Piano2Notes vs Songscription: Prices and Exports

Piano2Notes and Songscription both come up when you look for a browser tool that turns piano audio into sheet music. Both export the files you need, both have an editor, and both bill monthly. The difference that matters most is what you are buying each month: Klangio sells a number of transcriptions, Songscription sells minutes.

Side by side

All figures come from each vendor's own pages, checked on 16 September 2026. Both showed euros for our region, so the comparison stays in euros; Songscription's terms say its fees are in US dollars unless otherwise provided, so your checkout currency may differ.

Transcriptions or minutes: the real price difference

Klangio counts a full transcription as one ticket whatever its length, up to its 15-minute cap. Songscription's pricing page lists Plus as "600 credits / month" and "60 minutes of transcription", which works out at 10 credits a minute.

So the length of your pieces decides which plan goes further. Our arithmetic, using the monthly prices and assuming every allowance is used in full:

Those per-piece figures only hold if you use the whole allowance, and neither vendor lets the rest carry over. Songscription's terms say subscription credits "expire at the end of each Billing Period" and "are forfeited if unused". Klangio's help centre says the ticket balance resets each billing cycle and "Unused tickets do not carry over or accumulate."

For an occasional user, the table that matters is this one:

Klangio's prepaid packs are the biggest difference between the two for low-volume users, and Klangio's pricing block doesn't show them; they're on its gift-card page, which says the transcriptions "do not expire". Songscription's terms mention "Purchased Credits" that don't expire while your account is in good standing, but its pricing page listed no price for buying them. For the same division across every major plan, see what a transcription subscription costs per song.

Free tiers: what you can test before paying

This is where the two differ most for someone deciding.

Piano2Notes' demo transcribes the first 20 seconds, "unlimited times", and lets you download the PDF. Klangio's help centre lists the limits: 20 seconds, PDF only, and "The Edit Mode is deactivated." Choosing MIDI or MusicXML from the download menu upgrades the demo to a full transcription, which uses a ticket. The PDF carries a Klangio watermark: its export help says "All PDFs exported from our apps include the hint to Klangio."

Songscription's Free plan gives "Unlimited 30-second transcriptions", which you can view and play but not download: the plan comparison marks every export format as unavailable on Free. Its FAQ adds a "14-day free trial (no card required) for 2-minute transcriptions".

So Songscription lets you hear 10 more seconds; Piano2Notes lets you take a PDF away. Either is enough to judge the result on your own recording, as long as you test the hardest passage and not the opening. Klangio also warns that a full transcription can come out differently from the demo, because the whole piece is analysed.

Exports: the same core, different extras

Both give you the three files a pianist needs.

• PDF to print. Klangio's is watermarked; its suggested workaround is to export MusicXML and make the PDF in MuseScore.
• MIDI for a DAW or a practice app. Klangio offers quantised and unquantised versions; its help explains that quantised MIDI follows the detected nominal tempo rather than the performance's tempo changes.
• MusicXML for correcting in MuseScore, Sibelius or Dorico. Songscription says its files carry detected key and time signatures, which you can also set before transcribing.

The extras split by audience. Songscription exports Guitar Pro, useful if you also write tab. Klangio exports LilyPond (.ly), useful if you engrave in text. If you're not sure which file you need next, our explainer on MIDI vs MusicXML vs PDF covers what each keeps.

Editing and piano-specific features

Hand splitting. Songscription's piano page says it assigns notes to the left or right hand from "pitch range, voicing patterns, and musical context" and "Handles hand crossings too, not just a fixed split point." Its editor lets you "reassign notes between the left and right hand". Klangio's Note Editor has a "Select a Split Point" setting for Piano2Notes.

Where you edit. Klangio's Note Editor "is only available for the web version" and needs a full transcription. Songscription's editor works in the sheet music view or the piano roll, and the service as a whole runs in a mobile browser.

Chords. Songscription's FAQ says its AI "will try to determine which chords are being played at each point in the performance". Klangio's Piano2Notes page doesn't list chord detection. If you need chord symbols, Songscription is the one to test, and plan to check every chord by ear.

Simplification and arrangement. Songscription can "automatically simplify" a transcription to an easier level and has a piano cover mode that "creates an original piano arrangement" of a song. That is a different job from transcribing what a pianist played. Piano2Notes doesn't advertise either.

Piano in a mix. Both make the claim. Klangio: Piano2Notes "specializes in piano sheet transcription, even when other instruments are playing at the same time." Songscription: "We separate the piano from the rest of the mix first, then transcribe the isolated part. Works best when the piano is audible in the mix." Neither publishes a method or a benchmark on these pages, so treat both as claims to test.

