# Symphony Pro vs iWriteMusic Pro

The clearest difference is rating: iWriteMusic Pro at 4.7 against Symphony Pro's 3.8. iWriteMusic Pro also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 56%) and price ($12.99 vs $14.99). Symphony Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Symphony Pro costs $14.99 and iWriteMusic Pro $12.99 up front. Symphony Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and iWriteMusic Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

iWriteMusic Pro holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 469 and 531 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Symphony Pro's written reviews are positive against 75% of iWriteMusic Pro's.

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, iWriteMusic Pro every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Symphony Pro | iWriteMusic Pro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **$12.99** |
| Rating | [3.8 (469 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315/reviews) | **[4.7 (531 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritemusic-pro/id466261478/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 469 | **531** |
| Positive reviews | 55.7% of reviews | **74.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 365 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.5** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Xenon Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327764518) | [iWriteMusicProject](https://appshunter.io/developer/393551666) |

## 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


### iWriteMusic Pro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritemusic-pro/id466261478)

Create beautiful, professional-quality sheet music with an intuitive interface. This app offers efficient input systems, comprehensive notation tools, and useful playback options for musicians of all levels. Easily share your compositions as PDFs, JPGs, or MIDI files.

**Highlights:** Intuitive and simple user interface, Efficient One-Flick and Traditional Entry Systems, Professional quality sheet music creation, Comprehensive notation element support, Useful playback options with mixer, Export to PDF, JPG, and MIDI, Easy score and parts management

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

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

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Useful features for composing and arranging
- 👍 Good value for the price
- 🚀 Responsive customer support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Stability issues after updates
- 🐛 Unreliable playback and MIDI export
- 🔒 Lack of file management options
- 💡 Limited notation options (e.g. dynamics, articulations)

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to save or export files after iOS 7 update
- Crashing when editing certain notation elements
- Playback issues with repeat signs and tempo changes

**Requested features**

- MusicXML import/export support
- Ability to change note sizes and fonts
- More time signature options
- Improved copy/paste functionality
- Folder organization for saved files


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Symphony Pro free?

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

### Is iWriteMusic Pro free?

iWriteMusic Pro costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

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

iWriteMusic Pro is rated higher. Symphony Pro averages 3.8 out of 5 from 469 ratings, while iWriteMusic Pro averages 4.7 from 531 ratings.

### Do Symphony Pro or iWriteMusic Pro have ads?

Neither Symphony Pro nor iWriteMusic Pro shows ads.

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

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, and iWriteMusic Pro every 2 months. Most recently, Symphony Pro was updated on September 25, 2026 and iWriteMusic Pro on September 16, 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.*