PDF to Music is overpriced crapware. It cannot scan annd only import font info contained in a pdf (if it knows the fonts). It is way behind the times as it cannot handle SMuFL fonts. If the PDF is a picture only, the app is useless. Published sheet music is normally graphic only and contains no font information.

SmartScore by Musitek scans images and is good but rarely perfect. The MIDI only version of SmartScore is $49 while the Pro is $399. Finale and Dorico owners get a 50% discount on some versions including Pro. A major update was released a couple weeks ago, probably to compete with ScanScore — no charge to owners of the current versions of SmartScore64, myself included.

Musitek also makes an iOS/Android app, Music-to-XML for $99 available from the same page.There’s no demo but you can send them a page to test. You can convert to MIDI by opening in a notation app—where you will have to do some editing most likely—and export to MIDI from there. It’s a “black box” app in that you cannot edit in the app, only the output once exported. This was supposed to be bundled with Finale 25 and was announced but was pulled at the last minute over copyright concerns.

ScanScore is also a scanning app that works over iOS/Android or your scanner. There are three levels — subscription only.

I have had versions of SmartScore for decades but I rarely import music anymore. If I did, I’d A/B SmartScore vs ScanScore and go with te one I liked best.

BIAB 2024 Audiophile Mac
24Core/60CoreGPU M2 MacStudioUltra/8TB/192GB Sequoia, M1 MBAir, 2012 MBP
Digital Performer11, LogicPro, Finale27/Dorico/Encore/SmartScorePro64/Notion6 /Overture5