Comparison

iWriteMusic SE vs MusicSketch

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

Head to head
About

iWriteMusic SE

Create professional-quality sheet music efficiently, even on small screens. This app offers intuitive interfaces and powerful tools for musicians of all levels, from beginners to professionals. Easily compose, edit, and share your musical ideas.

Highlights
  • Intuitive and simple user interface
  • Highly efficient input systems (One-Flick & Traditional)
  • Professional quality sheet music creation
  • Supports major notation elements
  • Useful playback options for practice
  • Data and sheet music sharing (PDF, JPG, MIDI)
Features
Read full description

Music Writing is easy and fun when you use iWriteMusic! Ever wished you could quickly create sheet music in your small free time? Ever thought smartphones were too small to create sheet music? iWriteMusic enables efficient sheet music creation even on small smartphone screens. Unlike other cramped and cumbersome apps, it is designed meticulously for small screens,comprehensive suite of essential tools for concerts, lessons, and music classes! Best fit for professional musicians, music teachers and students. For songwriters, composers and arrangers. For both singers and instrumentalists (piano, violin, cello, guitar, flute, saxophone, trumpet, drums, etc.). Great for writing down ideas, creating lesson materials, creating lead sheets, or creating scores and parts for chorus groups, choirs, chamber orchestras, jazz bands, Latin bands, orchestras, and more. For daily practice, rehearsals, concerts, iWriteMusic will help you enrich your musical life! Check out 8 reasons to choose iWriteMusic SE (Special Edition) 1. You can understand this app almost instantly! Because of Truly Intuitive and Extremely Simple user interface, you barely need to read pages of manuals nor watching numbers of instruction videos. Unlike Finale, Sibelius and other similar apps, you just have a few things to learn to be able to use this app pretty well. 2.Double your productivity with our Highly Efficient Input System. If you’re already familiar with notation apps and looking for faster & more efficient entry system, try our innovative One-Flick Entry System along with Traditional Entry System to get your job done in no time! What is Traditional Entry System? - The choices will appear with ToolBox. - Select a value and the location separately. - Recommended to those who are not yet familiar with any music notation apps. What is OneFlick Entry System? - The choices will appear when you touch the screen. - Select a location and the value at once. - The selection will change as you slide your finger to left/right. - Recommended to those who are familiar with music notation apps and looking for faster and more efficient entry system. 3. Creates beautiful sheet music - absolutely professional quality! - rich options for page layout adjustment - easy parts creation - easy score/parts management - direct print-out via AirPrint 4. Supports most of major notation elements - multi-track writing - multi-voice writing - percussion/drums notation - chord symbols and lyrics - multi-bar rest - time change - key change - clef change - tempo change - grace note - articulations and dynamics marks - easy song transpose - partial transpose and many more! 5. Useful playback options for practice - mixer with solo, mute and voice select - loop and swing options 6. Data & sheet music sharing - exports/Imports iWriteMusic data file - exports PDF or JPG - exports Standard MIDI file which can be imported by other apps such as GarageBand 7. Extremely Compact Size (15 MB) You can save your device storage space for photos and other apps. 8. Best of all, it's Free! Yes, it's Free and Over 1.4 Million people all over the world has created music with this app family. Let's get started now! Note: This is for iPhone (iPad version sold separately) ATTENTION:  Latency during playback and drawing may occur by device capacity or number of tracks and background applications. Limitations on SE (Special Edition): 1. Water mark appears on page views and printouts. 2. Can’t save more than 5 songs. 3. Can't play more than 30 seconds at a time. 4. Can't import iWriteMusic data file. (export only) 5. Can't export Standard MIDI file.

About

MusicSketch

Capture musical ideas, write lyrics, add chords, and sketch melodies. Generate shareable lead sheets with studio-quality audio playback and built-in rhythms. Collaborate with others and export to your favorite DAW.

Highlights
  • Write lyrics and chords
  • Compose melodies
  • Studio-quality audio playback
  • Expanded instrument and rhythm library
  • Organize song structure
  • Instant collaboration
  • Export MIDI to DAW
Read full description

MusicSketch: A Creative Suite for Songwriters MusicSketch gives you a simple, powerful way to capture your ideas and quickly turn them into songs. On iPhone and iPad, write lyrics, add chord progressions, sketch melodies, and generate interactive lead sheets you can share or play back with your full audio mix. With studio-quality sounds, expressive instruments, built-in rhythms, and easy collaboration, MusicSketch makes songwriting fast, clear, professional, and fun. With MusicSketch, you can: Write Lyrics & Chords — Place chords above your lyrics to create beautiful lead sheets with guitar charts. Compose Scores — Easy note entry and clean layout make melody writing fast and intuitive. Hear Studio-Quality Playback — Listen to your melodies, chords, bass lines, and rhythms with rich, hi-definition audio. Explore More Instruments & Rhythms — Use an expanded sound and rhythm library to shape your sound. Organize Complete Songs — Format verses, choruses, and bridges as your song develops. Collaborate Instantly — Share your live lead sheets, ideas, and mixes with co-writers, bandmates, teachers, or students Create at Any Skill Level — Perfect for beginners, musicians, bands, and music lessons at all levels. Export to a DAW — Drag MIDI from MusicSketch straight into your favorite DAW; instant workflow for arrangers and beatmakers. Who is MusicSketch for? Songwriters refining lyrics and chord progressions, musicians arranging parts and rehearsing together, and teachers/students building clear practice materials. MusicSketch brings lyrics, chords, melodies, and playback into one workflow — so you can collaboratively work on your songs, anywhere and at any time. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

