--- title: "Piascore review (2026): the best free sheet music reader for iPad and iPhone" date: 2026-10-06 updated: 2026-10-06 author: "SheetMusicApps Editorial Team" canonical: https://sheetmusicapps.com/reviews/piascore/ publisher: "SheetMusicApps" language: en --- # Piascore review (2026): the best free sheet music reader for iPad and iPhone **In short.** Piascore is the best free sheet music reader on iPad and iPhone: annotation, setlists, half-page turns, Bluetooth pedals, wink page turns and built-in IMSLP downloads cost nothing. A one-time $5.99 Full Upgrade adds a tuner, recorder, music player and annotated PDF export. There is no Android, Windows or native Mac app, no sync between devices, and no MusicXML or playback. ## Verdict: Piascore The best free reader on iPad and iPhone, with face-gesture page turns and IMSLP built in. It has no cloud sync and is Apple-only. - Score: 6.3/10 (calculated from 7 weighted criteria) - Platforms: iPad, iPhone - Price: Free, free + paid plans, free tier available - Best for: Students and players on iPad or iPhone who want a solid reader without paying. - Not ideal for: Anyone who needs Android or Windows, or a library that syncs between devices. - Facts last checked: 2026-10-06 ## Scores - Reading & page turning (20%): 8.5. Pedals, face-gesture page turns, half-page turns and linked devices on iPad and iPhone. - Annotation (15%): 7.5. Pen, highlighter and text tools that cover everyday marking, without advanced layers. - Library & setlists (15%): 7.0. Folders, tags and setlists with a free public-domain score library; no cloud library sync. - Platforms & sync (15%): 3.5. iPad and iPhone only, with no cloud sync between devices. - Sharing & ensembles (15%): 4.5. Linked page turns between devices and basic sharing; no ensemble features. - Smart notation (10%): 3.5. Metronome and paid audio or tuner add-ons; no MusicXML, playback or OMR. - Value for money (10%): 9.0. Free to use, with a one-time $5.99 Full Upgrade and no subscription. - Overall: 6.3/10 Pros: - Free reader with annotation, setlists and half-page turns - Face-gesture and pedal page turns - IMSLP search built in for public-domain scores - Optional upgrade is a one-time $5.99 Cons: - iPad and iPhone only - No cloud sync of scores or annotations - No MusicXML, playback or transposition ## Key takeaways - Piascore is free to download and use on iPad and iPhone with no time limit or subscription; the free app covers reading, annotation, tags, setlists, half-page turns, Bluetooth pedals, face-gesture page turns, the metronome and IMSLP downloads. - The optional Full Upgrade is a one-time $5.99 in-app purchase that adds the tuner, recorder, music player, unlimited camera import and export of annotated PDFs, and it can be restored on other iPhones and iPads with the same Apple ID. - There is no Piascore for Android, Windows or the web; a Google Play app called PiaScore Sheet Music Reader is published by an unrelated developer, IMO POCKET SHEET. - Piascore does not sync scores or annotations between devices: each iPhone or iPad keeps its own library, and a full transfer needs a device backup or Quick Start. - Version 7, released on September 11, 2026, requires iOS or iPadOS 26; releases 7.0.5 to 7.0.9 fixed most of the bookmark, speed and crash problems users reported. Piascore is the free sheet music reader we recommend on iPad and iPhone. It reached the App Store in December 2010, eight months after forScore, and almost everything a performer needs from a PDF reader costs nothing: annotation, setlists, half-page turns, pedals and wink page turns. It is our top pick among [free sheet music apps](/best/free-sheet-music-apps/). It places lower in our [overall ranking](/best-sheet-music-apps/) because our [methodology](/how-we-rank/) also weighs platforms, sharing and smart notation, and Piascore runs only on Apple devices, keeps each device's library separate and reads PDFs only. ## What is Piascore? Piascore is a free PDF sheet music reader for iPad and iPhone, with an optional one-time $5.99 Full Upgrade and no subscription. It is made by Piascore, Inc. of Yokohama, Japan, founded in 2010 under the name Plusadd by Hiroyuki Koike, a former Sony software engineer. The App Store listing says more than 7 million musicians use the app (company materials from 2026 claim 10 million), and the app is localized into 26 languages. Version 7, which users describe as a redesign, shipped on September 11, 2026; the latest release is 7.0.9, from October 1. ## Who is Piascore for? Piascore suits students, gigging players and church or choir singers who read PDFs on one iPad or iPhone and want to pay nothing, or $5.99 once. Classical players also get public-domain downloads from IMSLP without leaving the