Alternatives
Scan2Notes alternative
Scan2Notes is Klangio’s sheet music scanner: upload a photo or PDF of printed music, then play, edit and download it. ScoreStarling reads printed sheet music too, in the same workspace where it writes out recordings. Here is what each site says, and where each one fits.
Checked
The short answer
Choose Scan2Notes to scan pages straight from your phone’s camera, to read guitar tabs or drum notation, or for files of up to 20 pages. Choose ScoreStarling to read a whole printed page for free, to keep sheet music and recordings in one workspace, to see the music as jianpu or guitar TAB, or to work from ChatGPT or Claude.
Side by side
What each website says, checked on October 13, 2026. Scan2Notes’ plan prices were not shown on the pages we read, so none are quoted here.
| ScoreStarling | Scan2Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One web workspace for sheet music and recordings, with its own assistant, Starling, also usable from ChatGPT, Claude and other MCP apps | Klangio’s web scanner for printed sheet music, on a computer or a phone, with scans kept in a Songbook shared with Klangio’s other apps |
| Free | The whole page read, up to 12 PDF pages; PDF, MP3 and WAV included | A demo scan of the first 12 measures, no account needed; full scans with Pro |
| Reads | Printed staff notation from PDFs and pictures; MusicXML, MIDI, ABC and Guitar Pro files | Printed sheet music from a photo or PDF, one file at a time, up to 20 pages; guitar tabs and drum notation |
| Photos and handwriting | Clean, straight scans read best; for a crooked phone photo or handwriting, an AI assistant that reads images writes it out | Take a photo with the phone’s camera; handwriting results vary |
| Not read | Jianpu pages; lead sheets full of chord symbols read poorly | Lyrics, dynamics, articulations and grace notes |
| Hear and edit | Playback, note editing, transposition; jianpu and guitar TAB views | Playback with a choice of instrument, a piano roll; Edit Mode to transpose, change the tempo and fix mistakes |
| Exports | PDF (staff, TAB or jianpu), MP3, WAV, parts; MusicXML, MIDI, Guitar Pro and ABC after a 15-credit unlock | PDF, MIDI and MusicXML |
| From a recording | Yes, in the same workspace | In Klangio’s other apps |
| In ChatGPT and Claude | Yes, through remote MCP | Not listed |
When Scan2Notes is the better fit
- You scan pages with your phone’s camera rather than from a PDF.
- Your music is guitar tab or drum notation.
- Your PDF is longer than 12 pages.
- You already use Klangio’s audio apps and want your scans in the same Songbook.
When ScoreStarling is the better fit
- You want the whole page read before you pay anything, not the first 12 measures.
- You move between printed music and recordings and want both in one place, with playback beside the original.
- You read or teach jianpu, or want guitar TAB under the staff.
- You would rather ask for a score in ChatGPT or Claude than learn another app.
Try it on your own page
PDF sheet music to MIDISheet music to audio
Sources
- Scan2Notes: inputs, the free 12-measure demo, playback, Edit Mode, exports and the 14-day money-back guarantee, checked October 13, 2026.
- What kind of sheet music can be scanned with Scan2Notes?: printed music, tabs and drums, handwriting, lyrics, expression markings and the 20-page limit, as updated July 30, 2026, checked October 13, 2026.
- How to scan sheet music with Scan2Notes: computer or phone, photo or PDF, checked October 13, 2026.
- ScoreStarling’s sheet music reading test, pricing and specifications.
Questions and answers
Is Scan2Notes legit?
Yes. It is made by Klangio GmbH, a German company that also makes Piano2Notes, Guitar2Tabs and other transcription apps, and its site offers a 14-day money-back guarantee. Like any sheet music scanner, it reads clear prints best; its own help pages say handwriting results vary and that lyrics, dynamics, articulations and grace notes are not read.
Is Scan2Notes free?
Its demo scan is free with no account and shows the first 12 measures; full scans, more export formats and editing need Pro, whose prices were not shown in the page text we read. ScoreStarling reads the whole page for free, up to 12 PDF pages, with free PDF, MP3 and WAV; MusicXML and MIDI need a 15-credit unlock per score, and every account gets free credits each month.
Which reads phone photos better?
Scan2Notes is built around taking a photo with your phone’s camera. ScoreStarling reads clean PDFs and straight scans well, but phone photos poorly (0.04 and 0.42 of notes matched in our test, against 0.88 to 1.00 for clean prints); for those, ask ChatGPT or Claude with ScoreStarling connected to write the music out, and check it against the page.
Can either turn a recording into sheet music?
Klangio does it in its other apps, such as Piano2Notes and Sing2Notes, which share one account with Scan2Notes. ScoreStarling does it in the same workspace: a voice, one instrument or solo piano free for the first five minutes, a band with its drums for credits.