FingerFiddle vs Dorico
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
FingerFiddle
Transform your device into a realistic string instrument. Control notes with your fingers and shape sound with bow-like movements. Experience the full expressive range of violin family instruments anytime, anywhere.
- Realistic bow and fingerboard control
- Expressive sound shaping
- Pizzicato playing mode
- Customizable fingerboard
- Inter-App Audio/Audiobus support
- Multiple violin family instruments
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Turn your iPad into an instrument of the violin family and play just like on a real instrument ! FingerFiddle introduces a new and highly sensitive musical experience with your IOS device. Your actions on the screen are turned naturally into an exceptionally realistic and responsive sound, whatever you do. Place your fingers on the fingerboard to change notes. Move your other hand on the screen to rub the strings with the bow and shape the sound continuously in real-time. Pluck the screen to play pizzicato. FingerFiddle responds accurately to your movements and lets you play with the full palette of violin expression, just like with a real instrument. FingerFiddle is a musical instrument that you can bring with you everywhere to play, practice, have fun and perform with others. It includes a full collection of fine-tuned instruments from the violin family (violin, viola, cello and double bass). The basic version comes with a cello, and other instruments are available to try and purchase. Wherever you are, at any time, pick one of the instruments and play music for real with FingerFiddle. Who is it for? Anyone interested in music playing can find something in FingerFiddle: - For the beginner, FingerFiddle is an affordable way to experience and enjoy fiddle playing, alone or in group. Play, practice to improve your playing, try different instruments and maybe, eventually, buy a real instrument… - For advanced players, FingerFiddle is a new instrument to discover and have fun with. Use it in your musical productions and live performances, when jamming with others, or just to sketch ideas. - In all cases, FingerFiddle is a musical instrument that is always right at your fingertips, whenever you feel the need to play music. Features: - Natural mapping between movement and sound: your finger is the bow ! - Outstanding sound rendering for a realistic output - Pitch is controlled with a fingerboard on the screen to allow fiddle-specific playing techniques (vibrato, glissando, chords) - The fingerboard is customizable: set its width and the space between notes for a comfortable playing - A specific area is dedicated to pizzicato playing - Inter-App Audio / Audiobus support (generator) - Very low memory requirement: no samples library is used - Inter App Audio and Audiobus support - The basic version includes the Cello from the Classic Collection. Other instruments are available as In App purchases (Violin, Viola, Double Bass, normal or with mutes)
Dorico
Create professional music scores for up to eight instruments with this intuitive composition app. Input notes via on-screen or MIDI keyboards, then play back and edit with powerful tools. Share your creations as PDFs, audio, or MusicXML.
- Compose music for up to eight instruments
- On-screen keyboard, drum pads, and fretboard input
- MIDI editing tools
- Export as PDF, audio, or MusicXML
- Print to AirPrint-enabled printers
- Read mode with Apple Pencil annotation
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Compose your own music for free with Dorico. Create beautiful music notation for up to eight instruments quickly and easily with the on-screen keyboard, drum pads and fretboard. Play back instantly with the included sounds and shape the performance with powerful MIDI editing tools. When your piece is finished, share it as PDF, audio or MusicXML, or print directly to your AirPrint-enabled printer. Perform using the built-in read mode, and annotate with your Apple Pencil. Dorico is the award-winning music notation and composition software from Steinberg for macOS, Windows, and iPadOS. It’s easy enough to learn and use that it is used by students in schools, and deep enough that it satisfies the needs of the most demanding professionals in the worlds of concert music, music for film and TV, and music publishing. Dorico for iPad is fully compatible with Dorico for macOS and Windows, so you can work on your projects on the move on your iPad and in your studio on your desktop or laptop computer, or share projects with musicians using Dorico on any platform. Dorico’s interface is split into four modes. In Setup mode, you can add and change instruments, create and reorder sections of music (called “flows”), and choose how your music will be formatted for your musicians into layouts. In Write mode, you can input and edit music and other notations using simple, well-organized toolboxes and panels. In Engrave mode (included if you buy a paid subscription to Dorico’s advanced features), you can make graphical tweaks to every item in your project. Finally, in Play mode, you have access to powerful sequencer-style MIDI editing tools, including piano roll and velocity editors. Dorico includes built-in virtual instruments and effects to allow you to play back your compositions, and you can also easily use any compatible Audio Unit plug-in or external MIDI device (with optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase), and tweak playback using the on-screen Mixer. Input music using an on-screen piano keyboard, or by connecting a MIDI keyboard to your iPad directly via USB or using a compatible USB-to-Lightning adaptor. If you have a Magic Keyboard or other external keyboard, you can make use of extensive keyboard shortcuts to work quickly and efficiently. Dorico