app. It is the wrong choice if anyone in your group reads from Android or Windows, if you want the same library and markings on your iPad and your iPhone, or if you need MusicXML, playback, transposition, ChordPro charts or part distribution. ## How good is Piascore for reading and page turning? Page turning is Piascore's strongest area, and nearly all of it is free: pedals, face gestures, half-page turns, auto-scroll and linked devices. Besides tap and swipe, the Half layout turns half a page at a time (portrait only), and vertical auto-scroll runs at an adjustable speed. Two-page view, cropping, page reordering, an editable table of contents and jump buttons for repeats and D.S. handle the rest, and a performance mode blocks accidental menu taps. AirTurn and iRig BlueTurn pedals are officially supported. The help center says PageFlip pedals "maybe" work, and users report Donner and Coda models working. Since a 2015 partnership, some Roland digital pianos, such as the LX-17 and HP605, turn pages with their own pedals over Bluetooth. Our [page turner pedal guide](/guides/best-page-turner-pedals/) compares the hardware. Face Gesture Page Turning uses the front camera on Face ID devices: close your right eye for the next page, your left eye for the previous one, or bend your mouth. Gestures lock out for about two seconds after each turn, and Piascore's privacy policy, updated in September 2026, says face data is processed only on the device. The user manual also describes Sync page turning, whose Lead and Follow roles keep page turns and song selection in step across devices; a user confirmed it on two tablets in August 2025, before version 7. The separate $1.99 Piascore Air app turns iPad pages when you wave a hand over an iPhone, but it was last updated in 2020. ## How does annotation work in Piascore? Piascore's free annotation tools cover everyday marking well, without the layers that forScore and MobileSheets offer. You get six configurable pens (color, thickness and nib), stamps for dynamics, fingerings and accidentals, text boxes, shapes, an eraser and undo. Since version 7.0.6, an Apple Pencil setting lets only the Pencil write, so your fingers turn pages and scroll without leaving stray marks. Exporting or printing a PDF with your markings needs the Full Upgrade. Our [annotation guide](/guides/annotate-sheet-music/) covers techniques that work in any app. ## How does Piascore organize your library? Piascore organizes scores with tags, search, sorting, custom covers and ordered setlists, and its built-in IMSLP search is a real asset for classical players. Version 7.0.8 added pinned scores, and 7.0.9 shows the songs of an open setlist as tabs for one-tap switching. PDFs come in from Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, the camera, Safari and Finder file sharing, though several users have reported unreliable Google Drive imports since 2024; the help center now routes them through the Files app. IMSLP search downloads public-domain editions inside the app (131,000 works, according to the App Store listing). The in-app Piascore Store sells single scores, from $0.99 to $9.99 on the US App Store, but it is geared to Japan: the web store prices in yen, and its help center says buyers outside Japan can only buy works not managed by Japanese copyright societies, such as original and classical pieces. In August 2026 it added 113 titles from US publisher Songburd Music. ## Does Piascore sync between iPad and iPhone? No. Piascore has no cloud sync: each iPhone or iPad keeps its own library and annotations, and while the Full Upgrade carries over to your other devices, your data does not. You can upload original PDFs to Dropbox or Google Drive, but without your annotations. A complete copy of your library moves only through an iTunes or Finder backup of the whole device, or Quick Start when you set up a new one. Users report PDFs arriving without annotations after a move through cloud storage, and a July 2026 reviewer lost notes and large books when migrating. Make a full device backup in Finder or iTunes, or use Quick Start, rather than copying PDFs through a cloud folder: those are the routes the help center gives for moving all your data. Sharing is basic too. You can send a setlist to another Piascore user by AirDrop or as a .pssl file (as a text list, the order only, or with the PDFs), but annotations and tags stay behind. There are no part distribution or librarian tools. ## Can Piascore transpose or play back sheet music? No. Piascore's help center says the app supports PDF only; it cannot transpose a score, play back its notes or play MIDI files. At NAMM in January 2026, Piascore demoed interactive MusicXML scores with tempo change and transposition, performance-following