Comparison of scorewriters

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This is a comparison of music notation programs .

General information

NameGuitar tablature WYSIWYG editorMIDI entry [a] PlaybackFile formatsDeveloper(s)Stable release; review date License CostOperating systems
ImportExport
Canorus NoYes MIDI CanorusML, [b] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] simple LilyPond [e] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] LilyPond, [e] PDF Reinhard Katzmann, Matevž Jekovec, Georg Rudolph0.7.3; 18 June 2018(6 years ago)Since 0.7.3: GPL-3.0-only
0.1.0 to 0.7.2: GPL-2.0-only 		No cost Linux
Capella YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, VST, SoundFontsCapella, [f] CapXML, [g] MusicXML, [c] MIDI [d] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, Truevision TGA, PCX, HTML capella-software AG10.0-01; 25 November 2024(21 days ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS
Denemo YesYesStep-timeMIDIDenemo, [h] limited LilyPond, [e] MusicXML [c] LilyPond, [e] MusicXML, WAV, Ogg, PDF, PNG, MIDI Jeremiah Benham, Richard Shann2.6.0; 11 March 2022(2 years ago) GPL-3.0-or-later No cost Windows, macOS, Linux
Dorico YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, VSTDorico, [i] MusicXML, [c] MIDI [d] MIDI, [d] MusicXML, [c] WAV, MP3, PDF, PNG, TIFF, SVG Steinberg 5.1.70; 20 November 2024(26 days ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS
Early Notation Typesetter NoYesNoNo ENT [j] ENT, [j] PDF Samuel Gossner, Daniel West, Dieter Theuns0.9.6; 20 October 2020(4 years ago) Proprietary No charge for single fontWindows, macOS, Linux
Encore YesYesMIDIEncore, [k] MusicTime, [l] Rhapsody, [m] Compressed MusicXML [n] MIDI, [d] Cakewalk MIDI, [o] Master Tracks Pro, [p] PDF Passport Music Software5.0.4 (Windows); 5.0.7 (macOS); 2015(9 years ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS
Finale YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, VST, AU, [q] Garritan libraryFinale, [r] MusicXML, [c] MIDI [d] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] WAV, MP3, AIFF, PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, EPS, BMP, GIF, PICT [q] MakeMusic, Inc.27.4.1; 12 December 2023(12 months ago) final release Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS
Flat YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, VST, AU MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] MuseScore, TuxGuitar, Guitar Pro (versions 3–8), Power Tab MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] WAV, MP3, PDF, PNG, SVGTutteo37.9.0; 17 October 2024(1 month ago) Proprietary Freemium Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Forte YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, VSTForte, [s] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] CapXML [g] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] BMP, JPEG Lugert Verlag GmbH12.1; 2020(4 years ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows
Frescobaldi No WYSIWYM MIDI LilyPond, [e] MusicXML, [c] ABC MusicXML, [c] PDF Wilbert Berendsen3.3.0; 26 March 2023(20 months ago) GPL-2.0-or-later No cost Windows, macOS, Linux
Guitar Pro YesYesMIDI, RSE Guitar Pro (versions 1–8), [t] MusicXML, [c] Compressed MusicXML, [n] MIDI, [d] ASCII tab, [u] Power Tab, [v] TablEdit [w] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] ASCII tab, [u] PNG, PDF, WAV Arobas Music8.1.3; 3 September 2024(3 months ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS, Linux
Impro-Visor NoYesStep-time and real-timeMIDIImpro-Visor [x] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] PDF Bob Keller10.2; 1 August 2019(5 years ago) GPL-2.0-or-later No cost Windows, macOS, Linux
LilyPond YesNoNoMIDI LilyPond; [e] using converters: ABC, [y] ETF, [z] MIDI, [d] MusicXML [c] PDF, PNG, PS, SVG Han-Wen Nienhuys, Jan Nieuwenhuizen2.24.4; 21 July 2024(4 months ago) GPL-3.0-or-later No cost Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD
MagicScore YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, SoundFontsSFD, [aa] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] Karaoke, [ab] WAV, MP3 MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] Karaoke, [ab] WAV, MP3, PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, EMF, WMF Maestro Music Software8.280; 2017(7 years ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows
Mozart YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDIMozart, [ac] MusicXML, [c] NIFF, [ad] MIDI, [d] Karaoke, [ab] ABC [y] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] ABC, [y] BMP, EMF, GIF, JPEG, PBM, PNG, TIFF Mozart Music Software16.1.5; September 2024(3 months ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows
Mus2 NoYesMIDIMus2 [ae] MIDI, [d] AIFF, WAV, PDF, SVG, BMP, JPEG, PNG Utku Uzmen (Data-Soft Ltd.)3.2.3; November 2022(2 years ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS
