# Touch Notation vs Symphony

The clearest difference is rating: Symphony at 4.4 against Touch Notation's 2.9. Symphony also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 45%) and price ($4.99 vs $9.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Touch Notation costs $9.99 and Symphony $4.99 up front. Touch Notation sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Symphony sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Symphony holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Symphony has 515 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Touch Notation's written reviews are positive against 79% of Symphony's.

Touch Notation ships an update every 3 months, Symphony every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Touch Notation | Symphony |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **$4.99** |
| Rating | [2.9 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/touch-notation/id890358046/reviews) | **[4.4 (515 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-music-notation/id951251308/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 21 | **515** |
| Positive reviews | 44.6% of reviews | **79.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 4 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#91** |
| Size | 112 MB | 279 MB |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/448581784) | [Xenon Labs, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327764518) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Symphony

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/symphony-music-notation/id951251308)

**Currently charting:** #91 Top Paid · Music (US App Store)

Create musical scores and compositions directly on your iPhone. This app offers tools for adding notes, chords, and lyrics, with multi-track playback and various export options for sharing your work.

**Highlights:** Multi-staff & multi-voice editor, On-screen piano for quick composition, Live, low-latency, multi-track playback, Import MIDI, XML, and Symphony files, Export as PDF, MIDI, MusicXML, or audio, Chord charts and lead sheets, Tablature and standard notation editing

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Edition: Unlimited Projects & Exporting | Free | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Versatile features
- 🎨 Great for composing on the go
- 🎶 Helpful for learning music

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔀 Orientation and layout issues
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find features
- 🎹 Limited MIDI and playback capabilities
- 📄 Formatting and printing problems

**Reported bugs**

- Notes stacking up when playing the piano
- Disappearing score symbols after saving and exiting
- Clef changes not showing up in the app
- Playback issues with continuing mid-bar
- Lag when re-entering the app

**Requested features**

- Add support for repeat marks and other advanced notation
- Improve voice management and editing tools
- Implement better file organization and folder support
- Enhance MIDI and audio export options
- Provide more customization and personalization settings


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Touch Notation free?

Touch Notation costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Symphony free?

Symphony costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Touch Notation or Symphony?

Symphony is rated higher. Touch Notation averages 2.9 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Symphony averages 4.4 from 515 ratings.

### Do Touch Notation or Symphony have ads?

Neither Touch Notation nor Symphony shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Touch Notation or Symphony?

Touch Notation ships an update every 3 months, and Symphony every 4 weeks. Most recently, Touch Notation was updated on October 2, 2026 and Symphony on October 5, 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.*