOLS FOR MUSIC EDUCATION • Customize key and tempo for vocal range exercises or skill development • Use interactive playback with the music note player to improve rhythm, timing, and accuracy • Loop difficult sections for targeted repetition and muscle memory • Practice music theory fundamentals with harmony playback and tempo control • Organize your music note sheets into set lists to prepare for lessons, practice routines, or recitals ANNOTATE & TEACH MORE EFFECTIVELY • Highlight, write, and add custom markings to reinforce learning points • Switch between annotated and clean sheet music scores • Sync notes across devices with Musicnotes Pro, ideal for teachers & students THE BEST TOOL FOR TEACHING, LEARNING, AND PERFORMING • Tap or swipe to turn pages—or use AirTurn & Pageflip for hands-free playing • Customize paper backgrounds to mirror physical sheet music • Print purchased scores for classroom or in-person lessons • Use Musicnotes Pro Credits to redeem arrangements for your music curriculum • High-resolution PDFs available with Pro membership Try Musicnotes today and discover why music teachers, students, and performers trust it as the #1 sheet music reader, player, and performance app Musicnotes Pro is an annual subscription that will charge to your App Store Account & auto-renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your App Store Account will be charged within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Your subscription & auto-renewal can be managed in your Account Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.musicnotes.com/TermsOfUseApp.html
SheetMuse
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Turn your iPad and iPhone into your digital music stand. With SheetMuse you carry every score with you: annotated, arranged into setlists, ready for the stage. Built by Pro Music Software for people who play live, study at the conservatory, or practise at home. ANNOTATE LIKE ON PAPER Fingerings, dynamics, breath marks, reminders: write straight onto the score with pen, highlighter, text and eraser. With Apple Pencil on iPad it feels like a pencil on paper. Every mark is saved with the file, page by page, and you find it exactly where you left it. MORE THAN PDF Import scores and tabs as PDF, lyrics and chord sheets as images (PNG/JPG) or plain text, and the backing tracks that go with them. One library for all your material, with instant search by name and tag. SETLISTS FOR THE STAGE Group your pieces into setlists for concerts, rehearsals or lessons. In fullscreen you move from one piece to the next without leaving, without searching, without missing the downbeat. On iPad in landscape you can read two pages side by side. TURN PAGES WITH YOUR FOOT SheetMuse recognises Bluetooth page-turner pedals on its own: no drivers, no setup, no mode to declare. Pair the pedal from the iOS Bluetooth settings and turn the page, or jump to the next piece, without taking your hands off the instrument. AUTOMATIC SCROLLING For lyrics you can start automatic scrolling, at an adjustable speed or synced to the audio, karaoke style. Your hands stay on the instrument. BUILT-IN METRONOME Set the BPM with the score open, without leaving the app. EXPORT WHEN YOU NEED TO Save or share the score with your annotations, as a PDF or as one image per page: handy for passing parts to the band or handouts to a class. YOUR FILES, KEPT SAFE Scores, annotations and setlists sync automatically to the cloud: switch device and everything is where you left it. A built-in trash brings back what you deleted by mistake, and you can export a full backup whenever you want. MADE FOR PLAYERS Pianists, guitarists, singers, bass players, drummers, strings and winds, choir directors, teachers preparing material for a class. On stage every night, in the rehearsal room with the band, or at home for the love of it: a clean interface, no distractions, readable even in low light. NO SUBSCRIPTION The app is free and supported by non-intrusive ads. A single purchase removes the ads for good: no subscription, no renewal, no expiry date. NOTES SheetMuse does not provide sheet music: you import your own files, within the rights you hold over them. A free account is required to use the app. Your account can stay signed in on a maximum of 2 devices at a time. Requires iOS or iPadOS 15.0 or later. Leave the binders at home. Download SheetMuse and travel light.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is chart position: Musicnotes at #180 against SheetMuse's unranked. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Musicnotes sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per year and SheetMuse sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Musicnotes ships an update fortnightly, SheetMuse every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Musicnotes | SheetMuse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (43K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 54.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 43K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #180 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 121 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Musicnotes | Francesco Acquafredda |
Bugs and requests
Musicnotes
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
SheetMuse
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Musicnotes
- Musicnotes Pro$14.991 Year
- PDF Sheet Music Arrangement2 variants$2.99
- Sheet Music Arrangement$3.99
- Sheet Music Arrangement$4.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Sheet Music Arrangement$5.99
- Sheet Music Arrangement$6.99
- Sheet Music Arrangement$7.99
- Sheet Music Arrangement$8.99
- Sheet Music Arrangement + PDF$8.99
- Sheet Music Arrangement + PDF$9.99
- Sheet Music Arrangement$12.99
- Pro Credit Pack (3 Credits)$12.99
SheetMuse
- SheetMuse - NO ADS Pack$1.99
Questions
Is Musicnotes free?
Is SheetMuse free?
Do Musicnotes or SheetMuse have ads?
Which is updated more often, Musicnotes or SheetMuse?
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