MuseScore StudioYesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, SoundFonts, SFZ, VST3 MuseScore, [af] MusicXML, [c] Compressed MusicXML, [n] MIDI, [d] Karaoke, [ab] MuseData, [ag] Bagpipe Music Writer, [ah] Band-in-a-Box, [ai] Overture, [aj] Capella, [f] CapXML, [g] Guitar Pro (versions 1–6), [t] Power Tab (experimental), [v] PDF (experimental), ABC [y] (with plugin) MusicXML, [c] Compressed MusicXML, [n] PDF, PNG, SVG, MIDI, [d] WAV, FLAC, Ogg, MP3 The MuseScore developer community 4.4.4; 11 December 2024(5 days ago) GPL-3.0-only for desktop tools; online and mobile tools are proprietary and freemium No cost for most tools Windows, macOS, Linux
MusiCAD NoYesMIDIMusiCAD, [ak] MIDI, [d] ABC [y] MIDI, [d] ABC, [y] PDF, JPEG, PNG, BMP Musys Software4.0; 1 May 2015(9 years ago) Proprietary Prompt to purchase license appears when saving [2] Windows
MusicEase YesYesMIDIMusicEase, [al] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] ABC, [y] SongWright [am] MIDI, [d] PDF MusicEase Software10.1j; September 2024(3 months ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS
Musink No WYSIWYM MIDIMusink [an] MIDI, [d] PDF, PNG, XPS Lee Reid1.3.0.3 Proprietary No cost Windows, macOS
MusiXTeX YesNoNoNo TeX (incl. PMX and M-Tx), [ao] MusicXML [c] (with converters)DVI, [ap] PS, PDF, MIDI [d] (for PMX input)Daniel Taupin, Ross Mitchell, Andreas Egler1.38; 29 March 2024(8 months ago) GPL-2.0-or-later No cost Windows, macOS, Linux
Notation Composer NoYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, SoundFonts Notation, [aq] MusicXML, [c] Compressed MusicXML, [n] MIDI, [d] Karaoke [ab] MusicXML, [c] Compressed MusicXML, [n] PDF, MIDI, [d] Karaoke, [ab] PNG, BMP, JPEG, GIF, WAV, FLAC, Ogg, MP3 Notation Software5.0.1; 6 June 2024(6 months ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS, Linux
NoteWorthy Composer YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDINWC, [ar] MIDI, [d] Karaoke [ab] MIDI [d] NoteWorthy Software2.75a.2; 2017(7 years ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows
Notion YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, VST MusicXML, [c] Compressed MusicXML, [n] MIDI, [d] Guitar Pro [t] (versions 4–5) MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] WAV PreSonus6.8.2; 24 August 2021(3 years ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS, iOS (iPad)
Overture YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, VST, AU [q] Overture, [aj] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] Score Writer [as] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] WAV, MP3 Sonic Scores5.6.1.1; 2 December 2019(5 years ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS
Philip's Music Writer YesNoNoMIDIPMW [at] MIDI, [d] PS Philip Hazel 5.22; 21 December 2023(11 months ago) GPL-2.0-or-later No cost Linux (older versions for RISC OS)
Power Tab Editor YesYesMIDIPower Tab, [v] MIDI [d] MIDI, [d] ASCII tab, [u] BMP, HTML Brad Larsen1.0.0.175; 26 August 2006(18 years ago) Proprietary No cost Windows
Rosegarden NoYesStep-time and real-timeMIDIRosegarden, [au] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] Hydrogen [av] LilyPond, [e] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] Csound, [aw] Mup, [ax] PDF Chris Cannam, Richard Bown, Guillaume Laurent24.12; 4 December 2024(12 days ago) GPL-2.0-or-later No cost Linux
SCORE YesNoStep-timeMIDISCORE (.mus) EPS Leland Smith,
San Andreas Press		5.01; 1 November 2013(11 years ago) Proprietary Non-freeMS-DOS
Windows
ScoreCloud StudioNoYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, VST MIDI, [d] live audio MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] WAV, PDF Doremir Music Research AB4.8.3; December 2024(0 months ago) Proprietary Free without file savingWindows, macOS, iOS
Sibelius YesYesStep-time and real-timeMIDI, VST, AU, [q] Avid librarySibelius, [ay] MusicXML, [c] MIDI [d] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] MP3, PDF, SVG, EPS, PNG Avid Technology, Inc. 2024.10; 24 October 2024(53 days ago) Proprietary No cost up to 4 staves [3] Windows, macOS, RISC OS, iOS
SmartScore 64 NE YesYesMIDISmartScore, [az] scanned images, MusicXML, [c] NIFF [ad] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] Finale, [r] NIFF, [ad] PDF Musitek Corporation11.6.109; 6 August 2024(4 months ago) Proprietary Non-freeWindows, macOS
TuxGuitar YesYesMIDITuxGuitar, [ba] MusicXML, [c] MIDI, [d] Guitar Pro (versions 1–6), [t] Power Tab, [v] TablEdit [w] MIDI, [d] Guitar Pro (versions 3–5), [t] LilyPond, [e] ASCII tab, [u] PDF Julian Gabriel Casadesus1.6.5; 13 December 2024(3 days ago) LGPL-2.1-only No cost Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Android
NameGuitar tablature WYSIWYG editorMIDI entry [a] PlaybackImportExportDeveloper(s)Stable release; review date License CostOperating systems
File formats

