# Symphony Pro vs Flat

The clearest difference is price: Flat at Free against Symphony Pro's $14.99. Flat also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.8) and ratings volume (7K vs 474). Symphony Pro's advantage is iOS requirement (13.5 vs 16.4). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Flat is free to download; Symphony Pro costs $14.99 up front. Symphony Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Flat sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Flat holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flat has 7K ratings behind it against 474, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Symphony Pro's written reviews are positive against 68% of Flat's.

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, Flat fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Symphony Pro | Flat |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.8 (474 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315/reviews) | **[4.6 (7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flat-sheet-music-maker-and-tabs/id1177592149/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 474 | **7K** |
| Positive reviews | 55.9% of reviews | **67.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | — | **#144** |
| Size | 365 MB | 219 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.5** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Xenon Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327764518) | [Tutteo Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1177592148) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Flat

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flat-sheet-music-maker-and-tabs/id1177592149)

**Currently charting:** #144 Top Grossing · Music, #152 Top Free · Music (US App Store)

Create, edit, and play sheet music and guitar tabs with this intuitive composer app. It offers a wide range of instruments, notation tools, and collaboration features. Import and export in various formats, and share your creations with a large community.

**Highlights:** Compose and edit sheet music, Create guitar tabs, Real-time collaboration, Import MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, Export to PDF, MIDI, MP3, WAV, Large community library, 90+ instruments

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Flat Power (Monthly) | $9.99 | per month |
| Flat Power (Yearly) | $29.99 | per year |
| Flat Power (Yearly) | $39.99 | per year |
| Flat Power (Yearly) | $49.99 | per year |
| PDF import 30 credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| PDF import 70 credits | $17.99 | one-time |
| Flat Power (Lifetime) | $119.00 | one-time |
| Flat Power (Lifetime) | $179.99 | one-time |
| Flat Power (Lifetime) | $199.00 | one-time |
| Flat Power (Lifetime) | $299.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Great for beginners
- 🎨 Lots of customization options
- 🎶 Extensive instrument selection
- 💡 Collaborative features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🔒 Limited free features
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔊 Poor audio quality
- 📏 Rigid layout and formatting

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes frequently
- Notes and rests disappear
- Playback issues and audio glitches
- Difficulty selecting and editing notes
- Syncing and saving problems

**Requested features**

- Add more percussion instruments
- Improve note entry and editing
- Allow custom soundfonts
- Implement measure repeat signs
- Add more advanced notation options


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Symphony Pro free?

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

### Is Flat free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Symphony Pro or Flat?

Flat is rated higher. Symphony Pro averages 3.8 out of 5 from 474 ratings, while Flat averages 4.6 from 7K ratings.

### Do Symphony Pro or Flat have ads?

Neither Symphony Pro nor Flat shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Symphony Pro or Flat?

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, and Flat fortnightly. Most recently, Symphony Pro was updated on November 1, 2026 and Flat on November 5, 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.*