CalmusNotation vs Notation Pad Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CalmusNotation
Create and visualize musical compositions using AI-powered graphical notation. This app leverages advanced AI, inspired by NASA's Lisp programming, to generate original music based on user input and can display music from other compatible apps for live performance.
- AI-powered music composition
- Graphical notation display
- Real-time performance visualization
- Lisp-based AI engine
- User input-driven music creation
- Integration with CalmusComposer and CalmusPlay
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Graphical Notation is an app for music creation and graphical notation using Artificial Intelligence. The coreof Graphical Notation is the CalmusAI brain where the modern composing methods are programmed into the brain using Lisp programming language. NASA has historically used Lisp for artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, most notably in the 1990s Remote Agent project, the first AI system to control a spacecraft. CalmusNotation does not collect or use any musical material from the internet but creates new music based on the input from the user. In addition - CalmusNotation can also receive composed music from CalmusComposer and CalmusPlay - and present the music as graphical notation for live performance - in real-time. CalmusComposer composes music with Artificial Intelligence and can send the musical result to GraphicalNotations to be presented for life performance. CalmusComposer is connected to GraphicalNotation through WiFi local network - by selecting CalmusNotation in Settings. GraphicalNotation is connected to CalmusComposer, through WiFi local network - by selecting the MacOS device in the settings of GraphicalNotation. CalmusNotation needs Internet connection.
Notation Pad Pro
Compose, edit, and playback musical scores with lyrics. This app allows users to create music compositions using touch gestures and supports a wide range of notation elements. It's suitable for both beginners learning music theory and experienced musicians for songbooks or complex scores.
- Compose and edit sheet music
- Write and integrate lyrics
- Playback scores with high-quality sound
- Export to MusicXML, MIDI, PNG, and PDF
- Support for up to 8 staves
- Over 100 musical instruments
- Multi-voice support
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A great sheet music notation app on iOS. For any music lover, Notation Pad gives you the ability to read, compose, edit, playback scores and write lyrics. With it you can be a talented composer and great musician anywhere. As long as you have a little knowledge of sheet music, you can write music composition simply by touch and move. You could use it as your songbook or scoresheet. It is also designed for a beginner who wants to learn music score, music notes and tablature. It can handle ensemble, choir or symphony score, also it supports for a single track piano score. With the help of it you could easily record the flashes of inspiration wherever they strike. Are you ready to compose music in a simple way? ----------------------- Features: -Export/Import the industry-popular MusicXML file format, allowing for exchanging sheet music with other software (Finale, Sibelius, Encore, MuseScore, etc). -Export MIDI file. -Export PNG image and PDF document. -High quality sound for playback. -Support editing up to 8 staff at the same time. -Support over 100 kinds of musical instrument. Piano, organ, guitar, violin, sax, flute, brass, bass, etc. -Support multi-voice. -A great lyric app. ----------------------- Supported notation: *A variety of music note types, from whole note to 128th note and dotted note *Chord, staff, track *Treble, alto and bass clef *Edit lyrics *A variety of time signatures *All standard key signatures *Adjustable tempo *All accidentals (sharps, flats, double sharps, double flats, and naturals) *Tie, slur, and tuplet *Many types of ornament *A wide range of dynamics -------------------------- - Terms of use: https://service.notationpad.com/terms_service.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Notation Pad Pro at 61% against CalmusNotation's 0%. Notation Pad Pro also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (159 vs 5). CalmusNotation's advantage is price (Free vs $149.00) and rating (4.4 vs 4.2). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
CalmusNotation is free to download; Notation Pad Pro costs $149.00 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CalmusNotation holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notation Pad Pro has 159 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 0% of CalmusNotation's written reviews are positive against 61% of Notation Pad Pro's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
CalmusNotation ships an update every 4 months, Notation Pad Pro every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 5, 2026 and August 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CalmusNotation | Notation Pad Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $149.00 |
| Rating | 4.4 (5 ratings) — better | 4.2 (159 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 61.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 159 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 294 MB | 165 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Erki-tonlist sf | 嵩 张 |
Customer experience
CalmusNotation
Notation Pad Pro
In-app purchases
CalmusNotation
No in-app purchases
Notation Pad Pro
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CalmusNotation free?
Is Notation Pad Pro free?
Which has better reviews, CalmusNotation or Notation Pad Pro?
Do CalmusNotation or Notation Pad Pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, CalmusNotation or Notation Pad Pro?
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