playback, an "AI Coach" and MusicOCR. None had reached the app as of version 7.0.9. Instead, practice tools open over the score. A metronome with a visual flashing mode is free; a tuner with pitch pipe, a voice recorder and a music player with A-B repeat for Apple Music tracks or imported MP3 files need the Full Upgrade. For conversion or playback, see our guides to [transposing sheet music](/guides/transpose-sheet-music/) and [PDF to MusicXML](/guides/pdf-to-musicxml/). ## Is Piascore free, and is the Full Upgrade worth it? Yes, Piascore is free, with no time limit and no subscription. The one-time $5.99 Full Upgrade is worth buying if you want the tuner, recorder and music player, or need to export annotated PDFs. According to Piascore's help center, the upgrade is a single payment, not a recurring charge, and you can restore it free on other iPhones and iPads with the same Apple ID. It adds the music tools, unlimited camera and photo import (the free app caps it at an undocumented limit), export, printing and AirDrop of annotated PDFs, and all staff paper. That article predates version 7, and an October 2026 reviewer wished PDF editing were free, so check the in-app list before you buy. There is no trial of the upgrade. The free app is a working reader, not a song-capped trial like MobileSheets' (8 songs) or OnSong's free tier (30 songs). For comparison, forScore is a one-time $24.99 with no free version. ## Is there a Piascore for Android, Windows or Mac? There is no Piascore for Android or Windows, and no web version. On a Mac, Piascore runs only as the iPad app on Apple silicon. Piascore's FAQ, written in 2018 and still published, says an Android version has not been released. A Google Play app called "PiaScore Sheet Music Reader", which contains ads, is published by IMO POCKET SHEET, an unrelated developer. Piascore, Inc. does not publish an Android app. On Mac, the App Store offers the iPad app ("Designed for iPad") for M1 or later with macOS 26, not for Intel Macs; Apple Vision Pro runs it too. Version 7 requires iOS or iPadOS 26, while 6.16.20, from August 2025, needed only iOS 15.6. On Android or Windows, [MobileSheets](/reviews/mobilesheets/) is the closest equivalent, with a free 8-song trial and a one-time $15.99 full version. Our [Android ranking](/best/sheet-music-apps-for-android/) lists more options. ## What do Piascore users report? Users rate Piascore highly: 4.64 out of 5 from 1,830 ratings on the US App Store as of October 6, 2026, and 4.23 from 3,639 in Japan. The US rating was 4.6 from 1,663 ratings in late May 2026, so the version 7 redesign brought no wave of low scores. Reviews of version 7 still describe friction: broken bookmark navigation, slower page turns, moved controls and, in Japanese reviews, crashes when closing writing mode. Releases 7.0.5 to 7.0.9 fixed bookmarks, speed and crashes within three weeks, but the release notes don't mention one report of lag and crashes with PDFs over 200 pages. Avoid updating right before a gig. Reports on face-gesture reliability are mixed (missed turns, or unintended turns forward or back), and so are support experiences: some users describe unanswered emails, others quick replies. Before version 7, the app went 13 months without an update. ## Should you choose Piascore? If you read PDFs on one iPad or iPhone and want to spend nothing, choose Piascore. It gives you pedals, wink turns, half-page turns, annotation and IMSLP for free, and $5.99 once covers the rest. Look elsewhere if you want iCloud sync and deeper annotation and library tools ([forScore](/reviews/forscore/), compared in [forScore vs Piascore](/compare/forscore-vs-piascore/)), if your group includes Android or Windows players ([MobileSheets](/reviews/mobilesheets/)), or if your ensemble shares parts and markings ([Newzik](/reviews/newzik/), which has no Android or Windows app and puts its headline features in its Premium plan). For chord charts, [OnSong](/reviews/onsong/) and [SongbookPro](/reviews/songbookpro/) fit better. Our [iPad ranking](/best/sheet-music-apps-for-ipad/) compares the readers. