# Symphony Pro vs Touch Notation

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Symphony Pro | Touch Notation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **$9.99** |
| Rating | **[3.8 (469 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-pro-music-notation/id412380315/reviews)** | [2.9 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/touch-notation/id890358046/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **469** | 21 |
| Positive reviews | **55.7% of reviews** | 44.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Paid |
| Size | 365 MB | 112 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.5 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Xenon Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327764518) | [Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/448581784) |

## 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


### Touch Notation

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/touch-notation/id890358046)

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)

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sound Set: Piano | $0.49 | one-time |
| Sound Set: Guitar/Bass 1 | $0.49 | one-time |
| Sound Set: Strings | $0.49 | one-time |
| Sound Set: Brass/Woodwind | $0.49 | one-time |
| Sound Set: Bell/Mallet | $0.49 | one-time |
| Sound Set: Vocal/Others | $0.49 | one-time |
| Core MIDI Output | $1.99 | one-time |
| Handwritten Font | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sound Set: Full | $2.99 | one-time |
| Chord Name & Automatic Accompaniment | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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.

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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.*