Comparison

StaffPad vs Composer Pro

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

Head to head
About

StaffPad

Compose music effortlessly on your iPad with intuitive handwriting input and advanced notation tools. Convert your playing into sheet music, record and edit audio directly on the score, and utilize powerful playback with professional sample libraries. Seamlessly share your work with others using the companion reader app.

Highlights
  • Handwriting music notation with Apple Pencil
  • Convert audio recordings to notation
  • Record and edit audio on score
  • Professional playback with sample libraries
  • Seamless sharing via ScoreSync
  • Import/export MusicXML and MIDI
Features
Read full description

MADE FOR COMPOSERS ------------------------- StaffPad is designed for composers who want to write music effortlessly, using music notation and audio. Write your music using Apple Pencil, and the app will transform your writing into beautifully typeset notation that can be edited, played back, printed and shared. Record or import audio directly onto your score and edit it intuitively with Apple Pencil. Magically convert your real piano playing or existing recordings into notation using advanced on-device machine learning. Add video, smart symbols and use world leading sample libraries and mix your score with a suite of studio effects. From basic idea to a full film score; StaffPad is the easiest, most powerful and most intuitive way to compose music on iPad. WRITE NATURALLY ------------------- Write your score with the fluidity of natural handwriting. Use touch and Apple Pencil to quickly edit your notation. Transpose, repeat and structure your score with intuitive gestures and tools. Customise the tempo with a unique tempo staff (or import a tempo map from a MIDI file), add chords either manually or automatically with the chord staff. You can even copy music written in StaffPad into other apps, simply using the normal copy and paste functions. HEAR YOUR MASTERPIECE ---------------------------- With a groundbreaking playback engine and over 55 included instruments, StaffPad is ready to perform your written piece instantly. Add industry-standard sample libraries, adapted and customised for StaffPad, from some of the world's leading sample developers. This is a leap forward for composers working at the highest levels. SHARE WITH SCORESYNC --------------------------- Once you're ready to perform or record your work, tap the ScoreSync button in StaffPad and your score is instantly shared across a Wi-Fi network to any device running the free StaffPad Reader app (available in the App Store). The Readers present each individual musical part beautifully formatted, update in realtime with any changes you make to your score, handle automatic page turns, and play back in perfect time with a synchronised metronome, for capturing the perfect recording every time. IMPORT AND EXPORT --------------------------- StaffPad imports and exports MusicXML and MIDI files for easily working with other music apps. You can also export your playback as WAV, AAC or MP3. You can import audio files into your score, with support for most major audio formats. WORK WITH AUDIO AND VIDEO -------------------------------- For the first time, you can seamlessly mix audio with your notated score. Record directly onto the score canvas using your device's in-built microphones, or import loops, Tempo map freeform/rubato performances using the tempo staff. Add shine to your production with a suite of studio quality DSP effects, and polish with precise automation. PIANO AND MIDI CAPTURE --------------------------- Record your real piano and convert it into notation. Don't have a real piano? Don't worry - you can connect a USB or Bluetooth MIDI keyboard and record your performance in realtime, converting to notation as you play. PRINT / PDF ------------ As well as digital parts via ScoreSync, StaffPad will automatically format and print parts or export PDFs for you. Customise the paper size, bar number styles, number of bars per line, scaling, margins, multi-bar consolidation and more. StaffPad automatically formats the score for consistent presentation.

About

Composer Pro

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
Read full description

A handy sheet music writer app, make writing sheet music feels like typing notes. Tap on the keys with notation in a familiar keyboard layout. Provide a very easy way to compose music score. Support up to 8 parts, over 100 instruments, variety of music symbols and notations. It is very friendly for rookies while professional enough for experts. --------------------------------- UNLIMITED ACCESS SUBSCRIPTION - Support up to 8 parts - Config parts(add, delete, reorder) - Change key for each part - Change beat type and tempo - Config clef for each staff - Config sound for each part - No watermark image export - No Ads - Support 2nd voice part - Transpose instruments - Change keyboard size - Import data file - Unlock all 100+ instruments - The subscriptions are $9.99 monthly and $49.99 yearly with free trial - 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 service, where applicable - Terms of use: https://service.notationpad.com/terms_service.html

Screenshots

Composer Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Composer Pro at Free against StaffPad's $49.99. Composer Pro also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (72% vs 40%). StaffPad's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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

Composer Pro is free to download; StaffPad costs $49.99 up front. StaffPad sells 12 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Composer Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 563 and 672 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of StaffPad's written reviews are positive against 72% of Composer Pro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

StaffPad ships an update every 2 weeks, Composer Pro every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
StaffPad versus Composer Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStaffPadComposer Pro
Price$49.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (563 ratings)4.5 (672 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews72.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings563672 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS14.513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1020 MB154 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperStaffPad Ltd.嵩 张

Customer experience

StaffPad

All ratings563 ratings
Positive73.9%
Neutral5.2%
Negative21.0%
Written reviews527 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral12.1%
Negative47.8%

Composer Pro

All ratings672 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral5.7%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews255 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral7.8%
Negative20.0%

User reviews

StaffPad

From 563 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful composing tool
  • 🎨 Intuitive handwriting interface
  • 🎹 High-quality playback sounds
  • 💻 Seamless iPad integration
  • 🎨 Smooth workflow for sketching ideas

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent handwriting recognition
  • 🔧 Steep learning curve
  • 🔒 Requires Apple Pencil
  • 💰 Expensive with additional purchases
  • 🐛 Stability issues and crashes

Composer Pro

From 672 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

StaffPad

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to recognize certain note values
  • Eraser function unreliable
  • Inconsistent behavior when writing accidentals
  • Crashes when attempting to create new scores
  • Syncing and file management issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved handwriting recognition
  • More flexible note input options
  • Cross-staff notation support
  • Customizable UI and layout
  • Better collaboration and sharing features

Composer Pro

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Notes sometimes placed incorrectly
  • Measures and compositions randomly deleted
  • Inability to restore deleted content

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

12 purchases

StaffPad

One-time12
  • Toy GlockenspielFree
  • StaffPad Essential GuitarsFree
  • Retro KeyboardsFree
Show 9 more
  • Muse StringsFree
  • Muse ChoirFree
  • Muse WoodwindsFree
  • Muse PercussionFree
  • Muse BrassFree
  • Muse HarpFree
  • Muse KeysFree
  • Muse Guitars Vol. 1Free
  • StaffPad Essentials: AccordionFree
4 purchases

Composer Pro

Subscriptions4
  • Unlimited Access$6.997 Days
  • Pro Access$9.991 Month
  • Pro Access$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro Access7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is StaffPad free?
StaffPad costs $49.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Composer Pro free?
Composer Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, StaffPad or Composer Pro?
Composer Pro is rated higher. StaffPad averages 4.0 out of 5 from 563 ratings, while Composer Pro averages 4.5 from 672 ratings.
Do StaffPad or Composer Pro have ads?
Neither StaffPad nor Composer Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, StaffPad or Composer Pro?
StaffPad ships an update every 2 weeks, and Composer Pro every 6 weeks. Most recently, StaffPad was updated on September 24, 2026 and Composer Pro on September 24, 2026.

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