Sibelius vs Notely
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Professional music notation
- Cross-platform synchronization
- High-quality sample library
- Apple Pencil and touch optimization
- Innovative note entry
- Command Search functionality
- Scalable subscription tiers
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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.
Notely
Compose, edit, and share beautiful sheet music with an intuitive touch-first editor. Create professional scores for various instruments, export them in multiple formats, and organize your projects with ease. Ideal for musicians of all levels.
- Intuitive touch-first music notation editor
- Realistic playback with adjustable tempo
- Export to PDF, MIDI, WAV, MP3, PNG, SVG
- Support for multiple clefs and instruments
- Add lyrics, chords, and annotations
- Organize projects with folders
- Apple Pencil support for iPad
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Compose, edit, and share beautiful sheet music with Notely - Sheet Music Composer. Whether you're a beginner learning music theory or a professional composer creating orchestral arrangements, this powerful music notation app provides everything you need to turn musical ideas into polished scores. Create music with an intuitive touch-first editor, realistic playback, and professional engraving tools. Write for piano, guitar, choir, orchestra, band, or any custom ensemble, then export your compositions as high-quality PDFs, MIDI, or audio files. Features • Create unlimited music scores with Premium • Professional music notation editor • Multiple score templates for piano, orchestra, choir, guitar, and more • Support for treble, bass, alto, and tenor clefs • Add notes, rests, chords, tuplets, slurs, ties, articulations, and dynamics • Insert lyrics, chord symbols, tempo markings, and text annotations • Realistic playback with adjustable tempo and metronome • Mixer with instrument volume, solo, and mute controls • Import MusicXML and MIDI files • Export to PDF, MIDI, WAV, MP3, PNG, and SVG • Print beautiful sheet music with AirPrint support • Organize projects with folders and favorites • Automatic score layout and professional engraving • Apple Pencil support for iPad • iCloud synchronization across your Apple devices • Dark Mode and Light Mode support Perfect For • Songwriters • Music composers • Piano players • Guitarists • Music students • Music teachers • Choir directors • Orchestra arrangers • Band directors • Film and game composers From simple melodies to full orchestral scores, Notely - Sheet Music Composer helps you capture inspiration anytime, refine every detail, and share your music with confidence. Download today and start composing wherever inspiration strikes. We currently offer the following auto-renewing subscription option: - $34.99 per year - $7.99 per month By subscribing you get unlimited access to effects and remove advertisement. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. • 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 Use: https://tos.atlantismobileapps.com Privacy Policy: https://privacy.atlantismobileapps.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sibelius at 36% against Notely's 0%. Sibelius also leads on iOS requirement (13.4 vs 18.0). 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
Both are free to download. Sibelius sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Notely sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | Sibelius | Notely |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (1.8K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 35.7% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.4 GB | 35 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Avid® | Nguyen Nam Giang |
Customer experience
Sibelius
Notely
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
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- Export options like MusicXML and PDF
- Customizable shortcuts and toolbars
Notely
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sibelius
- Sibelius Artist for iOS1 Month trial$5.991 Month
- Sibelius Ultimate for iOS1 Month trial$12.991 Month
Notely
- Notely Premium Monthly$7.991 Month
- Notely Premium Yearly$34.991 Year
- Notely Premium Lifetime$49.99









