# Ensemble Composer vs Music Notator

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ensemble Composer at 77% against Music Notator's 10%. Ensemble Composer also leads on rating (4.6 vs 1.7) and ratings volume (276 vs 7). Music Notator's advantage is price ($8.99 vs $14.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.6). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Ensemble Composer costs $14.99 and Music Notator $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Ensemble Composer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ensemble Composer has 276 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Ensemble Composer's written reviews are positive against 10% of Music Notator's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ensemble Composer | Music Notator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **$8.99** |
| Rating | **[4.6 (276 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ensemble-composer/id724167960/reviews)** | [1.7 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-notator/id757865024/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **276** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **77.4% of reviews** | 10.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Size | 15 MB | 113 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **9.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [N. Wheeler](https://appshunter.io/developer/312350021) | [scorio GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/546625110) |

## What reviewers say

### Ensemble Composer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ensemble-composer/id724167960)

Create custom drumline music with realistic recorded sounds. Compose street beats, stand jams, or entire musical books. Play along, practice, share, and edit your compositions.

**Highlights:** Compose drumline music, Realistic recorded drum sounds, Play along and practice, Share and edit compositions, Support for any time signature, Customizable rhythms

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎵 Authentic drum sounds and audio quality (older versions)
- ✍️ Intuitive composition interface for writing cadences
- 📱 All-in-one drumline app combining multiple sections
- 💾 Export functionality to sheet music and audio formats
- 🎯 Useful for educators and students to practice rhythms

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Severe audio quality degradation after recent update
- 🐛 Choppy scrolling and laggy performance
- 🐛 Audio stuttering and cutting off during playback
- 🐛 Files not saving or disappearing after updates
- 🐛 Backward compatibility issues with legacy files

**Reported bugs**

- New update prevents opening older files
- Audio stutters and cuts off in faster rhythms
- Triplet rolls don't sound even
- Bass drum subdivisions not working
- Tenor section drums moved to incorrect positions

**Requested features**

- Revert snare sounds to pre-update quality
- Multiple sound option choices for drums
- Hi-hat option for cymbals
- Single tenor drum section option
- Separate tempos within drum sections


### Music Notator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/music-notator/id757865024)

Create and edit musical scores, including melodies, lead sheets with chords and lyrics, and full arrangements. Access your compositions online and on any device with an internet connection.

**Highlights:** Write melodies, lead sheets, and full scores, Intuitive touch-based note entry and editing, Virtual keyboard for note input, Chord and lyric insertion, Export scores as PDF, 19 score templates, MIDI playback with 128 instruments

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ensemble Composer free?

Ensemble Composer costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Music Notator free?

Music Notator costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ensemble Composer or Music Notator?

Ensemble Composer is rated higher. Ensemble Composer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 276 ratings, while Music Notator averages 1.7 from 7 ratings.

### Do Ensemble Composer or Music Notator have ads?

Neither Ensemble Composer nor Music Notator shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ensemble Composer or Music Notator?

Ensemble Composer ships an update every 2 months, and Music Notator every 2 months. Most recently, Ensemble Composer was updated on October 29, 2026 and Music Notator on October 22, 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.*