Comparison

Reactable mobile vs Sibelius

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

Head to head
About

Reactable mobile

Create and improvise electronic music visually on your mobile device. This app offers a full range of sound generation, modification, and control objects, inspired by the renowned interactive Reactable instrument. Access exclusive content and remix tracks from other musicians.

Highlights
  • Visual music creation
  • Sound generation objects
  • Sound effect objects
  • Parameter control objects
  • Global table settings
  • Remixing and sharing
  • Reactable Community access
Features
Read full description

PLEASE NOTE: If you have an iPad Air/Air2, iPad Mini 2/3/4, or iPad Pro, we strongly recommend you to download Reactable ROTOR instead of Reactable mobile! ROTOR is the new App by Reactable Systems that turns the iPad into a comprehensive electronic music performance suite. Using the optional ROTOR controllers, which can be purchased separately, it also brings the reactable tangible music experience for the first time into the iPad. More info at www.reactable.com/rotor Create and improvise music in an intuitive and visual way. This app brings the full creative power of the internationally awarded interactive Reactable instrument used by renowned musicians like Björk to your mobile device. All Reactable mobile users get access to exclusive content. Download and remix original tables by Oliver Huntemann, Nortec Collective Bostich+Fussible, Amo+Navas, Gui Boratto and many more. SPECIAL MENTIONS • Top 10 Music App Worldwide by App Store • New And Noteworthy by Apple • Featured in Best Music Apps by iTunes Rewind • App of the week and Hall of fame App • 2nd and 3rd Best Music App Ever by Best App Ever • Interactive category nomination by BI Designs of the Year *Reactable Mobile* enables you not only to create your own sound tables but also to act as producer by remixing tables of fellow Reactable musicians, adding your personal touch and share it again in a seamless way. Based on the very same audio and graphics engine as the Reactable, the mobile version brings a complete range of objects to multi-touch devices: • Generate sound with a set of generator objects including are loop players, synthesizers, oscillators and input object. • Modify generated sounds with a set of effect objects including wave shapers, delays, modulators and filters. • Modify other objects parameters with a set of controller objects including sequencers, LFOs and accelerometer. • Modify the settings of the entire table with a set of global objects including tempo, volume and tonalizer. The new version gives you mobile access to the brand new *Reactable Community* where you’ll be able to listen and remix tracks created by your friends and musicians, to watch videos of their performances, to comment and to share your favorites. “Reactable for the iOS is awesome! If you are into synthesis it’s a must have app. I’ve been jamming all night!” — Jordan Rudess “[…] a quality product for people serious with their music making.” — Chris O’Shea FOLLOW US Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Reactable Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/reactable Google+: http://gplus.to/reactable Note: as this application uses both graphic and audio resources extensively, recent devices will provide the best user experience.

About

Sibelius

Professional music notation software is now available on mobile devices. Create, edit, and hear your compositions anywhere with a full suite of tools optimized for touch and stylus input. Seamlessly sync across platforms and access different feature tiers to suit your needs.

Highlights
  • Professional music notation
  • Cross-platform synchronization
  • High-quality sample library
  • Apple Pencil and touch optimization
  • Innovative note entry
  • Command Search functionality
  • Scalable subscription tiers
Features
Read full description

Sibelius brings professional music notation to iPad and iPhone, putting the workflows used by countless composers, orchestrators, and arrangers at your fingertips. Seamlessly move between iPad, iPhone and desktop, and from studio to coffeeshop to scoring stage, and write anywhere inspiration strikes. # Work on scores anywhere Sibelius for mobile puts the #1 selling music notation program at your fingertips—literally. Work with the same tools and features used by countless composers and production houses every day on your iPad and iPhone. Whether writing down ideas, creating full-blown compositions, or reviewing scores, you have the freedom to create wherever you’re comfortable. #Take your portfolio to go Forget having to bring and break out your laptop when meeting with clients and collaborators. Instead, you can conveniently take the world’s most powerful notation toolset and your entire music portfolio with you wherever you go—ideal for those unexpected opportunities. And for tandemly working through last-minute revisions. # Hear your music in stunning detail Sibelius includes a high-quality sample library filled with a variety of musical instrumentation, so you can hear what your music will sound like when performed by real musicians. The Espressivo advanced notation interpretation even lets you adjust rhythm and swing to create a more humanistic feel. # Speed your workflow Sibelius for mobile is designed to take full advantage of Apple Pencil and iPad touch capabilities. Its elegant, streamlined interface provides the most intuitive and efficient workflows possible while supporting the same keyboard shortcuts you know and love from working on the desktop version, so you’ll feel right at home. # Get innovative note entry Experience the pen and paper workflow reimagined. Enter notes with the onscreen Keypad or a keyboard, and Sibelius takes care of all note layout. Touch a note and drag up or down to change its value, or drag left or right to add a flat or sharp. With an Apple Pencil, tap a note and tilt up or down to add a flat or sharp, or tilt left or right to choose the note value. # Have everything you need In addition to the Keypad, Sibelius for mobile features a Create menu that’s optimized for iOS, making it easy to add clefs, key signatures, time signatures, barlines, symbols, text styles, and more to your score from searchable galleries. You can also quickly search through all Sibelius commands using the Command Search, putting the entire app at your fingertips. # Move tiers to meet needs Sibelius is designed to grow with you to support your creative aspirations and project needs. From the introductory (and free) Sibelius First to the industry-standard Sibelius Ultimate, you can add more notation capabilities and instrument parts to take on more creative opportunities by simply upgrading your subscription tier. # Have everything on one creative platform Seamlessly move from desktop to tablet and back without ever having to import or export files. That’s because whether on mobile or desktop, you’re always in Sibelius. With files saved to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or other iOS-supported cloud service, you have easy anywhere access to all your ideas and scores. # Enable a hybrid workflow While Sibelius for mobile is fully featured, providing many of the same tools as its desktop counterpart, there are some notation and layout features only available in the desktop version, making it an integral part of a complete workflow (compare versions). Plus, the mobile version comes free with the desktop version, enabling you to work where and how you want.

