Comparison

IMSLP vs Sibelius

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

IMSLP

Access a vast digital library of classical music scores on your iOS device. Enjoy full access to commercial recordings, instant downloads, and new uploads with a membership subscription. Support the music community while exploring a comprehensive collection.

Highlights
  • Browse IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
  • View musical scores
  • Access commercial recordings
  • Instant downloads
  • Access new uploads instantly
  • Membership subscription benefits
Features
Read full description

Browse IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library and view scores from the comfort of your iOS device. IMSLP Membership Subscription Length of subscription: 1 month. Benefits include: • Full access to commercial recordings • Access all features in this app • No waiting for downloads • Access new uploads instantly • Knowing that you helped keep IMSLP running and serving the music community Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Terms of Service and Privacy policy - https://imslp.org/wiki/IMSLP:Terms_of_Service_and_Privacy_policy_(app)

About

Sibelius

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
Read full description

Sibelius brings professional music notation to iPad and iPhone, putting the workflows used by countless composers, orchestrators, and arrangers at your fingertips. Seamlessly move between iPad, iPhone and desktop, and from studio to coffeeshop to scoring stage, and write anywhere inspiration strikes. # Work on scores anywhere Sibelius for mobile puts the #1 selling music notation program at your fingertips—literally. Work with the same tools and features used by countless composers and production houses every day on your iPad and iPhone. Whether writing down ideas, creating full-blown compositions, or reviewing scores, you have the freedom to create wherever you’re comfortable. #Take your portfolio to go Forget having to bring and break out your laptop when meeting with clients and collaborators. Instead, you can conveniently take the world’s most powerful notation toolset and your entire music portfolio with you wherever you go—ideal for those unexpected opportunities. And for tandemly working through last-minute revisions. # Hear your music in stunning detail Sibelius includes a high-quality sample library filled with a variety of musical instrumentation, so you can hear what your music will sound like when performed by real musicians. The Espressivo advanced notation interpretation even lets you adjust rhythm and swing to create a more humanistic feel. # Speed your workflow Sibelius for mobile is designed to take full advantage of Apple Pencil and iPad touch capabilities. Its elegant, streamlined interface provides the most intuitive and efficient workflows possible while supporting the same keyboard shortcuts you know and love from working on the desktop version, so you’ll feel right at home. # Get innovative note entry Experience the pen and paper workflow reimagined. Enter notes with the onscreen Keypad or a keyboard, and Sibelius takes care of all note layout. Touch a note and drag up or down to change its value, or drag left or right to add a flat or sharp. With an Apple Pencil, tap a note and tilt up or down to add a flat or sharp, or tilt left or right to choose the note value. # Have everything you need In addition to the Keypad, Sibelius for mobile features a Create menu that’s optimized for iOS, making it easy to add clefs, key signatures, time signatures, barlines, symbols, text styles, and more to your score from searchable galleries. You can also quickly search through all Sibelius commands using the Command Search, putting the entire app at your fingertips. # Move tiers to meet needs Sibelius is designed to grow with you to support your creative aspirations and project needs. From the introductory (and free) Sibelius First to the industry-standard Sibelius Ultimate, you can add more notation capabilities and instrument parts to take on more creative opportunities by simply upgrading your subscription tier. # Have everything on one creative platform Seamlessly move from desktop to tablet and back without ever having to import or export files. That’s because whether on mobile or desktop, you’re always in Sibelius. With files saved to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or other iOS-supported cloud service, you have easy anywhere access to all your ideas and scores. # Enable a hybrid workflow While Sibelius for mobile is fully featured, providing many of the same tools as its desktop counterpart, there are some notation and layout features only available in the desktop version, making it an integral part of a complete workflow (compare versions). Plus, the mobile version comes free with the desktop version, enabling you to work where and how you want.

Screenshots

IMSLP4 screens
Sibelius4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: IMSLP at 70% against Sibelius's 36%. IMSLP also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). Sibelius's advantage is ratings volume (1.8K vs 507). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. IMSLP sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

IMSLP holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 507 and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of IMSLP's written reviews are positive against 36% of Sibelius's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IMSLP ships an update every 10 days, Sibelius every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
IMSLP versus Sibelius: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIMSLPSibelius
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (507 ratings) — better4.2 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews70.0% of reviews — better35.7% of reviews
Number of ratings5071.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better13.4
Further details — not scored
Size232 MB1.4 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProject Petrucci LLCAvid®

Customer experience

IMSLP

All ratings507 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral3.7%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews297 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral11.4%
Negative18.5%

Sibelius

All ratings1,796 ratings
Positive78.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews591 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral11.3%
Negative53.0%

User reviews

IMSLP

From 507 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Integrated IMSLP library
  • 👍 Well-made app
  • 👍 Game changer for musicians
  • 👍 Indispensable for professionals and amateurs
  • 👍 Fantastic offering

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes when zooming in and annotating
  • 💰 Money grabbing with constant subscription prompts
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Annotation issues and lost data
  • 🐛 Battery drain on iPad

Sibelius

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Bugs and requests

IMSLP

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Crashes when opening scores
  • Scores disappearing from library
  • Login issues and lost data
  • Incompatibility with older devices after updates
  • Annotation issues causing loss of data
Show 1 more
  • Inability to edit file information after import

Requested features

11 requests
  • Predictive text for score annotations
  • Ability to restore original zoom settings
  • Metric to indicate device performance during page turns
  • Folder-like organization system
  • Color wheel and custom pen/highlighter options
Show 6 more
  • Ability to rename music files
  • Different color folder options
  • Split view support
  • Easier way to import scores from other sources
  • Instrumentation information for scores
  • Sorting by instrumentation

Sibelius

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

7 requests
  • Ability to enlarge chord symbols
  • More time signature options
  • Support for MIDI input
  • Better Apple Pencil integration
  • Autosave and improved file management
Show 2 more
  • Export options like MusicXML and PDF
  • Customizable shortcuts and toolbars

In-app purchases

1 purchases

IMSLP

Subscriptions1
  • Membership Subscription$3.991 Month
2 purchases

Sibelius

Subscriptions2
  • Sibelius Artist for iOS1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Sibelius Ultimate for iOS1 Month trial$12.991 Month

Questions

Is IMSLP free?
IMSLP 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, IMSLP or Sibelius?
IMSLP is rated higher. IMSLP averages 4.6 out of 5 from 507 ratings, while Sibelius averages 4.2 from 1.8K ratings.
Do IMSLP or Sibelius have ads?
Neither IMSLP nor Sibelius shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IMSLP or Sibelius?
IMSLP ships an update every 10 days, and Sibelius every 2 months. Most recently, IMSLP was updated on October 19, 2026 and Sibelius on October 18, 2026.

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