# Staff Editor vs Sibelius

The clearest difference is rating: Sibelius at 4.2 against Staff Editor's 3.0. Sibelius also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months). Staff Editor's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.4). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Staff Editor sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Sibelius sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Sibelius holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sibelius has 1.8K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Staff Editor's written reviews are positive against 36% of Sibelius's.

Staff Editor ships an update every 12 months, Sibelius every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Staff Editor | Sibelius |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staff-editor/id1364808662/reviews) | **[4.2 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibelius/id1503221259/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **1.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **35.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 30 MB | 1.4 GB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yang Zhao](https://appshunter.io/developer/1364808661) | [Avid®](https://appshunter.io/developer/436394595) |

## What reviewers say

### Staff Editor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staff-editor/id1364808662)

Learn music notation by interactively placing and editing notes on a musical staff. This app offers an educational and recreational way for beginners to explore the fundamentals of music composition and hear their creations.

**Highlights:** Interactive music staff, Drag and drop note placement, Edit note pitch by dragging, Remove notes easily, Play composed melodies, Beginner-friendly music education

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instruments Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Choirs Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fun Voices Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Advertisements | $1.99 | one-time |


### Sibelius

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibelius/id1503221259)

Professional music notation software is now available on mobile devices. Create, edit, and hear your compositions anywhere with a full suite of tools optimized for touch and stylus input. Seamlessly sync across platforms and access different feature tiers to suit your needs.

**Highlights:** Professional music notation, Cross-platform synchronization, High-quality sample library, Apple Pencil and touch optimization, Innovative note entry, Command Search functionality, Scalable subscription tiers

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sibelius Artist for iOS | $5.99 | per month |
| Sibelius Ultimate for iOS | $12.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
- 🚀 Useful for composing on the go
- 💡 Good for making quick edits to existing scores
- 🎨 Stylish and professional-looking app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes frequently
- 🔒 Difficulty unlocking full version and accessing features
- 💰 Subscription service is very expensive
- 🔇 Limited sound library and poor playback quality
- 📁 Unreliable saving and file management

**Reported bugs**

- Scores disappearing or not saving properly
- Subscription issues and inability to log in
- Crashes when performing basic actions
- Compatibility problems with newer iPad OS versions

**Requested features**

- Ability to enlarge chord symbols
- More time signature options
- Support for MIDI input
- Better Apple Pencil integration
- Autosave and improved file management


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Staff Editor free?

Staff Editor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sibelius free?

Sibelius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Staff Editor or Sibelius?

Sibelius is rated higher. Staff Editor averages 3.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Sibelius averages 4.2 from 1.8K ratings.

### Do Staff Editor or Sibelius have ads?

Staff Editor shows ads; Sibelius does not.

### Which is updated more often, Staff Editor or Sibelius?

Staff Editor ships an update every 12 months, and Sibelius every 2 months. Most recently, Staff Editor was updated on October 10, 2026 and Sibelius on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*