File formats and extensions

  1. 1 2 When entering notes, "step-time" means one first selects the note duration then enters notes and chords one a time, while "real-time" means one plays the notes to enter with correct rhythm and the software recognizes the note durations.
  2. ↑ Canorus native format, .can
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 MusicXML, open standard XML-based music notation exchange format, .xml or (version 3.1 or later) .musicxml
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Standard MIDI file format, .mid or .midi
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 LilyPond plain text native format, .ly
  6. 1 2 Capella native format, binary file, .cap
  7. 1 2 3 Capella native format, compressed ZIP containing XML, .capx
  8. ↑ Denemo native format, .denemo
  9. ↑ Dorico native format, .dorico
  10. 1 2 Early notation typesetter native format, .ent
  11. ↑ Encore native format, .enc
  12. ↑ MusicTime (by the same developer as Encore) native format, .mto, .mus (different to Finale .mus)
  13. ↑ Rhapsody (by the same developer as Encore) native format, .rhp
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 MusicXML version 2.0 or later, compressed as a ZIP, .mxl
  15. ↑ Cakewalk MIDI file format, .mff[ clarification needed ]
  16. ↑ Master Tracks Pro (by the same developer as Encore) native format, .mts
  17. 1 2 3 4 Mac version only
  18. 1 2 Finale native format, .mus (2012 and earlier) or .musx (2014 and later)
  19. ↑ Forte native format, .fnf
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Guitar Pro native format version 1–2, .gtp; version 3, .gp3; version 4, .gp4; version 5, .gp5; version 6, .gpx; version 7, .gp
  21. 1 2 3 4 ASCII tablature plain text format, .txt, .tab, or .btab
  22. 1 2 3 4 Power Tab Editor native format, .ptb
  23. 1 2 TablEdit native format, .tef
  24. ↑ Impro-Visor native format, .ls
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ABC plain text format, .abc
  26. ↑ Finale Enigma Transport Format, .etf [1]
  27. ↑ Maestro software family native format, .sfd
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Standard MIDI file format including standard MIDI lyrics, used for karaoke, .kar
  29. ↑ Mozart native format, .mz
  30. 1 2 3 Notation Interchange File Format, .nif
  31. ↑ Mus2 notation and tuning file format, .mus2, .mu2
  32. ↑ MuseScore native format, .mscz; uncompressed XML-based format, .mscx; style sheet, .mss; score album, .album
  33. ↑ MuseData project format, .md
  34. ↑ Bagpipe Music Writer native format, .bww
  35. ↑ Band-in-a-Box native format, .mgu or .sgu
  36. 1 2 Overture native format, .ove
  37. ↑ MusiCAD plain text native format, .mc
  38. ↑ MusicEase native format, .mez
  39. ↑ SongWright native format, .sw
  40. ↑ Musink native format, .musink
  41. ↑ PMX, preprocessor language for MusixTeX, .pmx; M-Tx, processor for PMX, .mtx
  42. ↑ TeX device independent file format, .dvi
  43. ↑ NoteSoft file, Notation Software native format, .not
  44. ↑ NoteWorthy Composer native format, .nwc or .nwctxt
  45. ↑ Score Writer (by the same developer as Overture) native format, .scw
  46. ↑ Philip's Music Writer native format, human-readable text, .pmw
  47. ↑ Rosegarden native format, .rg
  48. ↑ Hydrogen drum machine song XML file format, .h2song
  49. ↑ Csound audio domain-specific language format, without orchestra data, .csd
  50. ↑ Music Publisher Score file format, .mup
  51. ↑ Sibelius (scorewriter) native format, .sib
  52. ↑ SmartScore native format, .enf
  53. ↑ TuxGuitar native format, .tg