iWriteMusic SE4 screens
MusicSketch4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MusicSketch at 94% against iWriteMusic SE's 57%. MusicSketch also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4). iWriteMusic SE's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MusicSketch holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 148 and 130 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of iWriteMusic SE's written reviews are positive against 94% of MusicSketch's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

iWriteMusic SE ships an update every 4 weeks, MusicSketch monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
iWriteMusic SE versus MusicSketch: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriWriteMusic SEMusicSketch
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (148 ratings)4.7 (130 ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.8% of reviews93.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings148 — better130
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.6
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB66 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiWriteMusicProjectSketchMusicApp

Customer experience

iWriteMusic SE

All ratings148 ratings
Positive85.1%
Neutral4.7%
Negative10.1%
Written reviews139 reviews
Positive56.8%
Neutral18.0%
Negative25.2%

MusicSketch

All ratings127 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral3.1%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive93.5%
Neutral5.2%
Negative1.3%

User reviews

iWriteMusic SE

From 148 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎼 Comprehensive notation tools and features
  • 👍 Intuitive interface for music composition
  • 🎵 Wide range of instruments available
  • 💾 Easy saving and exporting to PDF
  • 🎹 Playback functionality for reviewing compositions

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
  • 😤 Difficult and unintuitive note input
  • 🔧 Poor user interface design
  • 📖 Confusing and poorly organized help documentation
  • ⚠️ Inaccurate instrument sound playback

MusicSketch

From 130 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 💡 Great for beginners
  • 🚀 Simplifies music creation process
  • 💰 Free with no ads/upsells
  • 📱 Mobile composition on iPhone/iPad

Room to improve

  • ❓ Some users find it confusing without music reading skills
  • 🎚️ Limited time signatures
  • 🎚️ Missing alto clef option
  • 🥁 Needs more drum notation options (flams, etc.)
  • 🎸 Needs guitar tabs

Bugs and requests

iWriteMusic SE

Reported bugs

20 issues
  • App crashes when adding rests at beginning of measure
  • App crashes when adding/removing notation
  • App freezes when entering notes on certain pitches
  • App randomly quits during composition
  • Note placement inaccuracy on iPhone with retina display
Show 15 more
  • Notes appear in wrong location despite correct placement
  • Playback cuts off after 30 seconds
  • Playback audio not working despite phone not being muted
  • Incorrect note playback (different octave than entered)
  • Lyric input not functioning
  • Crashes after large file operations
  • Data loss when closing without saving
  • Crashes when using multiple staves
  • Crashes during save operation
  • Crashes when reinstalling after purchase
  • Watermark reappears after reinstall
  • App becomes laggy over time
  • Staccatos, crescendos, and accents not played back
  • Ritards and accelerandos ignored in playback
  • Trill notation not functioning properly

Requested features

20 requests
  • Auto-save functionality
  • MusicXML file transfer support
  • Guitar tablature (TAB) notation
  • Ability to change time signature mid-composition
  • Better grace note controls
Show 15 more
  • Slur and tie playback support
  • Crescendo and diminuendo playback
  • More instrument templates (duets, trios)
  • Audio sharing/export capability
  • Arpeggio playback support
  • Individual grace note value assignment
  • Pianissimo (ppp) dynamic marking
  • Bracket notation for grouped instruments
  • More percussion instruments (Baritone, Euphonium, Mellophone)
  • Text formatting (bold, italic)
  • Customizable bottom navigation bar
  • iPad-native version
  • MIDI export to Logic Pro and Sibelius
  • Searchable help guide with index
  • Ability to extend bar lines across measures

MusicSketch

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add more woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments
  • Include drum notation options (flams, etc.)
  • Add guitar tabs
  • Add alto clef option
  • Improve audio mixer functionality (use while playing)
Show 5 more
  • Set loop to default to entire piece
  • Allow stacking of notes with different lengths
  • Add more time signatures
  • Provide a tutorial/intro for new users
  • Enable MIDI input

In-app purchases

None

iWriteMusic SE

No in-app purchases

None

MusicSketch

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is iWriteMusic SE free?
iWriteMusic SE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MusicSketch free?
MusicSketch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, iWriteMusic SE or MusicSketch?
MusicSketch is rated higher. iWriteMusic SE averages 4.4 out of 5 from 148 ratings, while MusicSketch averages 4.7 from 130 ratings.
Do iWriteMusic SE or MusicSketch have ads?
Neither iWriteMusic SE nor MusicSketch shows ads.
Which is updated more often, iWriteMusic SE or MusicSketch?
iWriteMusic SE ships an update every 4 weeks, and MusicSketch monthly. Most recently, iWriteMusic SE was updated on October 29, 2026 and MusicSketch on October 27, 2026.

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