Comparison

Score Creator vs Sibelius

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

Head to head
About

Score Creator

Easily compose and edit sheet music on your mobile device. This app simplifies music creation with a text-keyboard-like interface for notes and chords, supports multiple instruments and clefs, and allows for lyric and chord symbol writing. It's ideal for songwriters, teachers, and students.

Highlights
  • Compose music scores with various clefs and symbols
  • Write lyrics and chord symbols
  • Multi-track support for different instruments
  • Playback sound for each instrument
  • Transpose songs and import/export MIDI/MusicXML
  • Export to PDF and audio files
  • Editing assistant features
Features
Read full description

Score Creator is a music composition application that is specially designed for mobile platforms. It's a simple but powerful music creation tool that caters to your need to write music on the go. *** The app's user experience is completely optimized to make composing music on mobile devices easier and faster than ever. No more "tapping and zooming" the screen just to add a music note or a chord symbol. No more "dragging and dropping" from the palette just to add a sharp/flat sign. All you need to do to write a song is tap the keyboards (notes and chords) that are designed like a text keyboard. COMPOSING MUSIC IS NOW AS SIMPLE AS TEXTING YOUR FRIENDS! *** Apart from being a songwriting app for songwriters, Score Creator also functions as a music teaching and learning tool for music teachers and students. Teachers can teach students how to read music notation by directly entering music notes into the app and playing back the song, while music students can practice by themselves by notating their favorite songs in the app and playing along with their own musical instruments. *** The app is a perfect tool for writing different types of sheet music, including lead sheets, solo instrument scores, SATB choir scores, sheet music for brass & woodwind bands, and more. *** FEATURES: - Compose music scores. The app supports treble, alto, bass and neutral clefs, with a wide range of notes and music symbols: note lengths, time signatures, key signatures, slurs, ties, dynamics, articulations & ornaments, and more. - Write lyrics. - Write chord symbols. - Multiple tracks with different instruments: piano, guitar, violin, saxophone, drums, flute, horn, tuba, ukulele, mandolin, and more. - Scores for transposing instruments: saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone), Bb clarinet, Bb trumpet, and more. - Playback sound for each instrument. - Transpose songs into any key. - Import songs from MIDI & MusicXML files. - Change clef, time/key signature and tempo in the middle of a song. - Export songs to MIDI or MusicXML files so that they can be imported into other apps such as Finale, Encore, MuseScore, and Sibelius. The files can be copied to your computer or sent via email. - Send exported MIDI files to other apps on your current device. - Import MIDI files from other apps. - Export songs to PDF files. - Export songs to audio files (.wav, .mp3). - Editing features: multi-note selection, copy & paste, undo & redo, and more. - SCAN SHEET MUSIC FROM PHOTOS. - SCAN SHEET MUSIC FROM PDF FILES. *** End User License Agreement: https://www.termsfeed.com/eula/c6cf438c81097acbfd5a7d51600b6bba *** Privacy policy: The app does not collect or store any kind of personal information.

About

Sibelius

Professional music notation software is now available on mobile devices. Create, edit, and hear your compositions anywhere with a full suite of tools optimized for touch and stylus input. Seamlessly sync across platforms and access different feature tiers to suit your needs.

Highlights
  • Professional music notation
  • Cross-platform synchronization
  • High-quality sample library
  • Apple Pencil and touch optimization
  • Innovative note entry
  • Command Search functionality
  • Scalable subscription tiers
Features
Read full description

Sibelius brings professional music notation to iPad and iPhone, putting the workflows used by countless composers, orchestrators, and arrangers at your fingertips. Seamlessly move between iPad, iPhone and desktop, and from studio to coffeeshop to scoring stage, and write anywhere inspiration strikes. # Work on scores anywhere Sibelius for mobile puts the #1 selling music notation program at your fingertips—literally. Work with the same tools and features used by countless composers and production houses every day on your iPad and iPhone. Whether writing down ideas, creating full-blown compositions, or reviewing scores, you have the freedom to create wherever you’re comfortable. #Take your portfolio to go Forget having to bring and break out your laptop when meeting with clients and collaborators. Instead, you can conveniently take the world’s most powerful notation toolset and your entire music portfolio with you wherever you go—ideal for those unexpected opportunities. And for tandemly working through last-minute revisions. # Hear your music in stunning detail Sibelius includes a high-quality sample library filled with a variety of musical instrumentation, so you can hear what your music will sound like when performed by real musicians. The Espressivo advanced notation interpretation even lets you adjust rhythm and swing to create a more humanistic feel. # Speed your workflow Sibelius for mobile is designed to take full advantage of Apple Pencil and iPad touch capabilities. Its elegant, streamlined interface provides the most intuitive and efficient workflows possible while supporting the same keyboard shortcuts you know and love from working on the desktop version, so you’ll feel right at home. # Get innovative note entry Experience the pen and paper workflow reimagined. Enter notes with the onscreen Keypad or a keyboard, and Sibelius takes care of all note layout. Touch a note and drag up or down to change its value, or drag left or right to add a flat or sharp. With an Apple Pencil, tap a note and tilt up or down to add a flat or sharp, or tilt left or right to choose the note value. # Have everything you need In addition to the Keypad, Sibelius for mobile features a Create menu that’s optimized for iOS, making it easy to add clefs, key signatures, time signatures, barlines, symbols, text styles, and more to your score from searchable galleries. You can also quickly search through all Sibelius commands using the Command Search, putting the entire app at your fingertips. # Move tiers to meet needs Sibelius is designed to grow with you to support your creative aspirations and project needs. From the introductory (and free) Sibelius First to the industry-standard Sibelius Ultimate, you can add more notation capabilities and instrument parts to take on more creative opportunities by simply upgrading your subscription tier. # Have everything on one creative platform Seamlessly move from desktop to tablet and back without ever having to import or export files. That’s because whether on mobile or desktop, you’re always in Sibelius. With files saved to iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, or other iOS-supported cloud service, you have easy anywhere access to all your ideas and scores. # Enable a hybrid workflow While Sibelius for mobile is fully featured, providing many of the same tools as its desktop counterpart, there are some notation and layout features only available in the desktop version, making it an integral part of a complete workflow (compare versions). Plus, the mobile version comes free with the desktop version, enabling you to work where and how you want.