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "An incomplete description of the Enigma Transport Format". LilyPond.org. Archived from the original on 3 May 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  2. ↑ Restrictions
  3. ↑ Version Comparison

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LilyPond</span> Free software scorewriter

LilyPond is a computer program and file format for music engraving. One of LilyPond's major goals is to produce scores that are engraved with traditional layout rules, reflecting the era when scores were engraved by hand.

Finale is a discontinued proprietary music notation software developed and released by MakeMusic for Microsoft Windows and macOS from 1988 until the 27th of August 2024, when it was discontinued.

A scorewriter, or music notation program is software for creating, editing and printing sheet music. A scorewriter is to music notation what a word processor is to text, in that they typically provide flexible editing and automatic layout, and produce high-quality printed results.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Encore (software)</span> Scorewriter

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MusicXML is an XML-based file format for representing Western musical notation. The format is open, fully documented, and can be freely used under the W3C Community Final Specification Agreement.

capella is a musical notation program or scorewriter developed by the German company capella-software AG, running on Microsoft Windows or corresponding emulators in other operating systems, like Wine on Linux and others on Apple Macintosh. Capella requires to be activated after a trial period of 30 days. The publisher writes the name in lower case letters only. The program was initially created by Hartmut Ring, and is now maintained and developed by Bernd Jungmann.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mozart the music processor</span> Scorewriter

Mozart the music processor is a proprietary WYSIWYG scorewriter program for Microsoft Windows. It is used to create and edit Western musical notation to create and print sheet music, and to play it via MIDI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MusEdit</span> Scorewriter

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">MuseScore</span> Music notation software

MuseScore Studio is a free and open-source music notation program for Windows, macOS, and Linux under the Muse Group, which owns the associated online score-sharing platform MuseScore.com and a freemium mobile score viewer and playback app.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overture (software)</span> Scorewriter

Overture is a music notation (scorewriter) program for Windows and Macintosh platforms, published and developed by Sonic Scores. While Overture is primarily a scorewriter program, it also allows editing the score's MIDI audio playback data in the manner of sequencer and digital audio workstation (DAW) software.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forte (notation program)</span> Scorewriter

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorico</span> Scorewriter

Dorico is scoring software for macOS, Windows and iPadOS. Along with Finale and Sibelius, it is one of the three leading professional-level music notation programs. Dorico is developed by Steinberg, a subsidiary of Yamaha, and its development team consists of most of the former core developers of a rival software, Sibelius.

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