Screenshots

Reactable mobile4 screens
Sibelius4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sibelius at Free against Reactable mobile's $4.99. Sibelius also leads on rating (4.2 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (1.8K vs 19). Reactable mobile's advantage is review sentiment (64% vs 36%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.4). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Sibelius is free to download; Reactable mobile costs $4.99 up front. Reactable mobile sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Sibelius sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sibelius holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sibelius has 1.8K ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Reactable mobile's written reviews are positive against 36% of Sibelius's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Reactable mobile versus Sibelius: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReactable mobileSibelius
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.6 (19 ratings)4.2 (1.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.9% of reviews — better35.9% of reviews
Number of ratings191.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.4
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB1.4 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperReactable Systems SLAvid®

Customer experience

Reactable mobile

All ratings19 ratings
Positive57.9%
Neutral15.8%
Negative26.3%
Written reviews582 reviews
Positive63.9%
Neutral9.6%
Negative26.5%

Sibelius

All ratings1,796 ratings
Positive78.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews588 reviews
Positive35.9%
Neutral11.2%
Negative52.9%

User reviews

Reactable mobile

From 19 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful and innovative
  • 🎨 Unique and creative interface
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🎶 Excellent sound quality
  • 💡 Versatile and customizable

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🤔 Limited functionality and features
  • 📚 Lack of clear instructions and documentation
  • 💸 Expensive for the current state

Sibelius

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
  • 🚀 Useful for composing on the go
  • 💡 Good for making quick edits to existing scores
  • 🎨 Stylish and professional-looking app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes frequently
  • 🔒 Difficulty unlocking full version and accessing features
  • 💰 Subscription service is very expensive
  • 🔇 Limited sound library and poor playback quality
  • 📁 Unreliable saving and file management

Bugs and requests

Reactable mobile

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when downloading community tables
  • Syncing and latency issues with external audio
  • Compatibility problems with older iOS devices
  • Graphical glitches and UI elements overlapping

Requested features

5 requests
  • More sequencer and oscillator modules
  • Ability to record and export compositions
  • Support for importing custom samples and loops
  • Audiobus and MIDI integration
  • More detailed tutorial and user guide

Sibelius

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Scores disappearing or not saving properly
  • Subscription issues and inability to log in
  • Crashes when performing basic actions
  • Compatibility problems with newer iPad OS versions

Requested features

7 requests
  • Ability to enlarge chord symbols
  • More time signature options
  • Support for MIDI input
  • Better Apple Pencil integration
  • Autosave and improved file management
Show 2 more
  • Export options like MusicXML and PDF
  • Customizable shortcuts and toolbars

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Reactable mobile

One-time10
  • Loop (1 of 2)$0.99
  • Loop (2 of 2)$0.99
  • Sampler (1 of 2)$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Oscillator (1 of 2)$0.99
  • Waveshaper (1 of 3)$0.99
  • Delay (1 of 2)$0.99
  • Filter (1 of 2)$0.99
  • Sequencer (1 of 2)$0.99
  • Sequencer (2 of 2)$0.99
  • All objects pack$4.99
2 purchases

Sibelius

Subscriptions2
  • Sibelius Artist for iOS1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Sibelius Ultimate for iOS1 Month trial$12.991 Month

Questions

Is Reactable mobile free?
Reactable mobile costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Sibelius free?
Sibelius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Reactable mobile or Sibelius?
Sibelius is rated higher. Reactable mobile averages 3.6 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Sibelius averages 4.2 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Reactable mobile or Sibelius have ads?
Neither Reactable mobile nor Sibelius shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reactable mobile or Sibelius?
Reactable mobile ships an update every 2 months, and Sibelius every 2 months. Most recently, Reactable mobile was updated on October 2, 2026 and Sibelius on October 1, 2026.

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