How it works
- Get a key, or connect your AI assistant. A new email gets 20 free pages a month.
- Send the score: a PDF, or a photo or scan of each page.
- Download the MusicXML and open it in your notation app.
From an AI assistant
Connect ScanSing once and ask in plain words. It works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code and any client that speaks MCP, at https://mcp.scansing.app/mcp. Sign in with your email the first time and you get 20 free pages a month.
- Transcribe this score to MusicXML: https://scansing.app/assets/scores/hosanna.pdf
- This songbook has twelve hymns. Split it into one MusicXML per hymn.
- Recognise only pages 3 to 5 of this PDF.
From your own code
The same thing over HTTPS, with a key from your account:
curl -X POST "https://api.scansing.app/v1/recognitions?response=musicxml" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY" -F "file=@score.pdf" -o score.musicxmlEvery parameter is in the API reference.
Songbooks and long PDFs
A PDF with many pieces can come back as one MusicXML per piece, with a list of titles (mode=collection). You can also recognise only some pages, such as pages=3-5, and count a file's pages first without spending any.
How accurate it is
On eight clean engraved scores ScanSing read 99.0% of notes right, against 96.7% for PlayScore 2 and 71.8% for Audiveris. The comparison has every score, the method and where ScanSing loses.
Files and limits
PDF, PNG, JPEG, HEIC (iPhone photos), TIFF and WebP, up to 30 MB and 40 pages. Printed, engraved music reads best; handwritten scores are not supported. A page takes about 10 seconds, a long PDF a few minutes. Free: 20 pages a month for a new email. Starter: 300 pages a month for $9. Pro: 1,500 pages a month for $29. See pricing.
Questions
Which apps open the MusicXML?
MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale, Dorico, Notion, Logic and most notation and practice apps. MusicXML is the standard exchange format for sheet music.
Does it keep the lyrics?
Yes. Lyrics under the notes go into the MusicXML, syllable by syllable. Not every syllable is read exactly, so check the words.
Can it read handwritten music?
No. It is built for printed, engraved scores. Clean scans and flat photos read best.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Sign in with a new email on your account page or when you connect an assistant, and you get 20 pages a month, without a card.
Are my scores kept?
Results are deleted after about an hour, and scores are not used to train models. See the Privacy Policy.
