Comparison

ScoreCloud Express HD vs Dorico

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

Head to head
About

ScoreCloud Express HD

Instantly transform melodies played, sung, or whistled into music notation. Edit your scores, change playback sounds, and share your creations. Synchronize with desktop software for further arrangement and editing.

Highlights
  • Monophonic melody to notation conversion
  • Intelligent audio interpretation
  • Score editing and sound changes
  • Cloud and in-app song storage
  • Cross-platform synchronization
  • Sharing via email and social media
Read full description

Straight from musical idea to music notation - wherever you are! • EuroBest 2013 Gold winner for best user experience (UX) • Cannes Lions Gold winner 2013 "Media, Entertainment & Leisure" • Cannes Lions Silver medalist 2013 "Other Technology for Mobile" With this app you can: • Play, sing or whistle any monophonic melody and instantly turn it into music notation. • Edit score and change playback sound. • Share results with your friends and synchronize it with ScoreCloud Studio on your computer in order to arrange or edit it further. Features: • Displays your monophonic input in standard notation. • Intelligent interpretation of pitch, time signature, rhythm & meter, and tempo directly from monophonic audio input. • In-App and cloud-based storage of your songs. • Works with a wide range of musical instruments. • Playback with a number of different sounds or the original recording. • Designed for recording also in noisy environments. • No limitations with regards to musical style – ScoreCloud Express can track composite meters, syncopation, free rhythm etc. • Share your song with your friends by email, Twitter or Facebook (iOS 6 or higher) for anyone to view and listen to in a web browser. • Synchronize your songs with ScoreCloud Studio on your computer in order to edit and arrange them. ScoreCloud Express requires a free account and an Internet connection, since the analysis of your recordings is performed in the cloud.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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!

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dorico at Free against ScoreCloud Express HD's $2.99. Dorico also leads on rating (4.6 vs 1.8) and review sentiment (55% vs 30%). ScoreCloud Express HD's advantage is iOS requirement (6.0 vs 17). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Dorico is free to download; ScoreCloud Express HD costs $2.99 up front. ScoreCloud Express HD sells 1 one-off in-app purchase 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dorico holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dorico has 2.3K ratings behind it against 44, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of ScoreCloud Express HD's written reviews are positive against 55% of Dorico's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ScoreCloud Express HD ships an update every 3 months, Dorico every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
ScoreCloud Express HD versus Dorico: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterScoreCloud Express HDDorico
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating1.8 (44 ratings)4.6 (2.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews29.5% of reviews55.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings442.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS6.0 — better17
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB975 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDoReMIR Music Research ABSteinberg Media Technologies GmbH

Customer experience

ScoreCloud Express HD

All ratings43 ratings
Positive18.6%
Neutral4.7%
Negative76.7%
Written reviews105 reviews
Positive29.5%
Neutral10.5%
Negative60.0%

Dorico

All ratings1,908 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews294 reviews
Positive55.4%
Neutral12.9%
Negative31.6%

Bugs and requests

ScoreCloud Express HD

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

1 purchases

ScoreCloud Express HD

One-time1
  • month of PLUS$4.99
3 purchases

Dorico

Subscriptions2
  • Dorico Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Dorico Annual Subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
One-time1
  • Dorico Lifetime Unlock$119.99

Questions

Is ScoreCloud Express HD free?
ScoreCloud Express HD costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Dorico free?
Dorico is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ScoreCloud Express HD or Dorico?
Dorico is rated higher. ScoreCloud Express HD averages 1.8 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Dorico averages 4.6 from 2.3K ratings.
Do ScoreCloud Express HD or Dorico have ads?
Neither ScoreCloud Express HD nor Dorico shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ScoreCloud Express HD or Dorico?
ScoreCloud Express HD ships an update every 3 months, and Dorico every 3 weeks. Most recently, ScoreCloud Express HD was updated on November 1, 2026 and Dorico on November 8, 2026.

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