Comparison

Symphony Pro vs Touch Notation

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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

About

Touch Notation

Create musical scores with intuitive touch gestures. Draw notes, add expressions, and play back your compositions with 30 instrument voices. Export your work in various formats.

Highlights
  • Handwritten notation input
  • 30 built-in instrument voices
  • Tempo and dynamics control
  • Page layout functions
  • Transpose feature
  • Multiple export formats (PDF, SMF, MusicXML)
Read full description

Touch Notation is a powerful musical score creation app that allows anyone to enjoy writing music using touch gestures. In Japan, Touch Notation was selected as one of the ‘App Store Best of 2014’ apps, and held the No.1 spot in the iPad Paid App index for music apps for over two weeks. Up until now, musical score creation software has relied upon dragging individual notes from a palette onto staves. By contrast, Touch Notation allows musicians to draw directly onto the score using a finger or touch pen, and have their work immediately appear as beautifully written notation, then played back using the app’s 30 built-in instrument voices. - A wide-range of functions accessible from a cleanly designed, intuitive user interface. - Ability to enter musical expressions for adjusting tempo and dynamics. - Layout functions such as page breaks. - Convenient transpose feature for raising/lowering the pitch of the entire score. - Output scores using Air Print, or save to Dropbox in PDF, SMF, MusicXML, and ScoreMaker formats. Touch Notation allows the following musical symbols to be entered by hand: - Note, Rest (including dotted and double-dotted), Long Rest, Beam, Tuplet (Triplet) - Grace Note - Accidental, Tie, Slur - Accent, Staccato, Tenuto, Fermata - Trill, sfz, Arpeggio, Pedal, Senza - Metronome symbol - Crescendo, Decrescendo - Dynamics symbols (ppp~fff) - Octave symbol - Repeat brackets - Repeat marks (D.C./Fine/D.S./Segno/Coda/to Coda) - Clefs (Treble Clef/Bass Clef/C Clef/Percussion Clef) - Key signature - Time signature - Bar lines (repeat marks) - Abbreviation Lyrics and other musical expressions (‘Dolce’, ‘Tranquillo’, etc.) can be added using text input, while comments and memos can also be written freehand directly onto the score. * Drum notation is supported, but other types such as rhythm notation and tab notation are not supported. * Older devices may experience stuttering when playing complicated scores with many simultaneous notes.

Screenshots

Symphony Pro4 screens
Touch Notation4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Symphony Pro at 3.8 against Touch Notation's 2.9. Symphony Pro also leads on update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (469 vs 21). Touch Notation's advantage is price ($9.99 vs $14.99) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.5). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Symphony Pro costs $14.99 and Touch Notation $9.99 up front. Symphony Pro sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Touch Notation sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Symphony Pro holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symphony Pro has 469 ratings behind it against 21, 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 45% of Touch Notation's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, Touch Notation every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Symphony Pro versus Touch Notation: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSymphony ProTouch Notation
Price$14.99$9.99 — better
Rating3.8 (469 ratings) — better2.9 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews55.7% of reviews — better44.6% of reviews
Number of ratings469 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.511.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size365 MB112 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXenon Labs, LLCKawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Symphony Pro

All ratings469 ratings
Positive70.1%
Neutral9.8%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews406 reviews
Positive55.7%
Neutral16.5%
Negative27.8%

Touch Notation

All ratings21 ratings
Positive38.1%
Neutral19.0%
Negative42.9%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive44.6%
Neutral26.5%
Negative28.9%

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

Touch Notation

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Symphony Pro

One-time2
  • Version 4: Complete Features BundleFree
  • Handwriting Recognition Tool$9.99
10 purchases

Touch Notation

One-time10
  • Sound Set: Piano$0.49
  • Sound Set: Guitar/Bass 1$0.49
  • Sound Set: Strings$0.49
Show 7 more
  • Sound Set: Brass/Woodwind$0.49
  • Sound Set: Bell/Mallet$0.49
  • Sound Set: Vocal/Others$0.49
  • Core MIDI Output$1.99
  • Handwritten Font$1.99
  • Sound Set: Full$2.99
  • Chord Name & Automatic Accompaniment$3.99

Questions

Is Symphony Pro free?
Symphony Pro costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Touch Notation free?
Touch Notation costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Symphony Pro or Touch Notation?
Symphony Pro is rated higher. Symphony Pro averages 3.8 out of 5 from 469 ratings, while Touch Notation averages 2.9 from 21 ratings.
Do Symphony Pro or Touch Notation have ads?
Neither Symphony Pro nor Touch Notation shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Symphony Pro or Touch Notation?
Symphony Pro ships an update every 4 weeks, and Touch Notation every 3 months. Most recently, Symphony Pro was updated on September 26, 2026 and Touch Notation on September 28, 2026.

Other comparisons