# iWriteMusic vs Sibelius

The clearest difference is price: Sibelius at Free against iWriteMusic's $9.99. Sibelius also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 181) and device support (3 vs 1). iWriteMusic's advantage is review sentiment (73% vs 36%) and rating (4.5 vs 4.2). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Sibelius is free to download; iWriteMusic costs $9.99 up front. iWriteMusic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase 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.

iWriteMusic holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sibelius has 1.8K ratings behind it against 181, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of iWriteMusic's written reviews are positive against 36% of Sibelius's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iWriteMusic | Sibelius |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (181 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritemusic/id393624808/reviews)** | [4.2 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibelius/id1503221259/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 181 | **1.8K** |
| Positive reviews | **73.2% of reviews** | 35.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 19 MB | 1.4 GB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.4** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [iWriteMusicProject](https://appshunter.io/developer/393551666) | [Avid®](https://appshunter.io/developer/436394595) |

## What reviewers say

### iWriteMusic

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritemusic/id393624808)

Create professional-quality sheet music efficiently on your smartphone. This app offers an intuitive interface and a powerful input system designed for small screens, making music notation accessible for musicians of all levels. Share your compositions as PDFs, JPGs, or MIDI files.

**Highlights:** Intuitive and simple user interface, Efficient One-Flick Entry System, Professional quality sheet music creation, Supports major notation elements, Useful playback options, Export to PDF, JPG, and MIDI

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Advanced File Management | $0.99 | one-time |


### Sibelius

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibelius/id1503221259)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sibelius Artist for iOS | $5.99 | per month |
| Sibelius Ultimate for iOS | $12.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Ability to enlarge chord symbols
- More time signature options
- Support for MIDI input
- Better Apple Pencil integration
- Autosave and improved file management


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iWriteMusic free?

iWriteMusic costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Sibelius free?

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

### Which has better reviews, iWriteMusic or Sibelius?

iWriteMusic is rated higher. iWriteMusic averages 4.5 out of 5 from 181 ratings, while Sibelius averages 4.2 from 1.8K ratings.

### Do iWriteMusic or Sibelius have ads?

Neither iWriteMusic nor Sibelius shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, iWriteMusic or Sibelius?

iWriteMusic ships an update every 2 months, and Sibelius every 2 months. Most recently, iWriteMusic was updated on October 12, 2026 and Sibelius on October 15, 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.*