Terms worth reading before you subscribe

• Training data. Songscription's FAQ says "By default, we may use the audio and transcriptions you submit to help improve our AI models", and that Plus and Pro subscribers can opt out. Its plan table shows no opt-out on Free.
• Refunds. Klangio shows a 14-day money-back guarantee, refunds a ticket automatically when a transcription fails, and has a Refund button in the web songbook that returns the ticket if you're unhappy with a transcription. Songscription's terms say fees "are non-refundable, except as required by law".
• Cancelling. Both let you cancel any time and keep the plan until the end of the billing period.
• Other instruments. Songscription lists piano, guitar, bass, double bass, violin, flute, trumpet, saxophone, drums and vocals in the same service. A Piano2Notes Pro plan works only in Piano2Notes; Klangio's other instruments are separate apps, or the €27.99-a-month Ultimate plan.

Which one to pick

Piano2Notes fits better if:

• You transcribe a few pieces a year. A ticket pack beats any monthly plan.
• Your pieces are long. Eight minutes costs one ticket, not 80 credits.
• You want native iOS or Android apps.
• You want to download a PDF from the free demo.

Songscription fits better if:

• You transcribe many short pieces every month.
• You need chords, Guitar Pro files or other instruments from the same account.
• You want to work from a phone browser, or fix hand assignments in a piano roll.

For the wider field, including AnthemScore's one-time licence and free Basic Pitch, see audio-to-MIDI converters compared. If one of these two is close but not right, Piano2Notes alternatives and Songscription alternatives go through the options, and AnthemScore vs Piano2Notes covers the licence route.

If you want neither a plan nor credits

This is our service, so weigh it accordingly. Piano to Sheet Music charges $4.99 per piece, no subscription, or $9.99 a month for unlimited pieces. You upload an MP3, WAV, M4A or phone voice memo and get an engraved PDF on a grand staff, a MIDI file and a MusicXML file. The first 30 seconds of every recording are free.

To be straight about the comparison: Klangio's packs cost less per piece than $4.99, and a well-used Songscription plan can too. We don't detect chords, export Guitar Pro or handle other instruments, and there's no in-app editor; you correct the MusicXML in your own notation software. We're built for solo piano, and our FAQ says other instruments in the mix, dense pedalling or heavy reverb can need corrections. What you get is one price for the one recording in front of you, with nothing that resets at the end of the month. If that suits you, try it.

Frequently asked questions

Is Piano2Notes or Songscription cheaper?

It depends on how long your pieces are and how many you do. Piano2Notes Pro was €13.99 a month for 50 transcriptions of up to 15 minutes each. Songscription Plus was €8.99 a month for 60 minutes of transcription. For a few pieces, Klangio's non-expiring packs from 3 for €5.99 cost less than either plan.

Can I download anything on the free tiers?

On Piano2Notes, yes: Klangio's help centre says demo transcriptions cover 20 seconds and export PDF only. On Songscription, no: its plan comparison marks PDF, MusicXML, MIDI and Guitar Pro export as unavailable on the Free plan, which gives unlimited 30-second transcriptions. Exports start on Plus.

Do both export MusicXML?

Yes, on paid transcriptions. Piano2Notes full transcriptions export PDF, quantised and unquantised MIDI, MusicXML and LilyPond. Songscription Plus and Pro export PDF, MIDI, MusicXML and Guitar Pro. Either MusicXML file opens in MuseScore, Sibelius or Dorico for correcting.

Which one handles piano in a song with vocals and drums?

Both say they can. Klangio says Piano2Notes specialises in piano even when other instruments are playing. Songscription says it separates the piano from the rest of the mix first, then transcribes it, and that it works best when the piano is audible. Test the same passage on both free tiers.

Does Songscription use my recordings to train its AI?

By default it may. Songscription's FAQ says it may use the audio and transcriptions you submit to improve its AI models, and that Plus and Pro subscribers can opt out in account settings. Free users don't get the opt-out according to its plan comparison. For Klangio's terms, read its privacy policy.

Do unused Songscription minutes or Piano2Notes tickets roll over?

Not on subscriptions. Songscription's terms say subscription credits expire at the end of each billing period and are forfeited if unused. Klangio says subscription tickets reset monthly and do not carry over. Klangio gift-card tickets are the exception: Klangio says they don't expire.

Sources

• Klangio: Piano2Notes page, plans and FAQ
• Klangio gift cards
• Klangio help: what are Klangio tickets?
• Klangio help: demo (free) vs full (paid) transcriptions
• Klangio help: download and export formats
• Klangio help: upload file formats and limits
• Klangio help: the Note Editor
• Klangio help: refunding a transcription
• Songscription pricing and plan comparison
• Songscription FAQ
• Songscription: piano transcription
• Songscription: audio to MusicXML
• Songscription, Inc. terms of service (last updated June 18, 2026)

All prices checked 16 September 2026.