Symphony Pro vs Crescendo Masters Edition
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Symphony Pro
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.
- 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
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Symphony Pro 6 is a complete and intuitive app for writing music notation on iPad. It allows you to compose music for just about any size ensemble, from piano, symphonies, band, lead sheets, chord charts, guitar tabs, and more. Starting Version 5, Symphony Pro now offers handwriting recognition as the only in-app purchase: Perfect with Apple Pencil, and works great with touch or capacitive stylus GETTING STARTED SP provides all of the key options to begin your work. Import a score via MusicXML, MXL, MIDI, or SP file from your computer, or from apps like Dropbox, Mail, iCloud Drive, or Safari. You can base your project on a template, or start a blank score and add additional parts later. EDITING To add notes, choose Pencil mode, and tap anywhere on a bar to begin editing right away. You can quickly specify note properties before or after placing notes. By switching to Select mode with one touch, you can also transpose, erase, cut, and paste multiple notes/tracks. With an on-screen instrument, a QWERTY keyboard, or Core MIDI compatible keyboard, you can quickly enter notes & chords in step entry mode. Record a part in real-time with on-screen instruments to transcribe into notation. Versions 4 & 5 take greater advantage of the iPad touchscreen. With shortcuts and contextual menus to edit note & bar properties, many of the commonly used editing commands are right at your fingertips. SP supports a wide range of notational elements for your composition. Including dynamics & articulations, time & key signature changes, clef changes, pedals, and repeat conventions. Edit chord symbols, lyrics, and annotations using the iPad’s standard keyboard. EXPORT & SHARE When you’re finished, print out your score with AirPrint, or export it as a PDF, MusicXML, AAC, MIDI, or Symphony file. Share files via email or directly to another computer or iPad via Dropbox/iCloud Drive. KEY FEATURES • Introducing Handwriting Recognition for Apple Pencil & touch • Starting Version 5, Handwriting is the only In-App Purchase to enable the complete app • Now download SP on your iPhone • 24+ professionally recorded and sound-designed acoustic instruments, free out of the box Earlier features offered free, to existing & new owners • 114 built-in instruments for playback, and auditioning the notes you entered • Create in standard music notation or tablature • Edit with an on-screen piano, QWERTY keyboard, or a MIDI input device • Dozens of shortcuts & gestures to edit & navigate • Reduce your score size, range, or combination of parts for viewing & editing* • Print directly to AirPrint • Up to 48 instruments, 100 staves, 4 voices/layers per score • Record a part in real-time with clicks at the beat with optional emphasis • Backup & sync your scores with iCloud* • Import MusicXML, MIDI, MXL, or Symphony files • Export as a PDF, MusicXML, MIDI, AAC, or Symphony file • Large selection of articulations & dynamics • Multi-measure rests, including automatic rests • Grace notes • Customizable noteheads & note colors • Chord symbol, lyric, and annotation tools • Edit the properties of multiple notes and rests simultaneously by multi-note select • Copy/Paste function supports partial & multi-bar/staff select • Unlimited undo/redo • Customizable stem directions & note beaming • Transposing & concert pitch score option • Change tempo or clef anywhere in score or bar • Stream audio or share your screen wirelessly with AirPlay • Advanced document management • Create your own custom project template or use a built-in one • Customizable part groupings for SATB and instrument families • Customizable chord symbol, lyric, and annotation font • Loop playback feature • Auto-save support * Previously paid, but now free upgrade in Version 5 For More information, please visit: • http://www.symphonypro.net • http://forums.symphonypro.net • Facebook page at www.facebook.com/symphonyapp • Learn about the iPhone-only app: bit.ly/symphonyiphone
Crescendo Masters Edition
Easily arrange professional-quality sheet music, guitar tabs, and percussion notation. Add notes, accidentals, text, and lyrics, then listen back to your compositions with MIDI playback. This tool is ideal for composers to write, save, and print their musical ideas.
- Create sheet music, guitar tabs, percussion notation
- Change time and key signatures
- Add whole to thirty-second notes with accidentals
- Drag notes to adjust pitch and placement
- Add text for titles, tempo, dynamics, lyrics
- MIDI playback for compositions
- Save and print music
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Crescendo Masters makes arranging your own professional quality sheet music fun and easy. Create sheet music, guitar tabs, or percussion notation. With Crescendo, you can easily change the time signature and key signature and choose between Treble, Bass, Tenor, and Alto Clefs. Add notes from whole to thirty-second and assign sharps, flats, or natural accidentals to them. You can also easily drag notes to change their pitch or placement. Place text wherever in your sheet music to add titles, specify tempo changes and dynamics, or write lyrics. When you are finished, listen back to your composition with MIDI playback. Crescendo is the perfect program for composers to write, save and print their music compositions on their computer. This version of Crescendo is under a 7-day free trial. Once the trial expires, you will have to pay for the subscription in order to access the full features.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Crescendo Masters Edition at Free against Symphony Pro's $14.99. Crescendo Masters Edition also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.5). Symphony Pro's advantage is ratings volume (473 vs 7). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
Crescendo Masters Edition is free to download; Symphony Pro costs $14.99 up front. Symphony Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Crescendo Masters Edition sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.8 for Symphony Pro against 3.9 for Crescendo Masters Edition. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symphony Pro has 473 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of Symphony Pro's written reviews are positive against 50% of Crescendo Masters Edition's.
Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, Crescendo Masters Edition fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Symphony Pro | Crescendo Masters Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (473 ratings) | 3.9 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.9% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 473 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.5 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 365 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Xenon Labs, LLC | NCH Software |
Customer experience
Symphony Pro
Crescendo Masters Edition
Bugs and requests
Symphony Pro
Reported bugs
5 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
Crescendo Masters Edition
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Symphony Pro
- Version 4: Complete Features BundleFree
- Handwriting Recognition Tool$9.99
Crescendo Masters Edition
- Full Features (Monthly)7 Days trial$2.991 Month
Questions
Is Symphony Pro free?
Is Crescendo Masters Edition free?
Which has better reviews, Symphony Pro or Crescendo Masters Edition?
Do Symphony Pro or Crescendo Masters Edition have ads?
Which is updated more often, Symphony Pro or Crescendo Masters Edition?
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