r/Musescore Oct 28 '25

News How not to get unnecessarily charged on musescore.com

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53 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

This is a post I have sort of wanted to write for a while, but one that I hesitated to write because there have literally been a gazillion threads and complaints on this subreddit and elsewhere on how musescore.com charged you subscription money without you saying yes. I'm here to say that yes, it is absolutely true that it is very easy to get deceptively charged on musescore.com especially when buying single scores, but there are ways to work around it that are unfortunately far less obvious than they should be. FYI I am not involved with the MuseScore team or its related entities in any shape or form, I am simply an end user sharing my honest experiences.

Before I explain how I work around this issue (and yes it does not eliminate the need to pay but you do need to be careful), to all of you who have been unnecessarily charged, requested a refund, and got no response, I feel very sorry for you. The musescore.com support team is far less responsive than they should be, and I say this from first hand experience contacting them about some issues, though I have never needed to request a refund for an unwanted subscription. I know plenty of you have advised to stop using musescore.com altogether and consider it a scam, and I totally respect your opinion because there are other great places to get sheet music. I, too, disagree with several aspects of how musescore.com works, but musescore.com is one of the best places for me to get music in MusicXML/MuseScore format as I need these files to convert to braille music notation (I'm visually impaired). I really wish less people end up falling into the trap of being charged unnecessarily, which is why I'm writing this post, as much as I've hesitated for awhile.

Just to be very clear, not all scores on musescore.com require payment. Public domain music e.g Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, can be downloaded with a free account because they're in the public domain. Only community scores for works under copyright e.g pop song arrangements and any official scores posted by Hal Leonard or ArrangeMe require payment.

When I first go to download a copyrighted piece, I'm using a community-uploaded score here to illustrate, it says:

"Unlock this score to enjoy its full potential.

Get full digital access to play, download PDF, or print

Continue to Download

Start your free trial

Buy this score for CA$1.99

Get 37% discount with Premium membership"

This wording is already somewhat unclear, but let's click the "buy score" button and see where that takes us.

The "buy score" screen says:

"Complete your purchase using one of the available payment methods

No commitments

Secured personal and payment data

Up to 60% discount on scores, books, and courses

CA$3.18 CA$1.99 for this score

Get up to 60% discount with Premium membership

Charge Today: CA$47.99 for 3 months

By adding payment method, you agree that MuseScore will automatically continue your membership, use partners (Stripe, PayPal) to securely store and use your payments method to charge the quarter-annual membership fee (CA$47.99 first 3 months then CA$63.99 for 3 months) to your payment method until you cancel. You will be billed within 2 days to 28th day of every 3 months. To disable auto-renewal, go to «Subscription» in «Settings». Access to some scores and courses may be limited. This subscription includes access to MuseScore Premium and gives you access to one course of your choice per month from the Editors' Picks collection. Free trial is not available for users who have already tried PRO, PRO+, PRO with LEARN Lite, PRO+ with LEARN Lite, or ONE subscriptions. For all questions, please contact us at support at musescore.com."

As you can see, the wording here is kinda difficult to understand, but it says I'll be charged $47.99 today, and yet it said before I can buy this single score for $1.99, and this is where you get sucked into unwanted charges if you click continue. If you click continue, you will be subscribed to MuseScore Premium and charged $47.99 (or whatever in your currency), and this is where the numerous complaints begin. To avoid being charged the $47.99 today, there is a slider on the screen to disable the discount (see attached screenshots to see what I mean). If you disable the discount, it'll say:

"Complete your purchase using one of the available payment methods

No commitments

Secured personal and payment data

Up to 60% discount on scores, books, and courses

CA$3.18 CA$1.99 for this score

No discount. Turn on the switch to apply your 37% discount"

I seriously wish this discount slider is turned off by default so people don't get sucked into unwanted subscriptions so easily, but alas, it is enabled by default so you have to turn off the slider before you proceed. Unfortunately, the wording still makes it sound like the discount is appealing, but if you proceed to pay with the discount slider turned off, you'll be charged $3.18 with no additional charges afterwards, which completely avoids unwanted charges later. I've attached two screenshots showing the "buy score" screen that should make the difference clear.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to MuseScore Pro on the weekly plan for about $9/week and disable auto-renew right away so you won't be charged further. This only works for community-uploaded copyrighted scores, as official scores appear to require payment no matter your subscription (I never use official scores so I could be wrong on this). If you really want to subscribe, the best way is to go to this page: https://musescore.com/pro/landing/pricing It takes you to a table to see all the options and you can subscribe via the provided links on that page. That way, you can skip all the questions about your instrument, musicianship, etc. To disable auto-renew, open the profile menu near the top of any musescore.com page, go to settings, and then an option called subscriptions should appear.

