Comparison

Composer Pro vs Dorico

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

Head to head
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

About

Dorico

Create professional music notation and compositions with this powerful app. Easily input notes, edit performances, and share your work in various formats. It's suitable for beginners and professionals alike.

Highlights
  • Compose music notation
  • On-screen keyboard, drum pads, fretboard
  • MIDI editing tools
  • PDF, audio, MusicXML export
  • Print to AirPrint
  • Read mode with annotation
  • Automatic engraving
Features
Read full description

Compose your own music for free with Dorico. Create beautiful music notation for up to eight instruments quickly and easily with the on-screen keyboard, drum pads and fretboard. Play back instantly with the included sounds and shape the performance with powerful MIDI editing tools. When your piece is finished, share it as PDF, audio or MusicXML, or print directly to your AirPrint-enabled printer. Perform using the built-in read mode, and annotate with your Apple Pencil. Dorico is the award-winning music notation and composition software from Steinberg for macOS, Windows, and iPadOS. It’s easy enough to learn and use that it is used by students in schools, and deep enough that it satisfies the needs of the most demanding professionals in the worlds of concert music, music for film and TV, and music publishing. Dorico for iPad is fully compatible with Dorico for macOS and Windows, so you can work on your projects on the move on your iPad and in your studio on your desktop or laptop computer, or share projects with musicians using Dorico on any platform. Dorico’s interface is split into four modes. In Setup mode, you can add and change instruments, create and reorder sections of music (called “flows”), and choose how your music will be formatted for your musicians into layouts. In Write mode, you can input and edit music and other notations using simple, well-organized toolboxes and panels. In Engrave mode (included if you buy a paid subscription to Dorico’s advanced features), you can make graphical tweaks to every item in your project. Finally, in Play mode, you have access to powerful sequencer-style MIDI editing tools, including piano roll and velocity editors. Dorico includes built-in virtual instruments and effects to allow you to play back your compositions, and you can also easily use any compatible Audio Unit plug-in or external MIDI device (with optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase), and tweak playback using the on-screen Mixer. Input music using an on-screen piano keyboard, or by connecting a MIDI keyboard to your iPad directly via USB or using a compatible USB-to-Lightning adaptor. If you have a Magic Keyboard or other external keyboard, you can make use of extensive keyboard shortcuts to work quickly and efficiently. Dorico is free to use, allowing you to write for ensembles of up to four players. Register with your free Steinberg ID to increase the player limit to eight, allowing you to write for ensembles like string or wind quartet, or SATB choir. If you want to take your composition and arranging to the next level, you can buy an optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase to access more features and power: write for ensembles of any number of players, and gain access to Engrave mode, allowing you to make graphical tweaks to individual items anywhere in your project. HIGHLIGHTS • Best automatic engraving of any software • Easy note input using on-screen keyboard, MIDI keyboard, or external keyboard • Intelligently adjusts notation as you write • Any number of movements or pieces in a single project • Automatic layout of instrumental parts • Expressive playback using included sounds and effects • Supports Audio Unit virtual instruments and effects processors • Sequencer-style piano roll MIDI editor • Sophisticated chord symbols, unpitched percussion and drum set notation • Unbarred music, tuplets across barlines, etc. all handled correctly — no workarounds • Transfer to and from other apps via MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, etc. For support, please visit www.dorico.com/forum If you like Dorico, please support us by rating this app in the App Store. Thank you!

Screenshots

Composer Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Dorico at free with in-app purchases against Composer Pro's subscription. Dorico also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (2.3K vs 697). Composer Pro's advantage is review sentiment (72% vs 55%) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, 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. Composer Pro sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days and Dorico sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Composer Pro against 4.6 for Dorico. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 697 and 2.3K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 72% of Composer Pro's written reviews are positive against 55% of Dorico's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Composer Pro ships an update every 2 months, Dorico every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Composer Pro versus Dorico: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterComposer ProDorico
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (697 ratings)4.6 (2.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.5% of reviews — better55.4% of reviews
Number of ratings6972.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size161 MB975 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer嵩 张Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH

Customer experience

Composer Pro

All ratings685 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral5.5%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews260 reviews
Positive71.5%
Neutral7.7%
Negative20.8%

Dorico

All ratings1,908 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews294 reviews
Positive55.4%
Neutral12.9%
Negative31.6%

User reviews

Composer Pro

From 697 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

Dorico

From 2.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful and full-featured notation app on iPad
  • 👍 Seamless integration with desktop version
  • 🚀 Efficient workflow with keyboard shortcuts
  • 👍 Impressive engraving and layout capabilities
  • 🚀 Comprehensive feature set for composing and arranging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔒 Subscription-only model, no option to purchase outright
  • 🐛 Glitchy touch/scroll functionality
  • 🐛 Inability to delete clefs or access certain settings
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance on older iPad models

Bugs and requests

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

Dorico

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when opening or editing projects
  • Corrupted/lost files after app crashes
  • Unresponsive keyboard and note input issues
  • Scrolling and UI glitches, especially in Engrave mode
  • Incompatibility with certain iPad models and iOS versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Support for Apple Pencil and handwriting input
  • Improved file management and organization
  • Expanded audio unit/plugin integration
  • More customization options for layout and engraving
  • Ability to export/import flows and projects between iPad and desktop

In-app purchases

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
3 purchases

Dorico

Subscriptions2
  • Dorico Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Dorico Annual Subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Dorico Lifetime Unlock$119.99

Questions

Is Composer Pro free?
Composer Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dorico free?
Dorico is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Composer Pro or Dorico?
Dorico is rated higher. Composer Pro averages 4.5 out of 5 from 697 ratings, while Dorico averages 4.6 from 2.3K ratings.
Do Composer Pro or Dorico have ads?
Neither Composer Pro nor Dorico shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Composer Pro or Dorico?
Composer Pro ships an update every 2 months, and Dorico every 3 weeks. Most recently, Composer Pro was updated on November 7, 2026 and Dorico on November 8, 2026.

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