Top Symphony Pro Alternatives for Music Notation & Composition
Symphony Pro is a powerful music notation and composition app designed for iPad users, offering a rich set of features including 114 built-in instruments, the ability to create scores in standard notation or tablature, and extensive editing capabilities. While Symphony Pro excels in its domain, musicians, composers, and educators often seek alternatives that might offer different platform compatibility, open-source options, or unique features. This guide explores the best Symphony Pro alternatives to help you find the perfect fit for your musical journey.
Best Symphony Pro Alternatives
Whether you're looking for free solutions, cross-platform compatibility, or advanced features, these alternatives to Symphony Pro cover a wide spectrum of needs for music notation and composition.
MuseScore
MuseScore is a fantastic free and open-source music notation and composition software available for Linux, Windows, and Mac. It’s an excellent Symphony Pro alternative due to its robust feature set, including WYSIWYG support, MIDI capabilities, and the ability to export to PDF, making it highly versatile for various musical projects.
LilyPond
GNU LilyPond is a powerful free and open-source computer program for music engraving, focusing on producing scores with traditional layout rules. Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux, it’s a strong Symphony Pro alternative for those who prioritize high-quality, professional-looking scores and are comfortable with a text-based input method.
Sibelius
Sibelius, a commercial scorewriter program by Avid Technology, is a long-standing industry standard for music notation on Mac and Windows. As a premium Symphony Pro alternative, it offers extensive features like a Ribbon Interface, Ideas Hub, and advanced engraving options, making it suitable for professional composers and educators.
StaffPad
StaffPad is a commercial notation app designed specifically for Windows, leveraging advanced pen and touch input on devices like Microsoft Surface. Its innovative approach to music composition with pen support makes it a unique and powerful Symphony Pro alternative for users on compatible Windows devices.
Flat
Flat is a freemium web-based music notation editor that excels in collaborative writing with real-time editing capabilities. This makes it a great Symphony Pro alternative for educational settings or group projects, allowing users to create and edit music scores directly in their web browser, integrated with platforms like Google Drive and Classroom.
Dorico
Dorico by Steinberg is a freemium scoring software for Mac and Windows, recognized for its musical intelligence and intuitive workflows. It's a strong Symphony Pro alternative, offering advanced features like sophisticated engraving options, MIDI keyboard input, and comprehensive guitar support, appealing to both hobbyists and professionals.
Finale
Finale is proprietary scorewriting software developed by MakeMusic, Inc., available for Mac and Windows. It's a comprehensive Symphony Pro alternative, known for its deep control over music notation, allowing for multiple tracks, specific articulations, and extensive music XML support, making it ideal for highly detailed compositions.
PreSonus Notion
PreSonus Notion is a commercial music composition and performance environment available for Mac, Windows, iPhone, and iPad. Its fast and intuitive design, along with features geared towards education, makes it a compelling Symphony Pro alternative for those seeking cross-platform access and a focus on learning and performance.
MagicScore
MagicScore is an easy-to-use yet powerful commercial music notation and composition software designed for Windows. It stands out as a viable Symphony Pro alternative for Windows users, offering a smart choice for musicians, composers, teachers, and students with its MIDI capabilities and comprehensive music composition tools.
Pizzicato
Pizzicato is commercial music software available for Mac and Windows, designed for writing, printing, arranging, and composing sheet music, and even for learning music theory. As a Symphony Pro alternative, it provides a well-rounded solution for those looking to expand beyond basic notation into broader music creation and educational aspects.
Ultimately, the best Symphony Pro alternative depends on your specific needs, budget, and preferred operating system. We encourage you to explore these options to find the perfect music notation and composition software that enhances your creative process.