Screenshots

Score Creator4 screens
Sibelius4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sibelius at 4.2 against Score Creator's 3.5. Sibelius also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 495) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15). Score Creator's advantage is review sentiment (60% vs 36%) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Score Creator sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Sibelius sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sibelius holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 495 and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of Score Creator's written reviews are positive against 36% of Sibelius's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Score Creator ships an update every 11 days, Sibelius every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Score Creator versus Sibelius: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScore CreatorSibelius
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (495 ratings)4.2 (1.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.5% of reviews — better35.7% of reviews
Number of ratings4951.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1513.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size307 MB1.4 GB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTRAN PHUONGAvid®

Customer experience

Score Creator

All ratings495 ratings
Positive59.8%
Neutral14.9%
Negative25.3%
Written reviews615 reviews
Positive60.5%
Neutral15.6%
Negative23.9%

Sibelius

All ratings1,796 ratings
Positive78.2%
Neutral5.3%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews591 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral11.3%
Negative53.0%

User reviews

Score Creator

From 495 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Great for composing music on the go
  • 💡 Useful for learning and practicing music
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🚀 Helpful for arranging and transcribing music

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔇 Poor sound quality of instruments
  • 🔇 Lack of dynamics and articulation support
  • 🔇 Limited range of instruments
  • 💰 Paywall for advanced features

Sibelius

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and intuitive
  • 🚀 Useful for composing on the go
  • 💡 Good for making quick edits to existing scores
  • 🎨 Stylish and professional-looking app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes frequently
  • 🔒 Difficulty unlocking full version and accessing features
  • 💰 Subscription service is very expensive
  • 🔇 Limited sound library and poor playback quality
  • 📁 Unreliable saving and file management

Bugs and requests

Score Creator

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Sudden loss of data and unsaved work
  • Playback issues, including notes not playing correctly
  • Instrument key signatures not working as expected
  • App crashing on launch or when opening certain scores
  • Inability to edit or modify existing compositions

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add more percussion instruments
  • Implement dynamics, articulations, and expression markings
  • Allow for more than 2 instruments in the free version
  • Improve the drum notation and playback
  • Add support for chords, trills, and other advanced notation
Show 2 more
  • Implement a swing/shuffle feature
  • Improve the transposition and key signature handling

Sibelius

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Scores disappearing or not saving properly
  • Subscription issues and inability to log in
  • Crashes when performing basic actions
  • Compatibility problems with newer iPad OS versions

Requested features

7 requests
  • Ability to enlarge chord symbols
  • More time signature options
  • Support for MIDI input
  • Better Apple Pencil integration
  • Autosave and improved file management
Show 2 more
  • Export options like MusicXML and PDF
  • Customizable shortcuts and toolbars

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Score Creator

Subscriptions5
  • One-month full version$4.991 Month
  • Basic user - one year$6.993 Months
  • Three-month full version$10.993 Months
Show 2 more
  • Basic user - one year$20.991 Year
  • One-year full version$32.991 Year
One-time2
  • Basic user - full version$69.99
  • Lifetime full version$98.99
2 purchases

Sibelius

Subscriptions2
  • Sibelius Artist for iOS1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • Sibelius Ultimate for iOS1 Month trial$12.991 Month

Questions

Is Score Creator free?
Score Creator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sibelius free?
Sibelius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Score Creator or Sibelius?
Sibelius is rated higher. Score Creator averages 3.5 out of 5 from 495 ratings, while Sibelius averages 4.2 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Score Creator or Sibelius have ads?
Neither Score Creator nor Sibelius shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Score Creator or Sibelius?
Score Creator ships an update every 11 days, and Sibelius every 2 months. Most recently, Score Creator was updated on October 26, 2026 and Sibelius on October 27, 2026.

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