# iWriteMusic vs Staventabs

The clearest difference is price: Staventabs at Free against iWriteMusic's $9.99. iWriteMusic's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (73% vs 65%). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Staventabs is free to download; iWriteMusic costs $9.99 up front. iWriteMusic sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Staventabs sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

iWriteMusic holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 181 and 70 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of iWriteMusic's written reviews are positive against 65% of Staventabs's.

iWriteMusic ships an update every 5 weeks, Staventabs every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | iWriteMusic | Staventabs |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.5 (181 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritemusic/id393624808/reviews)** | [3.8 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staventabs-compose-and-notate/id947545539/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **181** | 70 |
| Positive reviews | **73.2% of reviews** | 64.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 19 MB | 123 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [iWriteMusicProject](https://appshunter.io/developer/393551666) | [Ivan Korovin](https://appshunter.io/developer/937929054) |

## 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 |


### Staventabs

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/staventabs-compose-and-notate/id947545539)

Compose and edit musical scores and tablature with a user-friendly interface. Create new pieces from scratch or templates, input notes intuitively, and enhance your compositions with advanced editing tools. Practice your songs with playback and metronome features, and manage your projects seamlessly.

**Highlights:** Score and tablature editing, Intuitive note input, Virtual piano and fingerboard, Instrument previews, Playback and metronome, AI-powered scale suggestions, MIDI and MusicXML import/export

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Advanced composing | $9.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited projects | $10.99 | one-time |
| Additional instruments | $10.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient music notation
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 🎨 Customizable chord diagrams
- 💾 Supports multiple file formats
- 🎶 Realistic instrument sounds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 💰 Paywall for basic features
- 🔀 Inconsistent note/chord handling
- 🔍 Unclear documentation
- 🔊 Lagging playback

**Reported bugs**

- Imported MIDI files lose instrument assignments
- Disappearing projects after updates
- Inability to adjust note lengths in piano roll
- Metronome not audible over instrument playback

**Requested features**

- Add support for grace notes and ornaments
- Implement repeat/coda symbols
- Allow custom font and layout options
- Integrate MIDI input and output
- Improve chord recognition accuracy


## Frequently asked questions

### Is iWriteMusic free?

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

### Is Staventabs free?

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

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

iWriteMusic is rated higher. iWriteMusic averages 4.5 out of 5 from 181 ratings, while Staventabs averages 3.8 from 70 ratings.

### Do iWriteMusic or Staventabs have ads?

Neither iWriteMusic nor Staventabs shows ads.

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

iWriteMusic ships an update every 5 weeks, and Staventabs every 3 weeks. Most recently, iWriteMusic was updated on October 17, 2026 and Staventabs on October 11, 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.*