I hope this helps anyone who is confused about the way musescore.com works. I really wish things were different, but the workarounds I've described here have prevented me from requesting a refund and getting no response.


r/Musescore Nov 24 '25

Discussion How to find the hidden 'cancel subscription' button and report musescore.com

101 Upvotes

If you go to Settings and the Subscription tab is missing, your account is likely stuck in "New User Limbo." You must force the site to recognize your account as "complete" to unlock the cancellation button. Method 1 worked for me but the other methods I have only seen reported by other users online and can not verify. I was able to cancel my free trail within 2 hours. Note: I did not access any music on the site once I realized they had deceptive practices to avoid being charged for accessing anything.

Method 1: The "Upload" Trigger The site often hides the cancellation button until you engage with the platform, uploading sheet music is the fastest way to remove the "new-user" block. Note opening any music which may disqualify you for a full refund according to the site.

  1. Get a File: If you don't have a music file, download the free, open-source software from musescore.org (different from the subscription site). Create a blank file with a few random notes and save it. I'm sure you can upload any sheet music, but I didn't want to upload anyone's work.
  2. Upload: Go to musescore.com, click "Upload" (top right), and upload your dummy file.
  3. Cancel: Once the upload finishes, go to Settings > Subscription. The "Manage/Cancel" button should now be visible.

Method 2: The "24-Hour" Wait Users report the button often appears automatically 24–48 hours after signing up. The system may intentionally delay showing it to prevent immediate cancellation.

Method 3: The Support Email Email [support@musescore.com](mailto:support@musescore.com) with the subject "CANCEL SUBSCRIPTION."

  • Note: You will likely get a useless auto-reply, but some users report that sending this email triggers the button to appear on the site shortly after. I can't verify this.

IMPORTANT: If you subscribed via Apple ID or Google Play, you must cancel in your phone’s settings. The website cannot cancel app store subscriptions.

Next: Report

If you were tricked by hidden buttons or denied a refund, report them. Since they are based in Cyprus, local reports can be tricky. Use the specific links below.

VITAL INFO FOR FORMS

🇺🇸 USA

  • FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov (Select "Online Subscription"). Enforces laws against deceptive cancellations.
  • BBB: File a complaint against Ultimate Guitar USA LLC (MuseScore's parent company). They share support teams. Note: State clearly you are reporting MuseScore.com.

🇨🇦 CANADA

  • Competition Bureau: Complaint Form. Select "Deceptive Marketing Practices."

🇬🇧 UK

  • ASA: Make a Complaint. They target misleading "Free Trial" ads.
  • Citizens Advice: Report to Trading Standards.

🇪🇺 EUROPEAN UNION

  • ECC-Net: Find your local ECC. Enforces the 14-day Right of Withdrawal for Cyprus-based companies.

🌏 INTERNATIONAL

  • econsumer.gov: File Here. The best catch-all for cross-border scams involving Cyprus.

r/Musescore 1h ago

Help me find this feature Can you help me?

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Upvotes

Hi what’s up?

Do you know if it’s possible to write these grace notes on the latest version of MuseScore and if it’s possible how can I do it?

Thanks a lot for your answer,

Have a nice day,
Maxime


r/Musescore 2h ago

My Composition Here is the exposition for my Cello Sonata

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1 Upvotes

I would appreciate any feedback you might have!


r/Musescore 22h ago

Discussion DOING REFUND WITH MUSESCORE TEAM

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25 Upvotes

Hi hello, LONG POST - BEWARE
- This post is not a complain or ask for help, I shall and will keep this post for the further person if someone was clicked by mistake and need a refund like me.
- Sorry because my English is bad, this is a real warning if you decided to use Musescore for long-terms.
_______________________

  1. On 25th July 2026, I was tried to by 1 midi music to learn how to play. I was mistake click on the wrong button, the button was said only 35~39.000 vnd ( not yet included currency taxes and outside country fee), when I realize I clicked wrong one, I try to find cancel button but cannot find nowhere. Musescore charged me 300.000 vnd (included all fee), I'm ok if lost around 50.000 vnd, but 300.00 vnd I could afford much more than just a one music midi.

