Comparison

Maestro vs Tempo

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

Head to head
About

Maestro

Compose music quickly and easily with a comprehensive set of tools for writing musical notations, including notes, chords, articulations, and accidentals. Supports over 100 instruments for playback and allows export to image and audio files.

Highlights
  • Write musical notations
  • Supports over 100 instruments
  • Unlimited staves and music length
  • Export to image and audio files
  • Write lyrics and chord texts
  • Change clef, tempo, and key signature
Features
Read full description

Maestro - Music Composer Write sheet music with a wide range of notations and symbols. Compose music easily. Maestro is a next-generation music composition app. Hello, Maestro! We hope this is the perfect app for composers, songwriters, music students, and anyone who wants to write music with ease. Compose quickly and easily, like a maestro! Write and Learn Musical Notation - Notes, chord notes, and layered notes - Rests and multi-measure rests - Barlines - Repeat signs, Da Capo, Dal Segno, Segno, Coda, Fine, and alternate endings - Staccato, staccatissimo, accent, tenuto, fermata, trill, tremolo, mordent, and more articulations - Dots, double dots, beams, ties, slurs, duplets, triplets, quintuplets, grace notes, and more - Accidentals and quarter tones - Dynamics - Shift octaves up and down: 8va, 8vb, 15ma, 15mb, 22va, 22vb - Transpose - Change clef: treble, bass, alto, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, drums, and monotone percussion - Change tempo - Change time signature - Change key signature - Write lyrics, chord symbols, and finger numbers Many Instruments - Play your music with over 100 instruments - Piano, organ, violin, cello, and other strings, guitar, brass, reed, pipe, drums, and percussion - Fun sound effects too, such as birdsong, helicopter, gunshot, seashore, telephone ring, scream, and more Unlimited Staves - Write orchestral music - Show or hide staves to manage many parts, or print each part on its own Unlimited Length - No limit on the number of measures or the length of the music Listen to Your Masterpiece - Play your music instantly - Set a playback section and repeat the parts Export Images and Print Your Sheet Music - Zoom in or out to fit more or fewer notes on a line - Save exactly what you see on the screen as an image - Save as JPG, PNG, or PDF - Change the page orientation Export to an Audio File - Send your music to friends - Set your composition as a ringtone Works on tablets, iPads, and devices of every size. We value your feedback and suggestions! - We are keen to make Maestro better - You are an artist creating music with Maestro, and we are digital artists creating Maestro We will do our best to keep improving Maestro. Happy composing!

About

Tempo

Features
Read full description

The fastest way to write and save drum notation. Capture the bar you keep coming back to. Every drummer has that one part. The one that slows you down. The one you repeat over and over. Tempo lets you pull it out, keep it with you, and actually nail it. Built for real practice - Quickly input drum notation (including cymbals) - Save bars for later - Export and share as clean images - Play back and hear what you've written - Follow along for that consistent practice experience Perfect for: - Drummers working through tricky sections - Teachers sharing bite-sized exercises - Capturing ideas without friction No clutter. No learning curve. No timelines. No full compositions. Just fast, focused notation when you need it. Terms and conditions for Tempo Premium: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Maestro4 screens
Tempo3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Tempo at none against Maestro's shown. Tempo also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Maestro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Tempo sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $14.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Maestro ships an update every 2 months, Tempo every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Maestro versus Tempo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMaestroTempo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (283 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings283 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size139 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFuture Sculptor Pty LtdDean Hetherington

Bugs and requests

Maestro

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Beam note function not working
  • Playback cursor glitches when using short note setting
  • Unable to save or export compositions in some cases

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more percussion instruments (e.g., cymbals, snare, tambourine)
  • Implement swing rhythm and advanced tuplets
  • Allow multiple articulations on a single note
  • Add support for grace notes and pedal effects
  • Improve MIDI export and import functionality
Show 1 more
  • Implement a Concert Hall feature to share compositions

Tempo

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Maestro

One-time1
  • Ad Free Licence & Tickets$9.99
1 purchases

Tempo

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$14.991 Year

Questions

Is Maestro free?
Maestro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tempo free?
Tempo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Maestro or Tempo have ads?
Maestro shows ads; Tempo does not.
Which is updated more often, Maestro or Tempo?
Maestro ships an update every 2 months, and Tempo every 5 days. Most recently, Maestro was updated on November 3, 2026 and Tempo on October 25, 2026.

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