Newzik
A collaborative sheet music reader for iPad and iPhone, with Newzik Web in any browser.
Best overall
- iPad
- iPhone
- Web
Free / $24.99Read the review
Sheet music app reviews
In-depth reviews of every major sheet music app: what each one does well, where it falls short, what it costs and who it suits.
Each review starts from the same verified app profile used across the site: platforms, current prices, features and store ratings, with the date we last checked them. The score comes from our seven published criteria, so a 9.0 means the same thing on every page.
8.0/10Our score
MobileSheets
A highly configurable sheet music reader for Android, Windows, iPad and iPhone.
Best for Android and Windows
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Windows
$15.99Read the review
BandHelper
A band management service that syncs songs, set lists, charts and backing tracks across a whole band.
Best for gigging bands
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Mac
- Web
SubscriptionVisit website
forScore
The long-running PDF sheet music reader for iPad, iPhone, Mac and Vision Pro.
Best for iPad
- iPad
- iPhone
- Mac
$24.99Read the review
Planning Center Music Stand
A sheet music and chord chart reader for church teams, as an add-on to Planning Center Services.
Best for Planning Center churches
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Web
$2/mo per teamRead the review
SongbookPro
A chord chart, lyrics and PDF songbook for Android, iPhone, iPad and Windows.
Best value for chord charts
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Windows
$5.99Read the review
OnSong
A chord chart, lyrics and PDF app for live performance on iPad, iPhone and Mac.
- iPad
- iPhone
- Mac
Free / $29.99/yrRead the review
Enote
A classical sheet music library and reader for iPhone, iPad and Mac, with free import of your own scores.
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Mac
Free / $9.99/moVisit website
Piascore
A free PDF sheet music reader for iPad and iPhone with built-in IMSLP downloads.
Best free reader
- iPad
- iPhone
FreeRead the review
unrealBook
An iPad PDF reader for gigging musicians who keep charts and fake books on an iPad.
Best for fake books
- iPad
$14.99Visit website
nkoda
A subscription library of 100,000+ licensed classical editions, with a reader for your own PDFs.
Best licensed classical library
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
$14.99/moRead the review
Tomplay
An interactive sheet music app with 100,000+ arrangements that scroll with recorded backing tracks.
Best play-along practice
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Windows
- Mac
- Web
$19.99/moRead the review
Soundslice
A browser-based practice platform that syncs interactive notation with real audio and video.
Best for learning with video
- Web
Free / $50/yrVisit website
Musicnotes
The free reader app for scores bought on Musicnotes.com, plus PDFs you import.
Best sheet music store app
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Windows
- Web
Free / per songRead the review
Henle Library
G. Henle Verlag's app for buying and reading Henle urtext editions on iPad, iPhone, Android and Mac.
Best for Henle urtext editions
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
Free / per pieceVisit website
MuseScore
The MuseScore.com app for browsing, playing back and practicing community and official scores.
Biggest community catalog
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Web
Free / from $6.99Read the review
PlayScore 2
A sheet music scanner that plays back printed or PDF scores and exports MIDI and MusicXML.
Best dedicated scanner
- iPad
- iPhone
- Android
- Windows
Free / $34.99/yrRead the review
Sheet Music Direct
Hal Leonard's sheet music store and PASS subscription, read in a free iPhone and iPad app.
- iPad
- iPhone
- Web
Free / $9.99/moVisit website
Reviews
forScore review (2026): the iPad reader to beat, and what it can't do
Every page-turn method, deep annotation and a mature library for one price on iPad, iPhone, Mac and Vision Pro. What forScore Pro adds, why there is no Android version, and who should pick something else.
Reviews
MobileSheets review (2026): the best sheet music app for Android and Windows
Every page-turn method, linked tablets across platforms and a library built for thousands of scores, for a one-time price. What the free trial covers, how it runs on iPad, and where the learning curve bites.
Reviews
MuseScore app review (2026): a huge score catalog, not a stage reader
The MuseScore app opens the MuseScore.com catalog with playback, looping and tempo control. How it differs from the free MuseScore Studio desktop editor, what Pro and Pro+ cost, and why it can't replace a sheet music reader.
Reviews
Musicnotes app review (2026): the free reader for Musicnotes purchases, and is Pro worth it?
What the free Musicnotes app does with the arrangements you buy and the PDFs you import, what Musicnotes Pro and Pro - Premium add, and how it compares with Sheet Music Direct.
Reviews
Newzik review (2026): pricing, LiveScore and who should skip it
Shared parts, annotation layers and PDFs you can play back, on iPad, iPhone and in a browser. What the free, Essentials and Premium plans get you, and who should look elsewhere.
Reviews
nkoda review (2026): price, the classical library, and is it worth it?
What nkoda's subscription library includes, what it costs, how its annotation tools work, where its copy protection gets in the way, and how it compares with Henle Library.
Reviews
OnSong review (2026): the chord chart app for Apple-based bands, and what it costs
ChordPro charts, pedals, MIDI, backing tracks and band streaming for worship and gigging bands on Apple devices. What each plan includes, where Android stands, and when SongbookPro or Planning Center fits better.
Reviews
Piascore review (2026): the best free sheet music reader for iPad and iPhone
Annotation, setlists, pedal and wink page turns and public-domain downloads cost nothing on iPad and iPhone. What the $5.99 Full Upgrade adds, why there is no Piascore for Android, and what version 7 changed.
Reviews
Planning Center Music Stand review (2026): how it works with Services, what it costs a church, and alternatives
How Music Stand pulls each week's set, keys, charts and audio from Planning Center Services, what it costs a church team, where it falls short, and when OnSong or SongbookPro fits better.
Reviews
PlayScore 2 review (2026): the app that plays sheet music from a photo or PDF
PlayScore 2 reads dynamics, articulations and repeats from a photo or PDF and plays them back, offline and on the device. What Productivity and Professional add, how it compares with Newzik LiveScore and Soundslice, and where recognition falls short.
Reviews
SongbookPro review (2026): one-time chord charts on Android, iPad and Windows
A capable ChordPro engine, setlists and live tools on almost any device for a few dollars once, plus Groups for bands. What the free version allows, how it handles PDFs, and how it compares with OnSong.
Reviews
Tomplay review (2026): play-along sheet music with real recordings, and its limits
Tomplay scrolls licensed arrangements in time with recorded accompaniments, with Wait Mode feedback and teacher sharing. What it costs, how the free trial works, how it compares with MuseScore, and why it can't hold your own parts.
Still deciding? Put the apps side by side
Filter every sheet music app by the devices you use, how you want to pay and the features you can't do without.