# Newzik vs PiaBookPlayer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Newzik at 66% against PiaBookPlayer's 23%. Newzik also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months). PiaBookPlayer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Newzik sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. PiaBookPlayer asks for nothing beyond the download.

Newzik holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Newzik has 1.6K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Newzik's written reviews are positive against 23% of PiaBookPlayer's.

Newzik ships an update every 3 weeks, PiaBookPlayer every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Newzik | PiaBookPlayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newzik-sheet-music-reader/id966963109/reviews)** | [3.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piabookplayer/id1469318767/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.6K** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **65.6% of reviews** | 22.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 208 MB | 197 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Syncsing - Newzik](https://appshunter.io/developer/470159089) | [Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/448581784) |

## What reviewers say

### Newzik

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newzik-sheet-music-reader/id966963109)

Digitize your sheet music with AI-powered tools. Listen to your scores, collaborate with musicians in real-time, and transpose PDFs instantly. Access your music library from any device with cloud storage.

**Highlights:** AI music recognition for scores, Real-time collaboration with musicians, PDF score transposition, Embedded metronome, tuner, and recorder, Bluetooth pedal compatibility for hands-free page turning, Cloud storage for music library access on any device

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Newzik Pro (monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Newzik Premium (Yearly) | $44.99 | per year |
| Newzik Essentials | $24.99 | one-time |
| Newzik Premium (lifetime) | $179.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for musicians
- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive interface
- 💡 Useful features like tuner, metronome, and live score playback
- 🚀 Reliable and stable performance
- 👍 Excellent customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Inaccurate live score playback, especially for rhythms and dynamics
- 🐛 Limited free version with restricted features
- 🐛 Compatibility issues with older devices
- 🐛 Unreliable page turning with Bluetooth pedals

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent crashes when opening new scores
- Incorrect tempo and pitch playback
- Inability to properly import and read certain music file formats
- Syncing issues between devices and lost data

**Requested features**

- Add support for sorting music by genre, origin, or type
- Improve live score playback accuracy, especially for jazz and swing styles
- Implement a dark mode option for better visibility
- Allow more flexibility in organizing and rearranging setlists
- Provide a desktop app or better web integration


### PiaBookPlayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piabookplayer/id1469318767)

This app displays musical scores from built-in lesson songs and practice pieces on Kawai digital pianos. It allows users to view scores, listen to playback through the instrument, and utilize features like phrase repetition and hands-free page turning via pedals.

**Highlights:** View musical scores, Listen to built-in songs, Digital score viewer, Repeat phrase function, Hands-free page turning, Bluetooth MIDI connectivity

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Newzik free?

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

### Is PiaBookPlayer free?

PiaBookPlayer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Newzik or PiaBookPlayer?

Newzik is rated higher. Newzik averages 4.6 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while PiaBookPlayer averages 3.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do Newzik or PiaBookPlayer have ads?

Neither Newzik nor PiaBookPlayer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Newzik or PiaBookPlayer?

Newzik ships an update every 3 weeks, and PiaBookPlayer every 5 months. Most recently, Newzik was updated on October 29, 2026 and PiaBookPlayer on October 25, 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.*