Comparison

Sibelius vs reaper

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

reaper

Features
Read full description

这是一款在 iPhone 和 iPad 上运行的本机音乐编辑应用。导入、录音、剪辑、效果和导出都在这台设备上完成,不用注册,也不会把音频上传到服务器。 打开就能用「示例工程」试听,也可以导入已有音频,或直接进入录音页采录人声和乐器。 你可以做的事 • 多轨编排:在时间线上拖移、切开、循环片段,给工程起名并保存在本机 • 快速开始:空白工程、人声 + 伴奏(适合翻唱)、节拍铺底 • 均衡 / 混响:8 段参数均衡,以及房间混响 • 变速变调:速度和音高分开调节 • 变声:套用预设后再微调 • 降噪:噪声门,把不想要的底噪压下去 • 频谱分层:按低频 / 中频 / 高频拆成三条新轨道(这是按频段分开,不是人声和伴奏分离) • 混音导出:导出 WAV 无损、M4A 分享或 CAF 归档,文件留在本机「文件」App 录音只在你点「开始录音」时使用麦克风。可开节拍器对拍;外放时建议戴耳机,避免点声进麦。拒绝麦克风后,仍可导入、编辑和导出。 不收集账号,不做广告追踪,不接入分析 SDK。工程、录音和导出结果只保存在这台设备上。 会员高级工具 · 自动续费订阅 提供周 / 月 / 年自动续费订阅(可含 3 天免费试用,以 App 内价格展示及您的 Apple ID 试用资格为准),解锁: • 音效均衡 — EQ、混响与变速变调 • 声轨分离 — 本地立体声 M/S 人声/伴奏分离(非云端 AI) • 音频工具箱 — 增益、人声增强、人声消除与卡拉 OK • 本地降噪 — 多种降噪模式 • 变声特效 — 多种实时变声预设,支持预览与导出 付款将记入您的 Apple ID。除非在当前订阅周期(含试用期)结束前至少 24 小时关闭自动续费,否则订阅将自动续订,并在续订前 24 小时内扣款。您可随时在系统设置 → Apple ID → 订阅中管理或取消,也可在 App 内使用「恢复购买」。详情见 App 内订阅页与用户协议。 【隐私优先】 · 音频内容本地处理,不上传 · 不含广告 · 订阅由 Apple App Store 结算 隐私政策:https://xianan-yinyue.surge.sh/privacy.html 技术支持:https://xianan-yinyue.surge.sh/support.html EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Sibelius4 screens
reaper3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Sibelius at 13.4 against reaper's 17.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Sibelius sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and reaper sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sibelius ships an update every 2 months, reaper every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 13, 2026.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Sibelius versus reaper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSibeliusreaper
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (1.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews35.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.8K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.4 GB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAvid®菊姣 李

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

reaper

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
3 purchases

reaper

Subscriptions3
  • 周会员3 Days trial$0.997 Days
  • 月会员$3.991 Month
  • 年会员3 Days trial$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Sibelius free?
Sibelius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is reaper free?
reaper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sibelius or reaper have ads?
Neither Sibelius nor reaper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sibelius or reaper?
Sibelius ships an update every 2 months, and reaper every 5 weeks. Most recently, Sibelius was updated on November 13, 2026 and reaper on November 13, 2026.

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