# Symphony Pro vs GM MIDI Player

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GM MIDI Player at none against Symphony Pro's 2. GM MIDI Player also leads on price ($9.99 vs $14.99) and review sentiment (78% vs 56%). Symphony Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 52 months) and ratings volume (473 vs 19). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Symphony Pro costs $14.99 and GM MIDI Player $9.99 up front. Symphony Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. GM MIDI Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

GM MIDI Player holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symphony Pro has 473 ratings behind it against 19, 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 78% of GM MIDI Player's.

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, GM MIDI Player every 52 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Symphony Pro | GM MIDI Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **$9.99** |
| Rating | [3.8 (473 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315/reviews) | **[4.1 (19 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gm-midi-player/id1445780869/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **473** | 19 |
| Positive reviews | 55.9% of reviews | **77.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 52 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Size | 365 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.5 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Xenon Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327764518) | [Jens Guell](https://appshunter.io/developer/1195004865) |

## 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


### GM MIDI Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gm-midi-player/id1445780869)

Play standard MIDI files on your iOS device with a built-in software synthesizer. Organize your music into playlists and share them seamlessly with other apps. Enjoy background playback and AirPlay support for a versatile listening experience.

**Highlights:** Plays standard MIDI files (.mid), Built-in software synthesizer, Create and manage playlists, Seamless iOS file manager integration, Background Audio playback, AirPlay support

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Symphony Pro free?

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

### Is GM MIDI Player free?

GM MIDI Player costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Symphony Pro or GM MIDI Player?

GM MIDI Player is rated higher. Symphony Pro averages 3.8 out of 5 from 473 ratings, while GM MIDI Player averages 4.1 from 19 ratings.

### Do Symphony Pro or GM MIDI Player have ads?

Neither Symphony Pro nor GM MIDI Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Symphony Pro or GM MIDI Player?

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, and GM MIDI Player every 52 months. Most recently, Symphony Pro was updated on October 26, 2026 and GM MIDI Player on October 24, 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.*