Guitar2Tabs vs Melody Scanner

Guitar2Tabs turns guitar recordings and YouTube links into editable tabs and sheet music. It supports acoustic, electric and bass guitar, for both strummed parts and picked melodies. Users can upload audio, record in the app or paste a YouTube link, then play back the transcription and edit notes before exporting. Notation can be shown as tabs or standard notation. Export formats include PDF, quantized or unquantized MIDI, MusicXML and Guitar Pro files, compatible with MuseScore, Sibelius, Guitar Pro, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase and GarageBand. A personal songbook stores files and makes transcriptions accessible on desktop devices. The free demo allows unlimited transcriptions of up to 20 seconds each without signup, and the Free plan includes PDF downloads. Instrument Pro is $14.99 a month, billed monthly, for 50 full transcriptions per month, up to 15 minutes each, additional export formats and a browser-based editor. The service runs on the web, Android and iOS.

Melody Scanner automatically turns songs into sheet music. Users can record an instrument, import MIDI, MusicXML or MP3 files, or generate scores from YouTube videos. Scores can be edited in classical notation, piano roll or guitar tabs views, with PDF export available. Listed modes include piano, guitar, flute, violin, saxophone, bass, singing and chords. The maker says piano mode supports polyphony, velocity and hand separation, with accuracy up to 86%; smart editing can help transpose scores and label chords. The app runs in a browser without installation and is also listed for iOS and Android. The free plan allows recordings up to one minute and sheets limited to 40 bars or about two minutes. Monthly access is $9.99 a month; the yearly subscription is $49.99 a year, billed annually. Paid plans list recording up to five minutes, full sheets and MIDI/MusicXML export. The product currently supports solo instruments, not bands or orchestras.