# Staff Editor vs Composer Pro

The clearest difference is rating: Composer Pro at 4.5 against Staff Editor's 3.0. Composer Pro also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 33%) and ads (none vs shown). Staff Editor's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Staff Editor sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Composer Pro sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Composer Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Composer Pro has 685 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 72% of Composer Pro's.

Staff Editor ships an update every 12 months, Composer Pro every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Staff Editor | Composer Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staff-editor/id1364808662/reviews) | **[4.5 (685 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/composer-pro-sheet-music-maker/id1551925812/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **685** |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **71.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 30 MB | 161 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yang Zhao](https://appshunter.io/developer/1364808661) | [嵩 张](https://appshunter.io/developer/1091921941) |

## 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 |


### Composer Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/composer-pro-sheet-music-maker/id1551925812)

Compose music scores with ease using a familiar keyboard layout. This app supports multiple parts, a wide range of instruments, and various musical symbols, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced musicians.

**Highlights:** Keyboard-style note input, Support for up to 8 parts, Over 100 instruments, Variety of music symbols, Configurable parts and settings, Instrument transposition, Export without watermark

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Access | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Pro Access | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro Access | $49.99 | per year |
| Pro Access | $49.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🎼 Helpful for composing music
- 🎹 Good for beginners
- 💡 Allows creating sheet music

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model too expensive
- 🔒 Limited features in free version
- 📢 Too many ads
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔒 Forced to pay for basic functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Notes sometimes placed incorrectly
- Measures and compositions randomly deleted
- Inability to restore deleted content

**Requested features**

- Add more instruments beyond piano
- Allow changing time signatures and key signatures without subscription
- Improve note editing and placement
- Add export options to save/share compositions
- Provide more music notation tools and dynamics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Staff Editor free?

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

### Is Composer Pro free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Staff Editor or Composer Pro?

Composer Pro is rated higher. Staff Editor averages 3.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Composer Pro averages 4.5 from 685 ratings.

### Do Staff Editor or Composer Pro have ads?

Staff Editor shows ads; Composer Pro does not.

### Which is updated more often, Staff Editor or Composer Pro?

Staff Editor ships an update every 12 months, and Composer Pro every 2 months. Most recently, Staff Editor was updated on October 10, 2026 and Composer Pro on October 19, 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.*