Dorico vs Quartet 3
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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!
Quartet 3
Enhance your jazz performance and practice with live studio recordings of jazz standards. Mute your instrument to play along, change keys, adjust tempo, and loop sections for focused learning. Features animated chord diagrams and playlist creation for seamless practice sessions.
- Live jazz standards play-along
- Mute your instrument
- Change key and tempo
- Loop sections for practice
- Animated chord diagrams
- Multi-app playlist creation
- Multitrack export
Read full descriptionHide full description
Practice and perform jazz standards on another level with Quartet. And with a host of brand-new features, the top-selling jazz play along apps just got even better. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. Volume 3 includes another 100 stunning jazz standards recorded exclusively by 6 of the world’s best jazz musicians. All ‘live’ studio recordings with intros, endings and top line solos. Whether you play jazz piano, guitar, saxophone, trumpet, bass, drums…simply mute your instrument from the Quartet for the ultimate jazz play along. And for jazz singers too, each edition of Quartet is an unrivalled collection of jazz backing tracks powerful enough to gig with. Change key on the fly. Speed up or slow down the audio seamlessly. Loop sections and slow them right down for practice. Select the number of repeats. Choose from preset mixes or create your own custom mix using the new onboard mixer. Arrange each song exactly the way you want it with the new automated ‘Arranger’ feature. Add a touch of reverb and you’re good to go. Improve your skills with full screen animated chord diagrams for Piano, Guitar and Ukulele. Search the entire Quartet song library (700 songs) by composer, style, BPM, associated artist and more. Build and share multi-app playlists and easily export PDF chord charts for every song. Export your stereo mix or export the multitrack if you want to develop the high quality separated parts in GarageBand or whatever DAW you use. Either way, all recordings are offered to you royalty-free giving you endless creative possibilities. The 100 jazz standards in Quartet Volume 3 include improvisations in the style of… ‘After You’ve Gone’, ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, ‘At Last’, ‘Baubles, Bangles & Beads’, ‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘Blues’ (in all keys), ‘Breezin’’, ‘Chameleon’, ‘Down by the Riverside’, ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’, ‘How Long Has This Been Going On?’, ‘Ladies in Mercedes’, ‘On the Street Where You Live’, ‘Second Time Around’, ‘Someone To Watch Over Me’, ‘Summer Knows’, ‘Só Danço Samba’, ‘Too Marvelous for Words’, ‘Who Can I Turn To?’, ‘With a Song in My Heart’… and 80 more. Install Quartet on all of your iOS devices plus your Mac devices (M series only) at no extra cost. Ready to take your jazz standards to another level? Hear more at www.quartetapp.com Featured artists on Quartet Volume 3 Guitar Nigel Price Nigel has recorded with many big-name artists, performing on over 50 albums, most recently Van Morrison’s studio album ‘Keep Me Singing’. A former member of The James Taylor Quartet, Nigel was voted the UK’s ‘Best Guitarist’ in the 2016 British Jazz Awards and is “…probably the most dynamic and gifted guitarist on the British jazz scene today” [All About Jazz]. Trumpet Steve Fishwick Steve has performed and recorded with many leading European jazz musicians including Sir John Dankworth, George Mraz, Dado Moroni, Claus Raibler, Tony Lakatos and the WDR big band. In the USA, Steve has performed and recorded with Anita O' Day, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath, Peter Erskine, Eric Harland, Scott Hamilton, Herb Geller Saxophones and Flutes Andy Panayi Credits include Shirley Bassey, Jessye Norman, Paul McCartney, Seth MacFarlane, Elaine Paige, Elvis Costello, Georgie Fame, Helen Shapiro, Madeline Bell, Patty Austin, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Billy Cobham Piano Graham Harvey Credits include Incognito (MD), Stacey Kent, George Benson, M People, Hamish Stuart, The Jones Girls, Philip Bailey, Chaka Khan, The BBC Big Band, Madeline Bell, Jocelyn Brown, Mica Paris, Sir Cliff Richard Bass Geoff Gascoyne Credits include Jamie Cullum (MD), Sting, Van Morrison, Bill Bruford, Mari Wilson, Paloma Faith, Georgie Fame, Gloria Estefan, Guy Barker, Charlie Watts, Benny Golson, Jacqui Dankworth, John Martyn, Eartha Kitt Drums Sebastiaan de Krom Credits include Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Phil Woods, Dave Holland, Jamie Cullum, Guy Barker, Wynton Marsalis
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Dorico at Free against Quartet 3's $16.99. Dorico also leads on ratings volume (2.2K vs 22). Quartet 3's advantage is review sentiment (90% vs 55%). On rating, 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
Dorico is free to download; Quartet 3 costs $16.99 up front. Dorico sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Quartet 3 sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Dorico against 4.7 for Quartet 3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dorico has 2.2K ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 55% of Dorico's written reviews are positive against 90% of Quartet 3's.
Dorico ships an update every 3 weeks, Quartet 3 monthly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Dorico | Quartet 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $16.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (2.2K ratings) | 4.7 (22 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.4% of reviews | 90.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K — better | 22 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 975 MB | 528 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH | UK Music Apps Ltd |
Customer experience
Dorico
Quartet 3
User reviews
Dorico
From 2.2K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Quartet 3
From 22 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Superb tool for drum teachers
- 👍 Huge selection of styles and tempos
- 👍 Ability to mute drums for playing along
- 👍 High-quality audio recordings
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use interface
Bugs and requests
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
Quartet 3
No bugs or feature requests surfaced in reviews.
In-app purchases
Dorico
- Dorico Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Dorico Annual Subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Dorico Lifetime Unlock$119.99
Quartet 3
- Upgrade song$0.99
- Buy 10 tokens$8.99
- Buy 20 tokens$14.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Buy 50 tokens$22.99
- Upgrade all songs$39.99