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Piascore free? Yes. Piascore is free to download and use on iPad and iPhone, with no time limit or subscription. The free app includes annotation, setlists, half-page turns, Bluetooth pedals, face-gesture page turns, a metronome and IMSLP downloads. An optional one-time $5.99 Full Upgrade adds a tuner, recorder, music player and annotated PDF export. ### Is there a Piascore for Android? No. Piascore, Inc. makes the app only for iPhone and iPad, and its FAQ says no Android version has been released. A Google Play app called PiaScore Sheet Music Reader comes from an unrelated developer, IMO POCKET SHEET. On Android, MobileSheets is the closest equivalent, with a free 8-song trial. ### What does the Piascore Full Upgrade include? According to Piascore's help center, the one-time $5.99 Full Upgrade adds the recorder, tuner and music player, unlimited camera and photo import, export, printing and AirDrop of PDFs with annotations, and all staff paper. It is not a subscription, and you can restore it on other iPhones and iPads with the same Apple ID. ### Does Piascore sync between iPad and iPhone? No. Each device keeps its own library and annotations. You can upload original PDFs to Dropbox or Google Drive, but without annotations, and moving everything to a new device takes a Finder or iTunes backup or Quick Start. ### Does Piascore work on Mac? Only as the iPad app. The App Store offers it on Apple silicon Macs (M1 or later) running macOS 26, labeled Designed for iPad. Intel Macs are not supported, and there is no dedicated Mac version. ### Can Piascore transpose or play back sheet music? No. Piascore reads PDFs only and cannot transpose them, play back the notes or play MIDI files. Interactive MusicXML scores with playback and transposition were demoed at NAMM in January 2026 but had not reached the app as of version 7.0.9. ## Sources - [Piascore on the App Store (in-app purchases, compatibility, version history)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/piascore-sheet-music-reader/id406141702) (Apple App Store) - [iTunes API lookup: Piascore (US)](https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=406141702&country=us) (Apple) - [iTunes API lookup: Piascore (Japan)](https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=406141702&country=jp) (Apple) - [Piascore US App Store customer reviews feed](https://itunes.apple.com/us/rss/customerreviews/page=1/id=406141702/sortby=mostrecent/xml) (Apple) - [About 'Full upgrade'](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000578931-About-Full-upgrade) (Piascore) - [How about Android version?](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000503552-How-about-Android-version) (Piascore) - [How to turn a page by gesture (wink)](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/4407316321037-How-to-turn-a-page-by-gesture-wink) (Piascore) - [How can I backup my edited files?](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000877732-How-can-I-backup-my-edited-files) (Piascore) - [How to transfer all data to other device](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408751806617) (Piascore) - [What file type does the app support?](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000503272-What-file-type-does-the-app-support) (Piascore) - [Can I play my MIDI file?](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000503332-Can-I-play-my-MIDI-file) (Piascore) - [Does the app support PageFlip Bluetooth Page Turner Pedal?](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039260191-Does-the-app-support-PageFlip-Bluetooth-Page-Turner-Pedal) (Piascore) - [How to download from cloud file sharing services](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/29897991827097) (Piascore) - [How to upload to cloud file service such as Dropbox](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000544911-How-to-upload-to-cloud-file-service-such-as-Dropbox) (Piascore) - [How to export sheet music](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000545751) (Piascore) - [How to get sheet music](https://help.piascore.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000545651-How-to-get-sheet-music) (Piascore) - [Piascore Store Help: 'Only available in Japan' (Japanese)](https://help.piascore.com/hc/ja/articles/360040541651) (Piascore) - [Piascore User Manual](https://piascore.com/manual/) (Piascore) - [Piascore app page](https://piascore.com/service/piascore/) (Piascore) - [Privacy Policy Update (September 2026)](https://piascore.com/news/privacy-policy-update/) (Piascore) - [Piascore Reimagines Sheet Music for the AI Era at NAMM 2026](https://piascore.com/news/namm2026/) (Piascore) - [Songburd Music partners with Piascore](https://piascore.com/press-release/songburd-music-partners-with-piascore-to-bring-its-catalog-to-a-leading-global-digital-sheet-music-marketplace/) (Piascore) - [Piascore integrates with Roland's digital pianos](https://piascore.com/press-release/smart-digital-music-score-app-piascore-integrates-with-rolands-digital-piano/) (Piascore) - [Piascore, Inc. company page](https://piascore.com/about/company/) (Piascore) - [Piascore Air on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/piascore-air/id406146339) (Apple App Store) - [PiaScore Sheet Music Reader by IMO POCKET SHEET (not Piascore, Inc.)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.piascore.thepia) (Google Play)