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See how Sibelius music composer software compares to other versions and decide which one is right for you.
Sibelius | Ultimate
Compose rich scores with unlimited parts and custom layouts
from
$19.99 USD/month
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Sibelius is always getting better with new features and improvements. And with your active plan, you get them as soon as we release them. See what's new in Sibelius 2020 (June).
General features
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Sibelius | First
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Sibelius
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Sibelius | Ultimate
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GENERAL features |
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Ideal for... |
Composing simple scores with up to 4 instrument parts (staves) | Composing simple/moderate music with up to 16 staves | Composing, arranging, and publishing scores and parts of any size and complexity; creating notation worksheets and exercises for education |
| Availability | Available for free for anyone to download and use | Subscribe monthly or annually, or purchase and own a perpetual license | Subscribe monthly or annually, purchase and own a perpetual license (educational discount available), trade-up from other notation software, or get network licensing |
| Number of computers you can install a single copy on | n/a | 2, for use by same person (e.g., desktop + laptop) | 2, for use by same person (e.g., desktop + laptop) |
| Software updates and support | Download the latest update as it becomes available | Access all new releases and Standard support through a subscription or renewable 1-Year Software Updates + Support Plan (included with new perpetual licenses) | Access all new releases and Standard support through a subscription or renewable 1-Year Software Updates + Support Plan (included with new perpetual licenses) |
Notation
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Sibelius | First
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Sibelius
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Sibelius | Ultimate
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Notation |
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| Accidentals | Normal and double only | Normal and double only, bracketed | Normal, double, quarter-tones, bracketed |
| Metadata | Common ones only | Common ones only | Full set |
| Bar numbers | Limited | Limited | Full range of formats |
| Barline types | Single, double, repeat only | Single, double, repeat only | Single, double, repeat, dotted, early music |
| Bars, irregular | No | No, except pick-up bars | + |
| Beams cross-staff in (keyboard music) | + | ||
| Beam/rest groupings | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Brackets and braces | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Change transposition of tranposing instruments | + | ||
| Chord symbols appearance and MIDI/text input | Limited preset options | Limited preset options | Fully customizable |
| Cue (small) notes | + | ||
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Dotted notes: single, double, triple |
+ | + | |
| Guitar chord diagrams | Limited | Limited | + |
| Guitar scale diagrams | + | ||
| Guitar tab | Basic only | Basic only | Full |
| Instruments | Common only | Common, jazz, and world instruments only, with fixed number of staves | Full customizable range |
| Jazz articulations: scoops, falls, doits, and plops | + | + | |
| Lines, custom | + | ||
| Lines gallery | Some | All | All |
| Note values: 512th note (7 beams) to "long" (double breve) | 32nd note to breve | + | + |
| Noteheads, custom | + | ||
| Ossia staves | + | ||
| Page numbers | Automatic | Automatic | Customizable |
| Special symbols | + | ||
| Split multirests in parts | + | ||
| Staves | Up to 4 | Up to 16 per system | Unlimited number |
| Stemlets (half-stems) and "feathered" beams | + | ||
| Symbols | None | All | All |
| Tuplets | Triplets only | Duplets (2:3) to nontuplets (9:8) | Any (such as 2, 7, 44:31, and nested tuplets) |
| Voices per stave | 1 and 2 only | 4 voices | 4 voices |
Playback
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Sibelius | First
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Sibelius
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Sibelius | Ultimate
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Playback |
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| Advanced notation interpretation | + | ||
| Edit MIDI data | + | ||
| Included sampled sounds | General MIDI | 10 GB | 36 GB |
| Espressivo 2.0 | Presets only | Customizable rhythmic feel | |
| Live Tempo (conduct playback by tapping) | Limited—playback only | Limited—playback only | Record, edit, clear, and play back Live Tempo |
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Loop playback |
+ | + | |
| Manual Sound Sets | + | + | |
| Playback markings on specified repeats | + | ||
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Playback of hairpins, rits, and accels |
Fixed | Fixed | Adjustable |
| Playback of fermatas | Fixed | Fixed | Adjustable |
| Playback support of n players | + | + | |
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Scrub playback |
+ | ||
| Words that affect playback (e.g. legato) | Fixed | Fixed | Editable |
Utilities
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Sibelius | First
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Sibelius
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Sibelius | Ultimate
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Utilities |
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| Annotate | + | + | + |
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Arrange: automatic arranging and orchestration |
+ | ||
| Comments (sticky notes) | + | + | + |
| Compare different scores or versions | + | ||
| Copy and paste to Word and other programs | Low resolution (96 dpi) only | + | |
| Display timecode | Single format | Customizable format | |
| Edit Dynamic Parts | Limited | Full | |
| Edit word menus | + | ||
| Export a log of changes to a score | + | ||
| Export lyrics as text file | + | + | |