is free to use, allowing you to write for ensembles of up to four players. Register with your free Steinberg ID to increase the player limit to eight, allowing you to write for ensembles like string or wind quartet, or SATB choir. If you want to take your composition and arranging to the next level, you can buy an optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase to access more features and power: write for ensembles of any number of players, and gain access to Engrave mode, allowing you to make graphical tweaks to individual items anywhere in your project. HIGHLIGHTS • Best automatic engraving of any software • Easy note input using on-screen keyboard, MIDI keyboard, or external keyboard • Intelligently adjusts notation as you write • Any number of movements or pieces in a single project • Automatic layout of instrumental parts • Expressive playback using included sounds and effects • Supports Audio Unit virtual instruments and effects processors • Sequencer-style piano roll MIDI editor • Sophisticated chord symbols, unpitched percussion and drum set notation • Unbarred music, tuplets across barlines, etc. all handled correctly — no workarounds • Transfer to and from other apps via MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, etc. For support, please visit www.dorico.com/forum If you like Dorico, please support us by rating this app in the App Store. Thank you!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Dorico at Free against FingerFiddle's $2.99. Dorico also leads on ratings volume (2.3K vs 52) and rating (4.6 vs 4.4). FingerFiddle's advantage is review sentiment (82% vs 55%) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Dorico is free to download; FingerFiddle costs $2.99 up front. FingerFiddle sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Dorico sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Dorico holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dorico has 2.3K ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of FingerFiddle's written reviews are positive against 55% of Dorico's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
FingerFiddle ships an update every 3 months, Dorico monthly. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.
| Parameter | FingerFiddle | Dorico |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (52 ratings) | 4.6 (2.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.6% of reviews — better | 55.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 52 | 2.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 979 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Matthias Demoucron | Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH |
Customer experience
FingerFiddle
Dorico
User reviews
FingerFiddle
From 52 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎶 Realistic and amazing sound quality
- 💡 Highly expressive and innovative
- ✨ Intuitive and well-designed interface
- 🚀 Great performance and small file size
- 💰 Excellent value for money
Room to improve
- 💸 Additional in-app purchases required for instruments
- 🎻 Violin not included in initial purchase
- 🤔 Confusing pricing and hidden costs
- 🎛️ Limited pitch selection (fixed keys)
- 🎧 Aliasing distortion on high strings
Dorico
From 2.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Powerful and full-featured notation app on iPad
- 👍 Seamless integration with desktop version
- 🚀 Efficient workflow with keyboard shortcuts
- 👍 Impressive engraving and layout capabilities
- 🚀 Comprehensive feature set for composing and arranging
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Subscription-only model, no option to purchase outright
- 🐛 Glitchy touch/scroll functionality
- 🐛 Inability to delete clefs or access certain settings
- 🐛 Inconsistent performance on older iPad models
Bugs and requests
FingerFiddle
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes frequently (especially after iOS 11.2)
- 3D bow and vibrato not working for some users
- Mutes when starting recording in GarageBand
- Vibrato function not activable for some users
Requested features
15 requests- Recording capability
- Metronome
- MIDI IN/OUT support
- AUv3 support for DAWs
- Support for Apple Pencil 2 pressure
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- Fretless option
- More instrument variety (guitars, woodwinds, brass, percussion, Indian Sarangi, Viola da Gamba)
- Five-string bass option
- Oversampling for improved sound quality
- Customizable fingerboard pitch settings
- Auto-vibrato mode
- String ensemble sounds
- Vertical bow movement option
- More realistic fingerboard layout
- Ability to choose pitch with a keyboard
Dorico
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when opening or editing projects
- Corrupted/lost files after app crashes
- Unresponsive keyboard and note input issues
- Scrolling and UI glitches, especially in Engrave mode
- Incompatibility with certain iPad models and iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Support for Apple Pencil and handwriting input
- Improved file management and organization
- Expanded audio unit/plugin integration
- More customization options for layout and engraving
- Ability to export/import flows and projects between iPad and desktop
In-app purchases
FingerFiddle
- Violin (Classic Collection)$2.99
- Viola (Classic Collection)$2.99
- Violin (Con Sordino Collection)$2.99
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Double Bass (Classic Collection)$2.99
- Viola (Con Sordino Collection)$2.99
- Cello (Con Sordino Collection)$2.99
- Double Bass (Con Sordino Collection)$2.99
- Classic Collection$8.99
- Con Sordino Collection$8.99
Dorico
- Dorico Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Dorico Annual Subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Dorico Lifetime Unlock$119.99









