Dorico vs Simple Drones
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dorico
Create professional music scores for up to eight instruments with this intuitive composition app. Input notes via on-screen or MIDI keyboards, then play back and edit with powerful tools. Share your creations as PDFs, audio, or MusicXML.
- Compose music for up to eight instruments
- On-screen keyboard, drum pads, and fretboard input
- MIDI editing tools
- Export as PDF, audio, or MusicXML
- Print to AirPrint-enabled printers
- Read mode with Apple Pencil annotation
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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!
Simple Drones
This app generates a continuous, steady musical note with adjustable overtones. Control the richness and purity of the sound using sliders for overtone volume. It's ideal for music practice, relaxation, or creating ambient background soundscapes.
- Continuous note playback
- Adjustable overtones
- Overtone volume control
- Background sound generation
- Music practice tool
- Relaxation aid
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Simple Drones is an app that functions as a simple tool to play a continuous note. You choose the root note, and the sound plays steadily in the background. The app also lets you control overtones, higher tones that sit above the main note and change how the sound feels. Use sliders to adjust the volume of each overtone. Turning them up makes the sound richer and brighter. Turning them down makes it softer and more pure. The app is useful for music practice, relaxation, and creating steady background sound.
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Simple Drones at none against Dorico's 3. Simple Drones also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Dorico's advantage is ratings volume (2.3K vs 2). On price and iOS requirement 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. Dorico sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Simple Drones asks for nothing beyond the download.
Simple Drones holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dorico has 2.3K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
| Parameter | Dorico | Simple Drones |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (2.3K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.3K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Ads | No | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad — better | — |
| Requires iOS | 17 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 979 MB | 0 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH | Andrew Watkins-Alcocer |
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
Simple Drones
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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
Simple Drones
No in-app purchases