| Filters for editing similar objects | Quick filters only | + | |
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Find |
+ | ||
| Focus on staves | + | ||
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Graphics export (for creating worksheets and other content) |
+ | ||
| Hide and show objects in score and parts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Highlight music | + | + | + |
| Ideas Hub | 300 library ideas, with the ability to capture your own ideas (editing not supported) | 300 library ideas, with the ability to capture your own ideas (editing not supported) | Over 2,000 library ideas, with the ability to capture and edit your own ideas and add to the score/library |
| Import MIDI files | + | + | + |
| Import MusicXML files | + | + | + |
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Intelligent MIDI Import |
Limited | + | |
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Intelligent MusicXML Import |
+ | + | |
| Instrument changes | + | ||
| Join scores together | + | ||
| Keyboard shortcuts | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
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Lyric verses allowed |
2 | 5 | Unlimited |
| Lyrics from text file | + | ||
| Navigator window | + | + | |
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Note input options |
Fixed | Limited | Full |
| Panorama scroll view | + | + | + |
| Paper and desk textures | 40 | 40 | Over 60 |
| Part extraction | + | ||
| Paste As Cue | + | ||
| Plugins | None | 38 included | Over 140 included |
| Inspector window to edit individual objects | Full | ||
| Rehearsal marks | Default only | Fully customizable | |
| Repeat structures | Fixed | Customizable | Fully customizable |
| Rulers | + | ||
| Score Starter: (40 genre-specific templates) | + | + | |
| Slide notes and rests | + | + | |
| Special page breaks | + | ||
| Timeline window | + | ||
| Swap voices | + | ||
| Versions | Save, view, and print only | + | |
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Video, including timecode and hit points |
Add video, add/edit hit points | + | |
| Viewing options for Magnetic Layout, page margins, note colors, full screen, and more | + | ||
| Worksheet Creator | + | ||
Publishing
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Sibelius | First
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Sibelius
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Sibelius | Ultimate
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Publishing |
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| Advanced layout features | + | ||
| Auto Layout options | + | ||
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Auto Optimize |
+ | + | |
| Edit fonts | Limited | Full | |
| Edit staff types | + | ||
| Edit text styles | + | ||
| Engraving rules (edit hundreds of) | + | ||
| Headers/footers | + | + | |
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House Style import/export |
Import only | + | |
| Intelligent Rests |
+ |
+ | |
| Magnetic Layout | Fixed | Fixed | Fully customizable |
| Manage Dynamic Parts | + | ||
| Manuscript papers (preset score layouts) | Includes a few; can't create your own | Includes a few; can't create your own | Includes many; can create your own |
| Multiple staff size | Fixed | Fixed | Fully customizable |
| Note spacing rules | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Reset position/design of objects | Limited | Limited | + |
| Set default object positions | + | ||
| Staff spacing | Fixed | Manual adjustment only | + |
Exporting and sharing
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Sibelius | First
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Sibelius
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Sibelius | Ultimate
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Exporting and sharing |
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| Audio recording export | WAV, AIFF, and MP3 | WAV, AIFF, and MP3 | |
| Avid Scorch optimized export (app available on the iTunes App Store) | + | + | + |
| Email score as .sib or .pdf | + | + | |
| Graphics file export | PDF export only | Standard bitmap and vector formats (SVG, EPS, PNG, JPG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, and PDF) | |
| MIDI file export—Type 0 and Type 1 for any device | + | + | |
| MusicXML file export (compressed or uncompressed) | + | + | |
| Previous version export | + | + | |
| Publish directly to ScoreExchange.com | + | + | |
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Review mode |
+ | + | + |
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Sibelius | Cloud Sharing |
10 scores | 20 scores | Unlimited (up to 1 GB storage) |
| Video file (export your score as) | + | + | |
System requirements
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Sibelius | First
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Sibelius
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Sibelius | Ultimate
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System requirements* |
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| Minimum requirements | Avid-qualified Mac or Windows-based computer (get the details) | Avid-qualified Mac or Windows-based computer (get the details); the 10 GB Sibelius Sounds library is an optional installation | Avid-qualified Mac or Windows-based computer (get the details); the 36 GB Sibelius | Ultimate Sounds library is an optional installation |
| Other | Internet connection required for software download and activation | Internet connection required for software download and activation; ASIO-compatible soundcard required for Sibelius Sounds (Windows requirement only) | Internet connection required for software download and activation; ASIO-compatible soundcard required for Sibelius | Ultimate Sounds (Windows requirement only) |
* If you have an external hardware MIDI playback device, please check to ensure a compatible sound set is available—see the list of sound sets supplied with Sibelius | Ultimate.
** Please note that if your computer doesn't meet the recommended requirements for Sibelius | Ultimate or Sibelius Sounds, you can still use the library, but may find that you can’t use as many sounds simultaneously and that sounds may take a long time to load.