# Symphony Pro vs iWriteMusic Pro SE

The clearest difference is price: iWriteMusic Pro SE at Free against Symphony Pro's $14.99. iWriteMusic Pro SE also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.8) and in-app purchases (none vs 2). Symphony Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 2 months) and device support (3 vs 1). On review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

iWriteMusic Pro SE is free to download; Symphony Pro costs $14.99 up front. Symphony Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. iWriteMusic Pro SE asks for nothing beyond the download.

iWriteMusic Pro SE holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 469 and 206 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Symphony Pro's written reviews are positive against 53% of iWriteMusic Pro SE's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, iWriteMusic Pro SE every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Symphony Pro | iWriteMusic Pro SE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.8 (469 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315/reviews) | **[4.5 (206 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritemusic-pro-se/id490925777/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **469** | 206 |
| Positive reviews | **55.7% of reviews** | 53.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| 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 SE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/iwritemusic-pro-se/id490925777)

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.

**Highlights:** Intuitive user interface, Efficient input systems (One-Flick & Traditional), Professional quality sheet music, Comprehensive notation elements, Useful playback options, Export to PDF, JPG, and MIDI

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 💡 Helpful for music writing
- 👍 Useful for music teachers
- 🚀 Functional free version
- 👍 Good for small-scale composition

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔧 Unintuitive interface
- 🔧 Difficult to navigate
- 🐛 Playback issues
- 🔧 Fiddly note placement

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect transposition of notes
- Inability to save compositions
- Overlapping/unreadable menu text
- Freezing when trying to copy/paste
- Inconsistent behavior when adding new measures

**Requested features**

- Add more music notation options (e.g. glissando, ghost notes)
- Improve playback to follow dynamics and expressions
- Allow multiple key signatures in the same piece
- Provide an undo/redo function
- Implement a chord entry mode for guitarists


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Symphony Pro free?

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

### Is iWriteMusic Pro SE free?

iWriteMusic Pro SE is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

iWriteMusic Pro SE is rated higher. Symphony Pro averages 3.8 out of 5 from 469 ratings, while iWriteMusic Pro SE averages 4.5 from 206 ratings.

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

Neither Symphony Pro nor iWriteMusic Pro SE shows ads.

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

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, and iWriteMusic Pro SE every 2 months. Most recently, Symphony Pro was updated on September 26, 2026 and iWriteMusic Pro SE on September 21, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*