Comparison

Composer Pro vs MusicSketch

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

MusicSketch

Capture musical ideas, write lyrics, add chords, and sketch melodies. Generate shareable lead sheets with studio-quality audio playback and built-in rhythms. Collaborate with others and export to your favorite DAW.

Highlights
  • Write lyrics and chords
  • Compose melodies
  • Studio-quality audio playback
  • Expanded instrument and rhythm library
  • Organize song structure
  • Instant collaboration
  • Export MIDI to DAW
Read full description

MusicSketch: A Creative Suite for Songwriters MusicSketch gives you a simple, powerful way to capture your ideas and quickly turn them into songs. On iPhone and iPad, write lyrics, add chord progressions, sketch melodies, and generate interactive lead sheets you can share or play back with your full audio mix. With studio-quality sounds, expressive instruments, built-in rhythms, and easy collaboration, MusicSketch makes songwriting fast, clear, professional, and fun. With MusicSketch, you can: Write Lyrics & Chords — Place chords above your lyrics to create beautiful lead sheets with guitar charts. Compose Scores — Easy note entry and clean layout make melody writing fast and intuitive. Hear Studio-Quality Playback — Listen to your melodies, chords, bass lines, and rhythms with rich, hi-definition audio. Explore More Instruments & Rhythms — Use an expanded sound and rhythm library to shape your sound. Organize Complete Songs — Format verses, choruses, and bridges as your song develops. Collaborate Instantly — Share your live lead sheets, ideas, and mixes with co-writers, bandmates, teachers, or students Create at Any Skill Level — Perfect for beginners, musicians, bands, and music lessons at all levels. Export to a DAW — Drag MIDI from MusicSketch straight into your favorite DAW; instant workflow for arrangers and beatmakers. Who is MusicSketch for? Songwriters refining lyrics and chord progressions, musicians arranging parts and rehearsing together, and teachers/students building clear practice materials. MusicSketch brings lyrics, chords, melodies, and playback into one workflow — so you can collaboratively work on your songs, anywhere and at any time. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Composer Pro4 screens
MusicSketch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MusicSketch at none against Composer Pro's 4. MusicSketch also leads on review sentiment (94% vs 72%) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Composer Pro's advantage is ratings volume (697 vs 130) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.6). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Composer Pro sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. MusicSketch asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MusicSketch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Composer Pro has 697 ratings behind it against 130, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Composer Pro's written reviews are positive against 94% of MusicSketch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Composer Pro versus MusicSketch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterComposer ProMusicSketch
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (697 ratings)4.7 (130 ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.5% of reviews93.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings697 — better130
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.6
Further details — not scored
Size161 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer嵩 张SketchMusicApp

Customer experience

Composer Pro

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

MusicSketch

All ratings127 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive93.5%
Neutral5.2%
Negative1.3%

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

MusicSketch

From 130 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Great for beginners
  • 🚀 Simplifies music creation process
  • 💰 Free with no ads/upsells
  • 📱 Mobile composition on iPhone/iPad

Room to improve

  • ❓ Some users find it confusing without music reading skills
  • 🎚️ Limited time signatures
  • 🎚️ Missing alto clef option
  • 🥁 Needs more drum notation options (flams, etc.)
  • 🎸 Needs guitar tabs

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

MusicSketch

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add more woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments
  • Include drum notation options (flams, etc.)
  • Add guitar tabs
  • Add alto clef option
  • Improve audio mixer functionality (use while playing)
Show 5 more
  • Set loop to default to entire piece
  • Allow stacking of notes with different lengths
  • Add more time signatures
  • Provide a tutorial/intro for new users
  • Enable MIDI input

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
None

MusicSketch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Composer Pro free?
Composer Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MusicSketch free?
MusicSketch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Composer Pro or MusicSketch?
MusicSketch is rated higher. Composer Pro averages 4.5 out of 5 from 697 ratings, while MusicSketch averages 4.7 from 130 ratings.
Do Composer Pro or MusicSketch have ads?
Neither Composer Pro nor MusicSketch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Composer Pro or MusicSketch?
Composer Pro ships an update every 2 months, and MusicSketch monthly. Most recently, Composer Pro was updated on November 7, 2026 and MusicSketch on November 3, 2026.

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