What is the difference between Newzik and Piascore?

Newzik is a French music sheet app focused on cloud sharing and the interactive LiveScore format, while Piascore is a free Japanese app centered on individual reading. Both work on iPads and tablets, but their approaches differ.

Newzik, developed in Paris, is aimed at professional musicians, orchestras, and schools. It converts PDFs into editable digital sheet music using its LiveScore engine, which allows users to transpose, replay, and synchronize the audio with the sheet music. Piascore, launched by Plusadd Inc. in Japan, remains a free app that is widely used by pianists and amateur musicians.

The key difference lies in the collaborative model. Newzik allows musicians to share libraries and distribute sheet music within a digital music stand for ensembles and orchestras—a feature not available in Piascore. Piascore, on the other hand, focuses on a solo experience: PDF import, a built-in metronome, and a tuner.

2014

Year Newzik, a French music sheet music app, was launched (source: Newzik)

Simply put, the choice between Newzik and Piascore depends on how you plan to use them: collaboration and advanced features on one hand, and free and simple on the other.

How much do Newzik and Piascore cost?

Piascore is free with in-app purchases, while Newzik offers a free version and paid subscriptions starting at around €8 per month to unlock the cloud and LiveScore. The value for money depends on your actual needs.

Piascore is available for free download from the App Store. Some features, such as ad removal or advanced tools, require one-time purchases. This model appeals to amateur musicians looking for a sheet music app with no strings attached.

Newzik offers a limited free plan and subscriptions (monthly or annual) that provide access to unlimited cloud storage, LiveScore conversion, and group sharing. For a professional musician who manages hundreds of sheet music files, this investment quickly pays for itself thanks to the time saved.

Key takeaways

• Piascore: Free download, one-time in-app purchases
• Newzik: free version + subscription starting at ~8 €/month
• Newzik includes cloud storage and interactive features in its paid plans

To compare Newzik with other paid solutions on the market, check out our comparison of alternatives to forScore. Prices are subject to change: always check the official websites before subscribing.

Which app is best for annotating sheet music?

Newzik offers more comprehensive annotation tools than Piascore, with layers, customizable styluses, and annotation synchronization across all devices. Both apps support writing with the Apple Pencil, but the level of detail differs.

With Newzik, you can annotate your sheet music on several independent layers: one layer for fingering, another for dynamics, and a third for conductor’s cues. These annotations automatically sync across the iPad, the web, and other musicians in an ensemble. This layered approach is particularly useful for orchestras and music conservatories.

Piascore lets you write and highlight directly on the PDF, with a more basic set of tools. For a solo pianist jotting down a few fingering notes, that’s enough. For a section leader assigning bowings to an entire orchestra, Newzik has the edge.

Newzik also uses its notation features for live performances. The detailed guide to annotating sheet music on the iPad shows how to organize your layers. Musicians in rehearsal save valuable time thanks to this organization. The French app continues to be praised for the smooth performance of its notation engine, with no perceptible latency even when working with large orchestral scores.

How does score synchronization work?

Newzik syncs your entire library via the cloud across iPad, iPhone, Mac, and web browsers, while Piascore relies primarily on local storage and manual imports. This is one of the most significant differences between the two apps.

Newzik stores your sheet music in the cloud and makes it accessible from all your devices linked to the same account. If you start making notes on your iPad during rehearsal, you'll find the same version on the Newzik web player when you get home. This continuity eliminates the need for manual file transfers.

Piascore relies primarily on local imports and connections to third-party services like Dropbox or Google Drive. Native cross-device synchronization is not its core feature. For individual use on a single iPad, this isn't a problem.

Newzik

Cloud-native, syncs across iPad, iPhone, Mac, and the web, group sharing

Piascore

Local storage, Dropbox/Google Drive integration, single-user use

For choir directors and stage managers, organizing and centralizing sheet music with Newzik prevents versions from getting lost among musicians.

Page Turner and Audio: How Good Are These Two Apps?

Piascore offers a page-turning feature that uses sound detection and facial recognition, while Newzik adds audio tracking that synchronizes a recording with the scrolling of the sheet music. Both also support Bluetooth pedals.

Piascore has popularized the hands-free page turner: the app listens to what you're playing and turns the page at the right moment, or responds to a head movement detected by the camera. This feature remains popular among pianists who play without interruption.

Newzik integrates audio with the sheet music. You link an audio file (tape, backing track, rehearsal recording), and the sheet music scrolls in time with the music. This approach is useful for pop and jazz musicians, as well as soloists who play along with background music, as described by a long-time user who plays in a pop orchestra using a wind controller.

