Comparison

Newzik vs NotationPlayer

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

Head to head
About

Newzik

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
Read full description

Go paperless and discover the power of digital sheet music with our musical pdf reader. Listen to your scores thanks to our AI, collaborate instantly with your band, and benefit from all the tools you need in just one app. Approved by 400K+ users. > AI MUSIC RECOGNITION FOR YOUR SCORES Import your PDF sheet music or scan your scores and convert them to LiveScores, using our artificial intelligence. You can then listen to your score, generate playback for your musical practice, and export it to musicXML. > COLLABORATE WITH OTHER MUSICIANS Newzik is the best collaborative tool for teachers, bands, choirs and ensembles. Broadcast your scores and annotations in real-time with other musicians, and always remain up-to-date. > PDF TRANSPOSITION Transpose your PDF scores in one click. Newzik’s AI rewrites your scores for you. > ALL THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO PERFORM Newzik offers embedded metronome, tuner and recorder. The app is compatible with bluetooth pedals, for hand-free page-turning. > YOUR SCORES ACCESSIBLE ON ANY DEVICE With Newzik, your music is safe: your library is stored in the Cloud. Thus, you can access it on any device. > OUR PRICING Trial Version: Try Newzik for free with your 3 first scores, and convert up to 10 pages into LiveScores using our AI. Newzik Essentials - One-time purchase: Store up to 1000 parts in the Newzik Cloud and access them on any device. Newzik Premium - Yearly subscription: Enjoy all the features of Newzik without limits: unlimited storage, unlimited LiveScore conversions, unlimited collaborative projects. Try it for free. Your Newzik Pro subscription will be billed to your Apple ID at the date of purchase, and renewed automatically unless you cancel 24h before the renewal date. > WHICH INSTRUMENTS CAN USE NEWZIK? Any musician of any level using sheet music can benefit from Newzik. For instance, this app is for you if you play one of the following instruments: Piano Singing Violin Saxophone Guitar Flute Have a question or suggestion? Send us an email at contact@newzik.com General Terms and Conditions of Use: https://newzik.com/en/general-terms

About

NotationPlayer

Read full description

NotationPlayer turns your sheet music into sound. Open any MusicXML or ABC file, choose from over 100 realistic instruments, and hear your music played back instantly — with full tempo control, transposition, and a built-in metronome. Built for trad and folk musicians, with full MusicXML support for classical, jazz, and any sheet music you read. PLAY YOUR MUSIC • Play MusicXML and ABC notation files with realistic instrument sounds • Adjust tempo from half speed to double speed without changing pitch • Transpose to any key with one tap • Built-in metronome with click, woodblock, and bodhrán sounds • Count-in option for a clean start • Auto-scroll follows the music as it plays FIND NEW TUNES • Search over 30,000 traditional tunes from The Session • Browse the ABC Notation archive and Henrik Norbeck's collection • Paste ABC or MusicXML notation directly into the app • 55 sample tunes included — Celtic, Classical, Bluegrass, and Jazz LEARN AND PRACTISE • Tap any note to set a cue point and play from there • Loop any section by selecting start and end notes — perfect for tricky passages • Show note names (C, D, E…) above or below every note — helpful for beginners and for unfamiliar clefs • Lyrics displayed and synced to playback • Swing control for jazz and traditional styles MULTI-TRACK MIXER • Assign different instruments to each voice or part 100+ instruments including fiddle, tin whistle, mandolin, piano, guitar, flute, and more • Volume, pan, mute, and solo controls per track • Guitar chord accompaniment from chord symbols ANNOTATE YOUR SCORES • Draw on your scores with pen and highlighter • Add text notes anywhere on the page • Multiple colours and tools • Your annotations are saved with each tune ORGANISE YOUR MUSIC • Build tune sets — group tunes into medleys that play seamlessly • Create playlists with sets and individual tunes • Ensemble mode — add backing instruments to your playlists • Speed control for playlist playback • Favourites and search across your library EXPORT AND SHARE • Export scores as PDF for printing or sharing with bandmates • Export audio as MP3 • Share with other musicians WORKS OFFLINE NotationPlayer works without an internet connection. Your tunes, instruments, and playlists are always available — perfect for rehearsals, sessions, and practice anywhere. Built for musicians who want their notation to do more than just sit on the page. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Newzik4 screens
NotationPlayer4 screens

Verdict

The call

Newzik and NotationPlayer are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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. Newzik sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and NotationPlayer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Newzik ships an update every 3 weeks, NotationPlayer every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Newzik versus NotationPlayer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNewzikNotationPlayer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (1.5K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews65.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.5K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size208 MB50 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSyncsing - NewzikChorusLogic Ltd.

Bugs and requests

Newzik

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

NotationPlayer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Newzik

Subscriptions2
  • Newzik Pro (monthly)$9.991 Month
  • Newzik Premium (Yearly)7 Days trial$44.991 Year
One-time2
  • Newzik Essentials$24.99
  • Newzik Premium (lifetime)$179.00
2 purchases

NotationPlayer

Subscriptions1
  • NotationPlayer Monthly$0.991 Month
One-time1
  • Full Access$6.99

Questions

Is Newzik free?
Newzik is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NotationPlayer free?
NotationPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Newzik or NotationPlayer have ads?
Neither Newzik nor NotationPlayer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Newzik or NotationPlayer?
Newzik ships an update every 3 weeks, and NotationPlayer every 2 weeks. Most recently, Newzik was updated on October 14, 2026 and NotationPlayer on October 7, 2026.

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