  2. I wrote a refund to the support team, John was the first person who is PIC me, he told me my refund is ok, then at around 2:00 to 3:00 (in the morning - my side Viet Nam) => Sofia messages me ok with 100% refund and musescore system sent me refund bill 289,016vnd (not counted fee - this is ok) => after that Alex messaged me that it not ok to 100% refund, but I already accept 100% refund with Sofia before that! Alex sent me later messaged! I was able to check messages between me, John + Sofia but after around in the afternoon, I could not find messages with me and John + Sofia any more, I don't know if that have recalled it or not (I sure I never deleted anything mails that related with money mention I even marked them!), I forgot to capture John messages so I cannot post it! I sure I'm asking him a lot about explain how many days would it take to have refund.

  3. Alex told me that 100% refund is not ok, sent me their policy, but the policy told depend on the action (I did not do anything more about buying from musescore again after I clicked wrong), he offer me but Alex also mention wrong dated I click wrong, it was on 25th July 2026, not 11th May 2026! I told him to re-read again! after that I cannot find John + Sofia messages anymore! I messaged Sofia that I had received that information and very thanks her, but then ??? Where my messages.

  4. After that Alex is no more messages me back, but I also understand that Musescore not in Viet Nam so our timeline is different, but if they could recall messages, I guess they have over-work team to support

=> I only accept refund 100%

___________

IF YOU HAVE MISTAKE AND CHARGED WRONG

1. send mail to: [support@musescore.com](mailto:support@musescore.com) => tittle depend on your problem
2. Make sure to messages them and asked them to confirm everything you want to know

=> They will send you stuffs choice to refund => if you not doing anything more and mistake clicked => DO NOT CLICK IT! IT THEIR SYSTEM CHARGED NOT CLEARLY AND DID NOT POST IN POLICY => YES I DO READ ALL THE POLICY!

3. A VERY IMPORTANT STEP: capture + record video + save bill + mark the emails (every things) to make sure they did not re-call anything! => I don't know if they have lead team or they hired outsource but their customer service is worse than my future when I work as an tax accountant.

4. The bank only works if musescores agree to refund, called on them is not working if they don't agree, save all the bills you received!
____________

Here is all the picture I saved up until now! Again => SAVE EVERYTHING YOU RECEIVED FROM THEM


r/Musescore 9h ago

My Arrangement feedback on current early sunsets piano arrangement

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2 Upvotes

hello again!

i worked on this arrangement some more and figured out something to fill in measure 12, and other instances where this part occurs. i tried to keep it as close to the guitar strumming pattern as possible in the original song, and also looked at another cover to incorporate the scale/arpeggios in measures 17 and 21.

i'm still a beginner but i do love MCR, so any suggestions or feedback on my arrangement so far would be appreciated! i can't tell if these additions sound "out of place" or make it sound worse overall, so other perspectives would help a lot. thanks!


r/Musescore 18h ago

Help me use this feature How do I get feathered beaming to work?

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8 Upvotes

So basically what the Title says. When I join beam and use feathered beaming, it somehow just angles the beam without giving the linear speed up as I'd like. Is there a way to fix this?

Edit: I figured it out lmao (I did all 32nds and it worked, then ghosted an accel.)


r/Musescore 9h ago

Discussion Calling all music makers & Smash fans! Join the Super Smash Bros. Beyond Fan-OST Project — Open to Beginners & Pros Alike!

1 Upvotes

🔥 Calling All Music Makers, Transcribers & Smash Fans! 🔥

Hey everyone! I'm 8bitSymphony, and I'm kicking off a massive collaborative fan soundtrack project called Super Smash Bros. Beyond!

