# Sibelius vs SpinLoud Venue

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SpinLoud Venue at none against Sibelius's 2. Sibelius's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sibelius sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. SpinLoud Venue asks for nothing beyond the download.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sibelius | SpinLoud Venue |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibelius/id1503221259/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.8K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 35.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 1.4 GB | 3 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.4** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Avid®](https://appshunter.io/developer/436394595) | [Spinloud, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/6779664615) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### SpinLoud Venue

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spinloud-venue/id6779664613)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sibelius free?

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

### Is SpinLoud Venue free?

SpinLoud Venue is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Sibelius or SpinLoud Venue have ads?

Neither Sibelius nor SpinLoud Venue shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sibelius or SpinLoud Venue?

Sibelius ships an update every 2 months, and SpinLoud Venue every 2 months. Most recently, Sibelius was updated on November 7, 2026 and SpinLoud Venue on October 31, 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.*