For piano teachers
A Scan2Notes alternative for piano teachers: scan the page, then make it fit your student
Scan2Notes, from Klangio, is a capable browser-based sheet music scanner. Upload a photo or PDF and it turns the page into notation you can play back, edit and export, for piano and many other instruments.
If you teach piano, scanning is usually only the start. Next you might need an easier left hand, a key with fewer sharps, a clean print and something the student can practise from at home. This page compares Scan2Notes and PlayableNotes for that job, using each company's own published information.
Published by PlayableNotes. We make one of the two tools compared here. Scan2Notes details come from klang.io, checked 16 October 2026. This isn't an independent accuracy test.
Try PlayableNotes with your own page →
50 free reading credits. No card needed, no subscription.
The short version
- Choose Scan2Notes if you scan music for several instruments, want Guitar Pro export, or scan a lot of multi-page music every month and prefer a flat subscription.
- Choose PlayableNotes if you teach piano and want to read a page, fix it, turn it into a student's version from a plain-English request and send a free practice link, paying only for the lines you read.
Compare at a glance
Sources checked 16 October 2026. Prices are listed US-dollar prices and can change.
| PlayableNotes | Scan2Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Web browser | Web browser, on a computer or phone |
| Instruments | Piano only (treble and bass staff together) | Piano, vocals, guitar, bass, strings, winds, synthesizer |
| Input | Photos (one page per photo), screenshots, PDFs, MusicXML | PDF, JPG or PNG. One file at a time, so combine photos into one PDF (up to 20 pages) |
| Free to start | 50 reading credits, enough for full pieces | Unlimited demo scans, previewing the first 12 measures |
| Paid model | One-time credit packs: $10 / 100, $25 / 300, $70 / 1,000. 1 credit per line of music. Credits never expire | Scan2Notes Pro subscription: $14.99/month, or $6.25/month billed annually, with 50 scans a month. Fair-use policy |
| Fix notes | Click any note, or ask the AI to fix a passage | Edit mode: fix mistakes, transpose, change tempo |
| Make a student version | Plain-English requests: easier left hand, no octaves, another key | Not described for scanned scores (Klangio's level-based arrangements start from a song or recording) |
| Share with students | Free browser practice link, no student account | Not described on the Scan2Notes page. Scans are kept in your Songbook |
| Exports | MusicXML, MIDI, PDF (free) | PDF on Free. MIDI, MusicXML and Guitar Pro on Pro |
| What it reads | Piano notation | Notes, rhythms, clefs, keys, time signatures, ties, slurs. Dynamics, articulations and grace notes currently not supported, per its help center |
| Refunds | Unused purchased credits refundable within 30 days | 14-day money-back guarantee |
Where Scan2Notes is the better fit
More instruments. Scan2Notes detects and separates vocals, piano, guitar, bass, strings, winds and synthesizer in one sheet. PlayableNotes reads piano music only.
Guitar Pro export. If you also teach guitar, Scan2Notes exports Guitar Pro files as well as MusicXML and MIDI.
Heavy monthly scanning. Pro includes 50 scans a month, and a PDF can be up to 20 pages. If you digitise a lot of long scores every month, a flat subscription can work out cheaper than paying per line.
One account for audio transcription too. Your Klangio account also covers its audio-to-notation apps. Klangio's education page describes piano arrangements "with adjustable difficulty", starting from a song or recording, and offers licences for teachers and schools.
Try before signing up. Demo scans need no registration, so you can test a page's first 12 measures without creating an account.
Where PlayableNotes is the better fit
Read the whole piece before you pay anything
New PlayableNotes accounts get 50 free reading credits. That's 1 credit per line of music, enough for roughly 7 to 10 typical piano pages, and every page is read in full. You hear the complete piece, fix it and download it before you decide whether to buy more. Scan2Notes' free tier previews the first 12 measures, and full scans need Pro.
Turn the scan into the student's version
After reading the page, type what the student needs:
- "Make the left hand easier, but keep the right hand exactly as it is."
- "Take out the octaves so small hands can reach."
- "Put this in a key with no sharps or flats."
- "Make this easy for a second-year student."
Each change usually takes about a minute and is saved as its own version, with the original always one click away. From photo to a first student version usually takes a few minutes. The Minuet worked example shows a real page, a simpler left hand and a version in C, including one bass note we restored by hand. Always check an arrangement as a teacher. More on making piano music easier →
Upload photos page by page
Upload one photo per page, straight from your phone, and check the pages and their order before anything is read. You don't need to combine them into a PDF first.
Send it home with a link
A PlayableNotes practice link opens in any browser without a student account. The student can play it, print it, slow it down and loop a passage. You can revoke it at any time. See the Bach Invention example for a link set up for hands-separate practice.
Pay only when you read new music
You see the credit count before reading starts. You're never charged more than that, you're charged less if fewer lines are found, and a reading that fails costs nothing. A typical piano page uses 5 to 7 credits, about 50 to 70¢ at the $10 pack rate. Editing, arranging, transposing, playback, MusicXML/MIDI/PDF exports and practice links are free, with up to 100 AI changes a day. MusicXML imports are free too, so music you've already digitised elsewhere costs nothing to bring in.
Credits never expire, so a quiet month costs nothing. Klangio's help center says subscription allowances reset monthly and unused ones don't carry over. Unused purchased PlayableNotes credits are refundable within 30 days. Credits are sold to US billing addresses only, for now. See pricing →
How to compare them yourself
- Pick one page you teach, ideally with an awkward left hand.
- Run the free Scan2Notes demo on it and listen to the first 12 measures.
- Read the same page in PlayableNotes. Check the credit count, then read. It takes a minute or two.
- Count the corrections each needs before it sounds right, and compare the files in your notation software.
- Ask PlayableNotes for the student's version, then print it or send a practice link.
Already exported MusicXML from Scan2Notes or another app? Import it into PlayableNotes for free and go straight to step 5.
Comparing more tools? See the best sheet music scanners for piano and Scan2Notes, PlayScore 2 and ScanScore alternatives. Also compare a PlayScore 2 alternative, or read how sheet music OCR works, sheet music to MIDI and image to MusicXML.
Upload a page. Your first 50 lines are free.
Frequently asked questions
What's a good Scan2Notes alternative for piano teachers?
PlayableNotes reads piano music from a photo, screenshot or PDF, lets you fix notes, then arranges it for a particular student from a plain-English request: easier left hand, no octaves or another key. You can send the result as a free practice link.
Is there a free Scan2Notes alternative?
PlayableNotes gives new accounts 50 free reading credits, enough to read complete pieces. Editing, arranging, exports and practice links stay free. For free open-source recognition, see Audiveris in our scanner shortlist.
Does PlayableNotes need a subscription?
No. You buy one-time credit packs ($10 for 100, $25 for 300 or $70 for 1,000) and use 1 credit per line of music read. Credits never expire.
Is PlayableNotes more accurate than Scan2Notes?
We haven't tested the two on the same scores, so we don't claim that. Both can make mistakes. Try the same page in each and count the corrections.
Can I import my Scan2Notes MusicXML into PlayableNotes?
Yes. Scan2Notes Pro exports MusicXML, and importing MusicXML into PlayableNotes is free and uses no credits.
How long does it take?
Usually a few minutes in PlayableNotes: reading takes a minute or two, and each change about a minute.
Does PlayableNotes work for guitar, voice or band music?
No. It reads piano music only. Scan2Notes covers far more instruments.
Can I upload any sheet music?
Upload only music you own or have permission to copy and adapt, and use the results for your own teaching. Your uploads stay private to your account. Read the terms.