notei vs Flat
Flat is the better fit if several people edit the same score at once, or if you want native apps on a phone or tablet. notei is the better fit if you mostly write alone and want an assistant that reads your score. on the paid plans it can also harmonise or arrange a line for you.
disclosure: notei is our product, and we publish this page, so we make one of the two editors in it. each fact about the other editor links to flat.io, and the section on where it is better is there so the comparison stays fair.
every fact about the other programs was checked against the vendor's own pages on .
- Flat: real-time co-editing, native apps and classroom tools.
- notei: an assistant that reads your score, and sampled playback on the free plan.
- both run in the browser; scores move through MusicXML.
what each one is
Flat and notei are both notation editors you open in a web browser, which makes them closer to each other than either is to a desktop scorewriter. the useful questions here are who you write with and whether a music theory assistant inside the score is worth more to you than Flat's classroom and scanning tools.
side by side
| what we compared | notei | Flat |
|---|---|---|
| runs in the browser / install required | runs in your browser at app.notei.co, with nothing to install. | runs in the browser with no install; native apps for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android are also available. (source) |
| free tier and its limits | free forever: the full editor, real-instrument playback, MusicXML and MIDI export, and up to 10 scores in the cloud. PDF has a watermark, assistant credits are limited each month, and WAV is on paid tiers. you need a free account. | Flat Basic is free, limited to 15 scores and 30 instruments, with real-time collaboration and MusicXML/MIDI import. Flat Power removes the Flat logo from print and export. (source) |
| price of the paid tier | notei+ is $9/month and full score $18/month; students pay half ($4.50 and $9). this is early pricing and may change. | Flat Power is $9.99/month or $49.99/year. PDF-import credits are sold separately, and Power includes some each month. (source) |
| AI assistant or AI features | a built-in assistant that reads your open score. it answers theory questions, makes plain-language edits, and can harmonise, arrange or vary a line as editable notes. harmonise, arrange, extend, vary and feedback on your writing are on notei+ and full score only. | AI-powered optical music recognition (PDF Import) turns PDFs and photos into editable scores, paid per page with credits. no AI composition or music-theory assistant is listed on flat.io. (source) |
| playback quality | sampled real instruments on every plan, the free one included. | the free plan has 30 instruments; Flat Power has 180+ instruments including HQ studio instruments, plus part volume and reverb controls. (source) |
| MusicXML import / export | opens MusicXML and MuseScore files as editable scores; MusicXML export is free on every plan. | the free plan imports MusicXML. Flat's pages disagree on free MusicXML export: flat.io/desktop lists PDF and MusicXML export on Free, while flat.io/pricing lists MusicXML export only under Flat Power. Flat Power exports MusicXML and MIDI with no branding. (source) |
| MIDI import / export | opens MIDI files as editable scores; MIDI export is free on every plan. | the free plan imports MIDI; Flat Power adds MIDI export. MIDI keyboard input is supported. (source) |
| PDF export | PDF export on every plan, with a watermark on free and without one on paid plans. | PDF export on the free plan; Flat Power removes the Flat logo from print and export. (source) |
| collaboration | no shared editing yet. your scores sync across the devices you sign in on. | real-time co-editing of the same score on every plan, including free; inline comments and version history with Flat Power. (source) |
| mobile / Chromebook support | works on a Chromebook, a school laptop, a Mac, a Windows PC or a tablet, because it runs in the browser. there is no native mobile app. | native iOS and Android apps; works on Chromebooks through the browser (stated for Flat for Education). (source) |
where Flat is better
Flat is built around shared writing and teaching, and that shows in the list below.
- real-time co-editing of one score, free on every plan.
- native apps on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android as well as the browser, with offline composing.
- PDF and photo import (OMR) into editable scores.
- a mature classroom product: assignments, auto-graded theory worksheets and LMS grade sync.
- a large community (6M+ on flat.io's home page).
each point comes from the vendor's own pages, linked under sources at the end of this page.
two of these matter most in practice. real-time co-editing means a band or a class can work in one score together, and notei has no shared editing at all today. Flat also turns PDFs and phone photos into editable notation, which notei does not do.
where notei is different
notei's assistant is the part Flat does not have. you can ask it a theory question about the passage in front of you, and on notei+ or full score you can ask it to harmonise, arrange, extend or vary a line. its answers arrive as normal notes in your score.
playback is the other gap you will notice early. notei plays every part with sampled real instruments on the free plan, while Flat's free plan has 30 instruments and keeps its HQ studio sounds for Flat Power. MusicXML and MIDI export are free on every notei plan. Flat's free plan exports PDF and MusicXML with Flat branding, and Flat Power adds MIDI export and removes the branding.
the free plans trade differently. Flat Basic holds 15 scores and notei's free plan keeps 10 in the cloud, so Flat gives you more room before paying. notei's free PDFs carry a watermark, and Flat puts its logo on free prints and exports.
on price, notei+ is $9 a month, or $4.50 for students, and Flat Power is $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year. notei has no yearly plan listed today.
moving a score from Flat to notei
export the score as MusicXML, then open that file in notei. its free plan includes MusicXML export, so this works on any plan. MIDI works too, but it carries far less notation than MusicXML.
notei's import and export have these limits today.
- opening a MusicXML file: the importer reads no tuplets, no ties and no unpitched drums; every import opens at 120 BPM; a minor key arrives under its relative major's name.
- saving as MusicXML: export writes no ties and no tempo.
- PDF export: watermarked on Free; clean on notei+ and full score.
- scores kept in your account: Free keeps up to 10 scores in the cloud; paid tiers have no limit.
after the import, play the score back once and read it against the original, paying most attention to tied notes and triplets.
common questions
is Flat free?
Flat Basic is free, limited to 15 scores and 30 instruments, with real-time collaboration and MusicXML and MIDI import. the paid Power plan removes the Flat logo from prints and exports and adds more sounds.
can several people edit one score at the same time?
in Flat, yes: real-time co-editing is on every plan. notei has no shared editing today; your scores sync across the devices you sign in on, but only you edit them.
can I move my scores from Flat to notei?
yes. export MusicXML there, which works on the free plan, and open the file in notei. check ties, triplets and the tempo marking after the import, because those are where notation programs differ most.
sources
Flat facts, from the vendor's own pages:
notei facts, from notei.co:
Flat is named here only to compare the products, and notei is not affiliated with it. other options, including MuseScore and Noteflight, are on the music notation software alternatives page.
other comparisons: notei vs MuseScore, notei vs Noteflight, notei vs Sibelius, notei vs Dorico and the Finale alternative guide, all on the notation software alternatives hub. related guides: write sheet music online, music notation on a Chromebook.