The Strad vs Dorico
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Strad
Access the world's leading string music magazine, featuring interviews, in-depth articles on instruments, and masterclass sheet music. Explore the latest news, commentary, and analysis for makers, musicians, and teachers.
- Interviews with star string players
- In-depth articles on instruments
- Masterclass sheet music section
- News, comment, and analysis
- Exclusive videos and audio clips
- Interactive links
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The Strad is the most authoritative and influential string music magazine, read by makers, musicians and teachers since 1890. Every month it brings you the latest news, commentary and analysis, in-depth articles, interviews with star string players and retrospectives on great musicians of the past, masterclass sheet music section and much more. It is essential reading for anyone in the string music world. Subscribe today and get: • Interviews with star string players and retrospectives on the great musicians of the past • In-depth articles examining important and unusual instruments by master makers • Reports on the latest advances in science and technology, by leading contemporary luthiers • Trade Secrets contemporary luthiers share their innovative techniques for parts of the making process • In Focus: articles examining important and unusual instruments by master makes of the past • Making Matters: contemporary makers examine themes relevant to instrument and bow making today • Meet your Maker: players and makers give accounts of the commissioning process and its results • Masterclass sheet music section with commentary and annotations by international concert artists • News, comment and analysis from the string music world • Supplements including Cremona 2017, String Courses 2017, Degrees 2018 and Accessories 2017 Subscribe to the digital issue today: - Try before you buy with our FREE 30-DAY TRIAL available exclusively for Apple users. - Enjoy exclusive VIDEOS, AUDIO CLIPS and INTERACTIVE LINKS. - Download your issues INSTANTLY - Exclusive subscriber only SUPPLEMENTS ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest regular issue at the time of purchase. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx
Dorico
Create professional music notation and compositions with this powerful app. Easily input notes, edit performances, and share your work in various formats. It's suitable for beginners and professionals alike.
- Compose music notation
- On-screen keyboard, drum pads, fretboard
- MIDI editing tools
- PDF, audio, MusicXML export
- Print to AirPrint
- Read mode with annotation
- Automatic engraving
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Compose your own music for free with Dorico. Create beautiful music notation for up to eight instruments quickly and easily with the on-screen keyboard, drum pads and fretboard. Play back instantly with the included sounds and shape the performance with powerful MIDI editing tools. When your piece is finished, share it as PDF, audio or MusicXML, or print directly to your AirPrint-enabled printer. Perform using the built-in read mode, and annotate with your Apple Pencil. Dorico is the award-winning music notation and composition software from Steinberg for macOS, Windows, and iPadOS. It’s easy enough to learn and use that it is used by students in schools, and deep enough that it satisfies the needs of the most demanding professionals in the worlds of concert music, music for film and TV, and music publishing. Dorico for iPad is fully compatible with Dorico for macOS and Windows, so you can work on your projects on the move on your iPad and in your studio on your desktop or laptop computer, or share projects with musicians using Dorico on any platform. Dorico’s interface is split into four modes. In Setup mode, you can add and change instruments, create and reorder sections of music (called “flows”), and choose how your music will be formatted for your musicians into layouts. In Write mode, you can input and edit music and other notations using simple, well-organized toolboxes and panels. In Engrave mode (included if you buy a paid subscription to Dorico’s advanced features), you can make graphical tweaks to every item in your project. Finally, in Play mode, you have access to powerful sequencer-style MIDI editing tools, including piano roll and velocity editors. Dorico includes built-in virtual instruments and effects to allow you to play back your compositions, and you can also easily use any compatible Audio Unit plug-in or external MIDI device (with optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase), and tweak playback using the on-screen Mixer. Input music using an on-screen piano keyboard, or by connecting a MIDI keyboard to your iPad directly via USB or using a compatible USB-to-Lightning adaptor. If you have a Magic Keyboard or other external keyboard, you can make use of extensive keyboard shortcuts to work quickly and efficiently. Dorico is free to use, allowing you to write for ensembles of up to four players. Register with your free Steinberg ID to increase the player limit to eight, allowing you to write for ensembles like string or wind quartet, or SATB choir. If you want to take your composition and arranging to the next level, you can buy an optional subscription or Lifetime Unlock in-app purchase to access more features and power: write for ensembles of any number of players, and gain access to Engrave mode, allowing you to make graphical tweaks to individual items anywhere in your project. HIGHLIGHTS • Best automatic engraving of any software • Easy note input using on-screen keyboard, MIDI keyboard, or external keyboard • Intelligently adjusts notation as you write • Any number of movements or pieces in a single project • Automatic layout of instrumental parts • Expressive playback using included sounds and effects • Supports Audio Unit virtual instruments and effects processors • Sequencer-style piano roll MIDI editor • Sophisticated chord symbols, unpitched percussion and drum set notation • Unbarred music, tuplets across barlines, etc. all handled correctly — no workarounds • Transfer to and from other apps via MusicXML, MIDI, PDF, etc. For support, please visit www.dorico.com/forum If you like Dorico, please support us by rating this app in the App Store. Thank you!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Dorico at every 3 weeks against The Strad's every 7 months. Dorico also leads on ratings volume (2.3K vs 38) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). The Strad's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. The Strad sells 24 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per 3 months and Dorico sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Dorico holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dorico has 2.3K ratings behind it against 38, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of The Strad's written reviews are positive against 55% of Dorico's.
The Strad ships an update every 7 months, Dorico every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Strad | Dorico |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (38 ratings) | 4.6 (2.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.0% of reviews | 55.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 38 | 2.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 975 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Newsquest Specialist Media Limited | Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH |
Customer experience
The Strad
Dorico
Bugs and requests
The Strad
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Dorico
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when opening or editing projects
- Corrupted/lost files after app crashes
- Unresponsive keyboard and note input issues
- Scrolling and UI glitches, especially in Engrave mode
- Incompatibility with certain iPad models and iOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Support for Apple Pencil and handwriting input
- Improved file management and organization
- Expanded audio unit/plugin integration
- More customization options for layout and engraving
- Ability to export/import flows and projects between iPad and desktop
In-app purchases
The Strad
- The Strad1 Month trial$14.993 Months
- The Strad1 Month trial$59.991 Year
- June 2012 (id:736861)$4.99
- September 2012 (id:736003)$4.99
- May 2013 and De... (id:738002)$4.99
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- February 2014 (id:738506)$4.99
- December 2013 (id:736381)$4.99
- November 2013 (id:735750)$4.99
- March 2016 (id:738737)$4.99
- May 2020 And De... (id:771419)$4.99
- December 2017 (id:757689)$4.99
- December 2024 (pp:1024896)$4.99
- January 2019 an... (id:762634)$4.99
- April 2016 (id:745918)$4.99
- July 2017 (id:757679)$4.99
- November 2017 (id:757687)$4.99
- February 2019 (id:766008)$4.99
- September 2020 (id:771411)$4.99
- October 2018 (id:762640)$4.99
- July 2024 (pp:1024926)$4.99
- January 2025 a... (pp:1110854)$5.99
- The Strad Magazine 2 back issue bundle$7.99
- Great Instruments (id:810171)$14.99
- The Strad$179.99
Dorico
- Dorico Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Dorico Annual Subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Dorico Lifetime Unlock$119.99









