Compare music composer software
See how Sibelius music composer software compares to other versions and decide which one is right for you.
Comparison
Sibelius | Ultimate
Compose rich scores with unlimited parts and custom layouts
from
$19.99 USD/month
Buy now
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 |
Single dotted | + | + |
| 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 |
| 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 | + | + | |
| 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 | + | |
| 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 | + | + | + |
| Intelligent MIDI Import | Limited | + | |
| Import MusicXML files | + | + | + |
| Instrument changes | + | ||
| Join scores together | + | ||
| Keyboard shortcuts | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Lyric verses allowed | 2 | 5 | Unlimited |
| Lyrics from text file | + | ||
| Navigator window | + | + | |
| 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 | + | ||
| Edit fonts | Limited | Full | |
| Edit staff types | + | ||
| Edit text styles | + | ||
| Engraving rules (edit hundreds of) | + | ||
| Headers/footers | + | + | |
| 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 | + | + | |
| Review mode | + | + | + |
| 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.