Both apps are compatible with Bluetooth page-turning pedals (AirTurn, PageFlip). However, Newzik takes the audio experience a step further with itsmusical artificial intelligence and score transposition features, which are not available in Piascore. For a musician rehearsing alone with a backing track, Newzik’s audio-score integration makes a real difference in their daily routine.

Newzik or Piascore, depending on your musician profile

Choose Piascore if you're an amateur pianist looking for a free, simple app, and Newzik if you're a professional, teacher, or member of an ensemble who needs cloud storage, advanced annotation features, and sharing capabilities. The right choice depends on how you practice.

Piascore is ideal for solo musicians, beginners, or anyone who wants to try reading sheet music on a tablet without spending any money. Since it's free and features an audio page-turning function, it's a convenient way to get started with sheet music apps.

Newzik is designed for professional musicians, teachers, and community organizations. Orchestras, conservatories, and music schools find it a useful tool for distributing sheet music and sharing annotations. This French app is used primarily in educational settings and remains one of the most comprehensive solutions for orchestras.

Origin

• Newzik: France (2014)
• Piascore: Japan

Price

• Newzik: Free + subscription (~€8/month)
• Piascore: Free + in-app purchases

Cloud Sync

• Newzik: Native multi-device
• Piascore: Through third-party services

Annotations

• Newzik: Advanced Layers
• Piascore: Basic Highlighting

Set Partitioning

• Newzik: Yes
• Piascore: No

Synchronized audio

• Newzik: Yes (audio tracking)
• Piascore: No

Sound Page Turner

• Newzik: Bluetooth Pedal
• Piascore: Sound Detection + Camera

You can also compare Newzik to other apps using our comparison with MobileSheets to help you make a more informed decision.

What Newzik Users Are Saying

Newzik has an average rating of 5.0/5 based on 5 verified reviews from professional musicians and teachers.

"An excellent app for sheet music. I'm a professional musician and teacher, and I use it every day. It runs smoothly and offers plenty of options for annotations. And for my lessons, I have my entire library right in my pocket (or almost). I highly recommend it!"

— Franck Paque, professional musician and teacher

★★★★★ 5/5

"PROFESSIONAL! An app that never crashes and does everything you need to work like a pro. Perfect in every way, from music education to live performance. Well done, and thank you to the developers at the Newzik team!"

— Gilles Wilhelm

★★★★★ 5/5

"My go-to sheet music app for years! As a professional musician, I’m very satisfied with Newzik’s user-friendliness, features, and stability. As an early adopter, I’ve seen it evolve (always for the better!) and I highly recommend it to all musicians—both professional and amateur—who are looking for the best solution for reading sheet music on a tablet."

— Ez, professional musician

★★★★★ 5/5

"As a daily user of the French app NEWZIK for reading and annotating sheet music, I highly recommend it: whether for orchestras, chamber music, or educational settings… the app is updated very regularly and always for the better! Long live NEWZIK!"

— David Nicolas

★★★★★ 5/5

"I've been a Newzik user and tester since the very beginning. I've had the pleasure and joy of watching this app evolve and reach levels of perfection I never thought possible. I use it EVERY DAY. The Newzik team is young, dynamic, and very responsive when issues arise. I can only encourage you to give it a try... and you’ll love it."

— Danimperator Dan, guitarist in a variety band

★★★★★ 5/5

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Newzik available for free, like Piascore?

Yes, Newzik offers a free version, just like Piascore. Newzik's advanced features (unlimited cloud storage, LiveScore, ensemble sharing) require a subscription starting at about 8 € per month.

Piascore or Newzik for an orchestra?

Newzik is better suited for orchestras thanks to its ability to share sheet music and synchronized annotations among musicians. Piascore remains a solo app, with no collaborative features specifically designed for ensembles.

Do both apps work on Android?

Newzik and Piascore are primarily designed for the Apple ecosystem (iPad, iPhone). Newzik also offers a web player accessible via a browser, which expands its use beyond the iPad.

Can you transpose a score using Newzik or Piascore?

Newzik allows you to transpose sheet music converted to LiveScore, a feature not available in Piascore. This helps instrumentalists who transpose and singers adapt a score to their vocal range.

Which music notation app is the easiest to learn?

Piascore is often considered easier to use for basic solo performances. Newzik takes a little time to get used to, but once you do, it offers much more comprehensive features for professional musicians.

Can you import your PDFs into both apps?

Yes, both Newzik and Piascore import PDF files. Newzik goes a step further by converting these PDFs into interactive LiveScore sheet music that can be edited and transposed.