Comparison

iWriteMusic SE vs Notely

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 music notation quickly and easily. This app offers fast note entry, extensive notation options, and playback for checking your work. Turn your musical ideas into finished scores with intuitive controls.

Highlights
  • Fast note entry with OneFlick
  • Extensive notation options
  • Scores and individual parts
  • Flexible page layouts
  • Playback for checking and practice
  • Intuitive controls
Features
Read full description

Less learning. More music. Professional notation without the lengthy learning process. Fast note entry with OneFlick, extensive notation options, scores and individual parts, flexible page layouts, and playback for checking and practice. With clear, intuitive controls, iWriteMusic helps you turn inspiration into finished notation. If you’re getting started with iWriteMusic, we recommend the integrated version. The integrated version is free to download, with features available through one-time in-app purchases. Future new features will also be offered in the integrated version. This SE version remains available to support existing users. For the time being, it will continue to receive bug fixes and OS compatibility updates, but it will not receive new features or support in-app purchases. Limits on the number of saved songs and playback duration, along with watermarks, apply.

About

Notely

Compose, edit, and share beautiful sheet music with an intuitive touch-first editor. Create professional scores for various instruments, export them in multiple formats, and organize your projects with ease. Ideal for musicians of all levels.

Highlights
  • Intuitive touch-first music notation editor
  • Realistic playback with adjustable tempo
  • Export to PDF, MIDI, WAV, MP3, PNG, SVG
  • Support for multiple clefs and instruments
  • Add lyrics, chords, and annotations
  • Organize projects with folders
  • Apple Pencil support for iPad
Features
Read full description

Compose, edit, and share beautiful sheet music with Notely - Sheet Music Composer. Whether you're a beginner learning music theory or a professional composer creating orchestral arrangements, this powerful music notation app provides everything you need to turn musical ideas into polished scores. Create music with an intuitive touch-first editor, realistic playback, and professional engraving tools. Write for piano, guitar, choir, orchestra, band, or any custom ensemble, then export your compositions as high-quality PDFs, MIDI, or audio files. Features • Create unlimited music scores with Premium • Professional music notation editor • Multiple score templates for piano, orchestra, choir, guitar, and more • Support for treble, bass, alto, and tenor clefs • Add notes, rests, chords, tuplets, slurs, ties, articulations, and dynamics • Insert lyrics, chord symbols, tempo markings, and text annotations • Realistic playback with adjustable tempo and metronome • Mixer with instrument volume, solo, and mute controls • Import MusicXML and MIDI files • Export to PDF, MIDI, WAV, MP3, PNG, and SVG • Print beautiful sheet music with AirPrint support • Organize projects with folders and favorites • Automatic score layout and professional engraving • Apple Pencil support for iPad • iCloud synchronization across your Apple devices • Dark Mode and Light Mode support Perfect For • Songwriters • Music composers • Piano players • Guitarists • Music students • Music teachers • Choir directors • Orchestra arrangers • Band directors • Film and game composers From simple melodies to full orchestral scores, Notely - Sheet Music Composer helps you capture inspiration anytime, refine every detail, and share your music with confidence. Download today and start composing wherever inspiration strikes. We currently offer the following auto-renewing subscription option: - $34.99 per year - $7.99 per month By subscribing you get unlimited access to effects and remove advertisement. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Terms of Use: https://tos.atlantismobileapps.com Privacy Policy: https://privacy.atlantismobileapps.com

Screenshots

iWriteMusic SE4 screens
Notely3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: iWriteMusic SE at 57% against Notely's 0%. iWriteMusic SE also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads and device support 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. Notely sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. iWriteMusic SE asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
iWriteMusic SE versus Notely: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteriWriteMusic SENotely
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (148 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews56.8% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings148 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperiWriteMusicProjectNguyen Nam Giang

Customer experience

iWriteMusic SE

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

Notely

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Notely

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

iWriteMusic SE

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Notely

Subscriptions2
  • Notely Premium Monthly$7.991 Month
  • Notely Premium Yearly$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • Notely Premium Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is iWriteMusic SE free?
iWriteMusic SE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Notely free?
Notely is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do iWriteMusic SE or Notely have ads?
Neither iWriteMusic SE nor Notely shows ads.

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