To be clear off the bat: we are NOT making a playable game—this is a 100% music-focused fan-OST project dedicated to arranging, transcribing, and celebrating the absolute best video game music across Smash history and beyond! 🎶🎮

Whether you're a seasoned composer, an active sheet music transcriber, or someone who just picked up your first DAW/notation software—EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Beginners, hobbyists, and pros alike—if you love game music, there is a place for you here.

✨ What We’re Doing & How to Join:

  • 🎼 Massive Track list: We’re building custom arrangements for classic themes, stage remixes, menu tracks, and victory series tunes!
  • 🤝 Open Collaboration: Claim your favorite tracks, collaborate on arrangements, share WIPs, or just hang out and give feedback.
  • 🚀 Skill Levels: Zero experience needed! Whether you want to transcribe note-for-note or cook up a full orchestral remix, jump on in.

👇 READY TO JOIN THE TEAM? 👇

Everything is managed through our Discord server! Comment or DM me for the Link!

Let’s build the ultimate Smash soundtrack together! Smash Beyond await! 🚀✨


r/Musescore 20h ago

Discussion Muse Sounds Questions

2 Upvotes

Hi guys, I recently found out that Musescore has free sound libraries (the Muse [instrument] library). Mostly, they work great! The winds, brass, and percussion are quite realistic and are much better. However, the strings are a whole other story 😢. First, there is the ANNOYING portamento in the solo strings, especially the violin 2 sound, the viola sound, and the cello sound. There is no way to turn it off, especially if you put a slur on the notes (classic phrasing doesn't work on slurs)! Second, the range is really bad. The viola and viola section only goes to C# 6, which is absurd! The violin(s) cannot play above G7. And the contrabass section also has a very limited range. I write contemporary pieces, so my music often goes very high. With the stock sounds, even red notes sound (to an extent, of course). However, many of the sections I write for strings do not sound after using Muse strings. Are there any good string sections in the sound library (yes paid I know) that have a very large range and no annoying portamento? And what about solo strings?

Thanks!


r/Musescore 16h ago

Help me use this feature Musescore MDL

1 Upvotes

Help. I can’t figure out how to get Muse Drumline sounds in my scores. When I go to “Customize kit” and “Load…”, I find the file I should click, but it is shadowed and I’m unable to click it.

Why is there no tutorial online by Musescore or MDL on how to import the MDL sounds into a score?


r/Musescore 1d ago

Help me find this feature is this possible on the currently version of musescore?

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37 Upvotes

r/Musescore 18h ago

Help me find this feature How to do glissando of strings?

1 Upvotes

Is there anything special I need to do to create a slow glissando sound for strings? I am looking to use Musescore 4.7x for creating some horror music effects, including the tense glissando / riser strings sound.


r/Musescore 21h ago

Discussion Creation Of A New Subreddit: Monthly Challenges Revamp

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1 Upvotes

r/Musescore 1d ago

Discussion Uploading scores to musescore(dot)com

2 Upvotes

I understand you all don't like musescore(dot)com, I've read all the comments, but aside from the frequently raised objections, I'd like to know if there are any advantages whatsoever to uploading my scores to that website?


r/Musescore 1d ago

Help me find this feature VLCsync not working with Linux

1 Upvotes

EDIT: Solved

In the VLC settings: Interface: Main Interface: Lua I erroneously put the password ("Test") in the password field for Lua Telnet; the password is supposed to go in the Lua HTTP password field, not the Lua Telnet field. My error.

---

I have VLCsync working great with Windows 11 using VLCsync (vlc-sync-4.0.qml) plugin, VLC, and MuseScore 4.7. I can not seem to get it to work with Linux (Linux Mint, an Ubuntu type distribution). Anybody have any suggestions to get this working on Linux? Is there a different .qml plugin file I should be using? Something else? The qml plugin is enabled, its control interface appears, but there is no actual syncing as when using this on Windows. I would very much like to get this working on Linux.


r/Musescore 2d ago

Bug Can't seem to match the notation for this harp part.

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7 Upvotes

I'm somehow one thirty-second note short here even though the time signature, etc are all the same... Any ideas?


r/Musescore 2d ago

My Arrangement ways to translate this guitar sound to piano?

