Virtual Technician vs Dorico
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Virtual Technician
This app allows musicians to digitally adjust the sound, touch, and tuning of their Kawai digital piano. Shape the piano's character in real-time with an intuitive interface, learning about acoustic piano adjustments.
- Adjust sound, touch, and tuning
- Simulates professional piano technician refinements
- Shape piano character to personal preferences
- Regulate hammer and key release noises
- Fine-tune string, lid, and damper resonances
- Intuitive iPad app interface
- Learn acoustic piano characteristics
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Adjust various sound, touch, and tuning characteristics of your Kawai digital piano, as if you were a professional concert tuner. The knowledge and skill of an experienced piano technician is essential to realise the full potential of a fine acoustic piano. In addition to meticulously tuning each note, the technician also performs numerous regulation and voicing adjustments that allow the instrument to truly sing. The Virtual Technician feature of Kawai digital pianos simulates these refinements digitally, allowing musicians to shape various aspects of the piano’s character to suit their personal preferences. Perform touch weight and voicing adjustments, regulate subtle hammer and key release noises, and fine-tune string, lid, and damper resonances – all in real-time, from the comfort of an intuitive iPad app. ・Attractive interface created by Kawai’s award-winning design group, following the same traditional philosophies expressed in our acoustic and digital pianos. ・Learn to adjust various acoustic piano characteristics through the app’s elegant graphical interface and detailed explanations. ・Use the app’s Preview function to hear a sample passage that demonstrates the current setting with the instrument’s piano sound. Compatible models: Kawai CN39/CN29/CN37/CN27/CN17/CN35/CN25/KDP110, CS11/CS8, ES110/ES8, CA58/CA48/CA28/CA97/CA67/CA17/CA33, CP1/CP2/CP3 * The ‘Lightning to USB Camera Adapter’ or ‘Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit’ accessory is required in order to connect an iPad to the Kawai digital piano using a USB cable. It is also possible to connect the iPad wirelessly using the Quicco Sound ‘mi.1’ Bluetooth MIDI device. * A software update may be required in order to utilise the Virtual Technician app with CN37, CA97/CA67 v1.05+ and CP Series (CP1/CP2/CP3 v1.04+) instruments. Please visit the support pages at www.kawai-global.com (CN37, CA97/CA67) and www.kawaius.com (CP Series) for further information. Compatibility: Requires iOS8.0 or later. Compatible with iPad.
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!
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Dorico at 4.6 against Virtual Technician's 2.6. Dorico also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (2.3K vs 9). Virtual Technician's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Dorico sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Virtual Technician asks for nothing beyond the download.
Dorico holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dorico has 2.3K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Virtual Technician's written reviews are positive against 55% of Dorico's.
Virtual Technician ships an update every 7 months, Dorico every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Virtual Technician | Dorico |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (9 ratings) | 4.6 (2.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 38.7% of reviews | 55.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 2.3K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 17 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 975 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH |
Customer experience
Virtual Technician
Dorico
Bugs and requests
Virtual Technician
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
Virtual Technician
No in-app purchases
Dorico
- Dorico Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Month
- Dorico Annual Subscription14 Days trial$49.991 Year
- Dorico Lifetime Unlock$119.99









