CadenzaWhere it sits
What the cheap ones don't do, and what the expensive ones do that this doesn't.
The honest version. The first row is the part nothing else in this table does at all: naming what you play live and handing you engraved notation. And the naming itself is not something we left to the cheap tools — chart-correct symbols that never invent a note, the degree on every lit key, a staff that writes along, history and saved progressions. All of that is Basic. Free, forever.
| Cadenzafree core · one-time modules | Chordie$25 once | Chord Whisper$2.99, macOS | The Ultimate Piano$39 / 1 yr updates | MuseScore 4free | ScoreCloudfrom $5.99/mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play a take → engraved notation → MusicXML | ● | — | — | — | limited | ● |
| Names chords live from a MIDI keyboard | ● | ● | ● | ● | — | — |
| Live naming in the free tier | ● | $25 | $2.99 | $39 | — | — |
| The degree in the key, on every lit key | ● | — | — | — | — | — |
| Separate native windows, each with its own name | 12 | ● | — | browser | — | — |
| Saved layout presets | ● | — | — | — | — | — |
| Runs with the network off | ● | — | ● | — | ● | — |
| Re-quantise, re-split hands and respell after the take | ● | — | — | — | — | partly |
| Practice drills | 4 | — | — | some | — | — |
| Included updates | all v1 | unstated | unstated | 1 year | ● | while subscribed |
| Code-signed by the vendor | ● | ● | ● | n/a | ● | ● |
| Cost over three years | €0 + one-time modules | $25 | $2.99 | $39+ | €0 | $215+ |
Compiled from each vendor's own public pages in August 2026; prices are as they list them and will change. MuseScore is free and is the right answer for engraving a piece properly; the first row is about getting a performance into it, which is the part it is weakest at. On naming, read the columns: the tools built only for naming charge for it — Cadenza's Basic names what you play, labels the degree on the keys and keeps the staff and the history, for nothing.
Play it once.
macOS 12 or later · Windows 10 and 11 · no account, no card
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