# iWriteMusic SE vs Symphony Pro

The clearest difference is price: iWriteMusic SE at Free against Symphony Pro's $14.99. iWriteMusic SE also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Symphony Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

iWriteMusic SE is free to download; Symphony Pro costs $14.99 up front. Symphony Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. iWriteMusic SE asks for nothing beyond the download.

iWriteMusic SE holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 144 and 469 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of iWriteMusic SE's written reviews are positive against 56% of Symphony Pro's.

iWriteMusic SE ships an update every 2 months, Symphony Pro every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iWriteMusic SE | Symphony Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $14.99 |
| Rating | **[4.4 (144 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritemusic-se/id393614358/reviews)** | [3.8 (469 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 144 | **469** |
| Positive reviews | **56.8% of reviews** | 55.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 19 MB | 365 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.5** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [iWriteMusicProject](https://appshunter.io/developer/393551666) | [Xenon Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327764518) |

## What reviewers say

### iWriteMusic SE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritemusic-se/id393614358)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎼 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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Auto-save functionality
- MusicXML file transfer support
- Guitar tablature (TAB) notation
- Ability to change time signature mid-composition
- Better grace note controls


### Symphony Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315)

Compose music notation on your iPad with intuitive handwriting recognition or traditional input methods. Create scores for various ensembles, import and export in multiple formats, and utilize a wide range of notational elements. Enjoy built-in instruments for playback and auditioning.

**Highlights:** Handwriting recognition for Apple Pencil and touch, Compose for various ensembles, Import/export MusicXML, MIDI, and more, On-screen instrument input, Real-time recording and transcription, Wide range of notational elements, Print via AirPrint

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Version 4: Complete Features Bundle | Free | one-time |
| Handwriting Recognition Tool | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Handwriting recognition is great
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
- 🎨 Flexible for composing and arranging
- 💰 Good value for the price
- 🎹 Works well with Apple Pencil

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Clunky and unintuitive interface
- 🔊 Poor sound quality of instruments
- 🔒 Issues with saving and exporting files
- 🤔 Steep learning curve for some features

**Reported bugs**

- Project menu disappears unexpectedly
- Ties and tuplets not working correctly
- Inconsistent behavior when zooming and panning
- Instruments not transposing properly
- Frequent crashes when editing complex scores

**Requested features**

- Add guitar metronome
- Improve text and lyrics handling
- Allow more customization of page layout
- Implement better transposition and chord features
- Provide more orchestral percussion instruments


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iWriteMusic SE free?

iWriteMusic SE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Symphony Pro free?

Symphony Pro costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, iWriteMusic SE or Symphony Pro?

iWriteMusic SE is rated higher. iWriteMusic SE averages 4.4 out of 5 from 144 ratings, while Symphony Pro averages 3.8 from 469 ratings.

### Do iWriteMusic SE or Symphony Pro have ads?

Neither iWriteMusic SE nor Symphony Pro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iWriteMusic SE or Symphony Pro?

iWriteMusic SE ships an update every 2 months, and Symphony Pro every 4 weeks. Most recently, iWriteMusic SE was updated on September 20, 2026 and Symphony Pro on September 25, 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.*