# Notability vs Sibelius KeyPad

Notability and Sibelius KeyPad both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 89% of Sibelius KeyPad's written reviews are positive against 36% of Notability's. Notability's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (458K vs 142). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Notability sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Sibelius KeyPad sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Notability against 4.6 for Sibelius KeyPad. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notability has 458K ratings behind it against 142, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Notability's written reviews are positive against 89% of Sibelius KeyPad's.

Notability ships an update every 6 days, Sibelius KeyPad every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Notability | Sibelius KeyPad |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (458K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530/reviews)** | [4.6 (142 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibelius-keypad/id1078098572/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **458K** | 142 |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews | **89.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#111** | — |
| Size | 415 MB | 87 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ginger Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/318126112) | [Remote Sunrise LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/619088610) |

## What reviewers say

### Notability

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notability-ai-notes-and-planner/id360593530)

**Currently charting:** #111 Top Grossing · Productivity, #170 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

Capture, organize, and enhance your thoughts with a versatile digital notebook. Seamlessly blend handwriting, typing, and multimedia to annotate documents, record lectures, and generate summaries. Ideal for students and professionals seeking to boost productivity and learning.

**Highlights:** Handwritten and typed notes, PDF and document annotation, Audio recording and transcription, AI-powered summaries and quizzes, Customizable organization, Cross-device sync

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notability Lite | $5.99 | per month |
| Notability Plus | $7.99 | per month |
| Notability Plus | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Notability Lite | $14.99 | per year |
| Notability Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Plus | $19.99 | per year |
| Notability Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| Notability Pro | $99.99 | per year |
| Notability Classic | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for note-taking
- 👍 Smooth handwriting experience
- 📝 Excellent organization and file management
- 🎙️ Useful audio recording feature
- 🔍 Handwriting recognition and search

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues with iCloud
- 🔍 Limited search and organization options
- 🖍️ Frustrating highlighter behavior
- 🔒 Concerns about subscription model
- 🔧 Buggy after recent updates

**Reported bugs**

- Notes disappearing or getting corrupted
- Frequent crashes and performance issues
- Palm rejection problems after updates
- Inconsistent behavior when importing files

**Requested features**

- Improved folder/hierarchy organization
- More shape recognition and drawing tools
- Side-by-side viewing of multiple notes
- Ability to edit/rename audio recordings
- Better integration with other apps and services


### Sibelius KeyPad

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibelius-keypad/id1078098572)

Transform your iPhone or iPad into a virtual keypad for your computer to enhance creativity and productivity within Sibelius. Connect wirelessly via Wi-Fi for seamless control, with a slick interface and quick setup.

**Highlights:** Virtual keypad for Sibelius, Wi-Fi connectivity, Automatic keypad switching, Slick user interface, Personal Hotspot support, Easy 3-step setup

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sibelius KeyPad Pro - 1 month | $0.99 | per month |
| Sibelius KeyPad Pro - 1 year | $4.99 | per year |
| Sibelius KeyPad Pro - lifetime | $2.99 | one-time |
| Sibelius KeyPad Pro - forever | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Significantly speeds up Sibelius workflow and note input
- 👍 Easy to install and set up
- ⚡ Minimal lag and responsive performance
- 🎯 Intuitive user interface aligned with Sibelius keypad
- 💰 Affordable alternative to physical keypads

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Accent symbol and grace note keys non-functional
- 🔌 WiFi-dependent, causes issues on public networks
- 🔄 Connection drops requiring history workaround to reconnect
- ⏱️ Occasional latency when changing rhythm values
- 🎵 Missing voice selector buttons

**Reported bugs**

- Accent symbol key does not function
- Grace note key non-functional
- Main screen shows 'no computer found' despite prior connection
- App crashes on iPhone with certain iOS versions
- Buttons trigger Mission Control or desktop reveal instead of intended functions

**Requested features**

- Voice selector buttons for editing different voices
- Piano keyboard option for note input
- Numeric display on keys for dual numpad functionality
- Sync between Sibelius keypad clicks and app display
- iPad Sibelius compatibility


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notability free?

Notability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sibelius KeyPad free?

Sibelius KeyPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Notability or Sibelius KeyPad?

Notability is rated higher. Notability averages 4.8 out of 5 from 458K ratings, while Sibelius KeyPad averages 4.6 from 142 ratings.

### Do Notability or Sibelius KeyPad have ads?

Sibelius KeyPad shows ads; Notability does not.

### Which is updated more often, Notability or Sibelius KeyPad?

Notability ships an update every 6 days, and Sibelius KeyPad every 4 weeks. Most recently, Notability was updated on October 28, 2026 and Sibelius KeyPad on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*