Piano transcription tools compared (2026)
Prices and free limits as listed on each tool's own website, checked November 3–5, 2026. Test results from our own test on November 4, 2026. We make PianoToSheet, so weigh our view accordingly; we report where others did better.
At a glance
| Tool | Free | Paid | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klangio (Piano2Notes) | First 20–30 seconds, view only | Pro $14.99/month (50 pieces, up to 15 min each); yearly plan cheaper. The iOS app also sells credits: $2.99 for one, $9.99 for ten (App Store, Nov 2026) | Best notation in our test; downloads need a plan or app credits |
| pianotosheetmusic.com | First 30 seconds | $4.99 per piece, or $9.99/month unlimited | Accurate notes; time signature always 4/4 in our test |
| Songscription | 30 seconds, no download | $9.99/month (60 min); $29.99/month (300 min) | Not tested by us |
| musictosheet.com | 60 seconds (180 s after sign-up), 5 a month, watermarked PDF | $1.99 per piece (up to 10 min); plans from $14.99/month | Not tested by us |
| Ivory | 30-second MIDI | €4.99 per piece; €8.99/month | Not tested by us |
| Loopaloo | Free, unlimited, runs in your browser | — | Many wrong notes in our test (general-purpose model) |
| Sheet Maker | Free, unlimited, runs in your browser | — | Uses the same general-purpose model as Loopaloo; not tested by us |
| Musirion | Free for now (up to 5 min per piece, 100 a month) | Not announced | Not tested by us |
| PianoToSheet | Any 30 seconds (longer pieces: up to 3 sections, at most a third), view and listen, 3 recordings a day | $2.99 per piece (up to 10 min), paid once | Accurate notes; fix time signature and barlines in one or two clicks |
What we tested
We gave the same four public-domain piano recordings, 30 seconds each, to Klangio, pianotosheetmusic.com, Loopaloo and PianoToSheet: Bach's Prelude in C (studio grand piano), Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 (very free tempo), Joplin's The Entertainer (home keyboard, no metronome) and Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1.
- Notes. Comparing each tool's final notes with the published score, in pitch order (three pieces with a score at hand): PianoToSheet 91–99%, Loopaloo 72–78%. In the Bach, Loopaloo had 45 extra notes; we had none.
- Time signature. Right in 2 of 4 for us and for Loopaloo at the time of the test; pianotosheetmusic.com wrote 4/4 for all four. Klangio's choice was right, or a reasonable equivalent (such as 4/4 with triplets for 12/8), in all four.
- Readable notation. Klangio produced the most readable score in all four. pianotosheetmusic.com heard the notes well but wrote many sixteenth rests, ties and dynamics marks. All tools struggled with the free-tempo opening of The Entertainer.
Since that test we improved our engraving (on these four, Satie and Bach now read about as well as Klangio) and added one-click fixes for the time signature and barlines. Free-tempo playing is still the hardest case for every tool.
Which one should you use?
- One piece, want to pay once: PianoToSheet ($2.99), one Klangio credit in its iOS app ($2.99), or musictosheet.com ($1.99, not tested by us) — check the free preview of each.
- Many pieces every month: a Klangio plan is likely worth it.
- Rough idea for free, don't mind wrong notes: Loopaloo or Sheet Maker.
Try PianoToSheet — any 30 seconds free.