# Bagpipe Player vs Sibelius

The clearest difference is price: Sibelius at Free against Bagpipe Player's $14.99. Sibelius also leads on ratings volume (1.8K vs 25) and rating (4.2 vs 4.0). Bagpipe Player's advantage is review sentiment (62% vs 36%). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Sibelius is free to download; Bagpipe Player costs $14.99 up front. Bagpipe Player sells 4 one-off in-app purchases 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.

Sibelius holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sibelius has 1.8K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of Bagpipe Player'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.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bagpipe Player | Sibelius |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $14.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bagpipe-player/id967901058/reviews) | **[4.2 (1.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibelius/id1503221259/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 25 | **1.8K** |
| Positive reviews | **61.5% of reviews** | 35.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 76 MB | 1.4 GB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **13.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Aleksey Vasilyev](https://appshunter.io/developer/967901057) | [Avid®](https://appshunter.io/developer/436394595) |

## What reviewers say

### Bagpipe Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bagpipe-player/id967901058)

Learn, play, and compose bagpipe music with this app. It supports popular music file formats, offers authentic sounds, and provides tools for practice and creation. Manage your tunes, export them, and sync across devices.

**Highlights:** Play bagpipe music with authentic sounds, View sheet music for BWW, BMW, ABC files, Compose new tunes with a graphical editor, Practice tools: section repeat, playback delay, Export music as PDF or MIDI, Organize tunes with folders, Sync files via iCloud

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock save | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Tip Jar 3 | $2.99 | one-time |


### Sibelius

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sibelius/id1503221259)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sibelius Artist for iOS | $5.99 | per month |
| Sibelius Ultimate for iOS | $12.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- Ability to enlarge chord symbols
- More time signature options
- Support for MIDI input
- Better Apple Pencil integration
- Autosave and improved file management


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bagpipe Player free?

Bagpipe Player costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Sibelius free?

Sibelius is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bagpipe Player or Sibelius?

Sibelius is rated higher. Bagpipe Player averages 4.0 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Sibelius averages 4.2 from 1.8K ratings.

### Do Bagpipe Player or Sibelius have ads?

Neither Bagpipe Player nor Sibelius shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bagpipe Player or Sibelius?

Bagpipe Player ships an update every 2 months, and Sibelius every 2 months. Most recently, Bagpipe Player was updated on October 22, 2026 and Sibelius on October 25, 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.*