Comparison

Sibelius vs StkCtrl

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

Head to head
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.

About

StkCtrl

This app offers daily rhythm challenges to improve drumming skills. It features adjustable tempo, interactive play-along audio, and flexible sticking exercises to enhance versatility and control.

Highlights
  • Daily rhythm challenges
  • Adjustable tempo
  • Interactive play-along audio
  • Flexible sticking exercises
  • Skill improvement tools
Features
Read full description

Elevate Your Drumming with a modern take on a timeless classic! Introducing the next evolution in drumming mastery: a contemporary twist on the classic Stone instructional book. Our app brings you a fresh daily rhythm designed to challenge and improve your drumming skills. Here’s what you can expect: Daily Challenges: Embrace new challenges every day to keep your practice exciting and rewarding. Adjustable Speed: Speed up or slow down the tempo to match your skill level and progress. Interactive Play-Along: Listen and play along with high-quality audio tracks to enhance your learning experience. Flexible Sticking: Experiment with different stickings to develop versatility and control. Feel the power growing in your hands and watch your skills soar. Every day is a new opportunity to become a better drummer. #DrummingMastery #ModernStone #DailyRhythm #ChallengeYourself #GetBetter

Screenshots

Sibelius4 screens
StkCtrl4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: StkCtrl at 100% against Sibelius's 36%. StkCtrl also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). Sibelius's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and ratings volume (1.8K vs 9). On update cadence, ads and device support 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

Sibelius is free to download; StkCtrl costs $0.99 up front. Sibelius sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. StkCtrl asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

StkCtrl holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sibelius has 1.8K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Sibelius's written reviews are positive against 100% of StkCtrl's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Sibelius versus StkCtrl: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSibeliusStkCtrl
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating4.2 (1.8K ratings)4.6 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews35.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K — better9
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size1.4 GB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAvid®N. Wheeler

Customer experience

Sibelius

All ratings1,796 ratings
Positive78.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews588 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral11.2%
Negative52.9%

StkCtrl

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

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

StkCtrl

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Sibelius

Subscriptions2
  • Sibelius Artist for iOS1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Sibelius Ultimate for iOS1 Month trial$12.991 Month
None

StkCtrl

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sibelius free?
Sibelius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is StkCtrl free?
StkCtrl costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sibelius or StkCtrl?
StkCtrl is rated higher. Sibelius averages 4.2 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while StkCtrl averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.
Do Sibelius or StkCtrl have ads?
Neither Sibelius nor StkCtrl shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sibelius or StkCtrl?
Sibelius ships an update every 2 months, and StkCtrl every 2 months. Most recently, Sibelius was updated on October 13, 2026 and StkCtrl on October 12, 2026.

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