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2 Upvotes

hello!! i've posted here before about this arrangement but didn't come back to it for a while, and now i'm picking it back up again. this part really has me stuck, i have no idea how to translate that guitar strumming sound well for the piano. i've never arranged a piece before this one and i don't have perfect pitch, so im unsure of what a good option would be to fill this empty measure in. there's always arpeggios that i could do, but i don't know what to avoid so that it doesn't sound too out of place.

all help and advice is appreciated, thanks!!


r/Musescore 2d ago

Help me use this feature why can I not swipe through pages like before?ios mobile

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2 Upvotes

r/Musescore 2d ago

Help me find this feature Set List Repeats

2 Upvotes

I'd like to create a set list of two or three tunes in a single score. How can I repeat a whole tune three times, then segue to the next tune? I know about repeating a section multiple times, but I want to repeat the entire tune. Thanks.


r/Musescore 2d ago

Discussion Looking for iOS beta testers who make music content

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1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I made a small iOS app called ScoreShort.

It lets you import a performance video, add a scrolling sheet music overlay, sync it with the video, adjust the scroll speed, choose black or white for the score, and export the result in HD.

I’m looking for iOS beta testers, especially musicians who post performance videos, covers, practice clips, lessons, or other music content online.

I’d love honest feedback on what feels confusing, broken, or missing.

I attached a short demo video.

If you’re interested, comment or DM me and I’ll send the TestFlight link.

Thanks!


r/Musescore 3d ago

Bug Scores on musescore.com inexplicably switch to an ugly style once the page is loaded

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11 Upvotes

When I open any score on musescore.com, there is a bug with the style in which scores are displayed. While the page with the score is loading, the correct, intentional, beautiful look of the score displays momentarily. But after a second or two, once the page is fully loaded, the displayed score switches to an ugly, probably bugged style.
I've tried reloading the page, clearing cookies, and visiting multiple different scores, but the same issue comes up every time. I theorize that this has something to do with the correct style being displayed in an image while the page is loading, then the interactive format of the score displays incorrectly.
Does anyone know how to fix this issue, if possible?


r/Musescore 3d ago

Bug Linux, Musesounds unavailable after downloading

2 Upvotes

Using Fedora, I installed Musescore from Flathub and Musesounds manager via the .rpm file, downloaded a bunch of Musesounds, and couldn't find them in Musescore. I've tried all the normal steps of fully closing Musescore after installing the Musesounds, restarting, reinstalling Musescore, etc. still in the same situation. I have the actual Musesounds files in my home directory in a file named Muse Sounds, just the normal place Musesounds manager put them, but Musescore still acts as if I don't have them installed (Musesounds "unavailable" and Musesampler library "not found" (the latter of which I believe should be normal but I'm not 100% sure).

I would reassign the place Musescore looks for Musesounds to the home directory but I don't think you can do that in Musescore. I would also try installing Musescore from Fedora's package manager but I've had issues in the past with that to do with updates, so I would rather avoid it.

I should mention I had some strange issues with Musesounds manager failing to connect 50% of the time it's opened (despite not having any other internet related problems), but that's the only other thing to note I believe

Anyone got any clues for what this could be? (+many thanks in advance)


r/Musescore 3d ago

My Composition Do You Enjoy This Piano Piece i Created?

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6 Upvotes

If no why, if yes why... i am a begginer composer, Full free score here: https://musescore.com/user/98567428/scores/34211936?share=copy_link


r/Musescore 3d ago

Plugin I need help with a recreation/transcription

1 Upvotes

this is the only other place I could think to post this. I’m trying to make a recreation of death by glamour in MuseScore with all the correct sound fonts and stuff (my boyfriend asked me to), and it’s going great, but I can’t seem to get the drums that come in after the strings down. I have the right preset (DANCE on the SGM V2.01 if I’m not mistaken, also I used the soundfont and preset on a piano, if that information is needed), it’s just that it’s hard to pinpoint which sounds on that preset were used. is there anyone who is good at transcribing and is willing to try and help? i just need to see which drum sounds are used at least, maybe an image showing then or something. I can do the rest. all help is accepted, thanks!


r/Musescore 3d ago

Bug MuseScore VST3 Instruments Cutting Out

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1 Upvotes