Pizzicato
Pizzicato Professional is desktop music software for writing sheet music, composing, and studying music theory.
What Pizzicato is
Pizzicato Professional is desktop music software for writing sheet music, composing, and studying music theory. It runs on Windows and macOS and can work alone or alongside other music software. Notation tools cover note entry, chords, lyrics, score layout, playback, and audio-to-MIDI-to-score conversion. Composition tools include melody and harmony functions, music vectors, accompaniment, and a score arranger. The software also provides MIDI sequencing and effects, audio editing, sound creation, virtual synthesizers, and a sound library. MusicXML supports exchanging scores, while PDF export supports sharing finished notation; MIDI is supported too. The maker describes it for work from solo parts through full orchestral scores and across classical and techno music. The Professional download costs €195, paid once. There is no free plan, but a 30-day trial is available. The free evaluation disables printing, saving, and exporting.
Good
- MusicXML and MIDI support
- Audio-to-MIDI-to-score conversion
- Tools for orchestral and solo scores
- Includes virtual synthesizers and sound library
- Standalone or companion use
Watch out
- No free plan
- Evaluation disables printing, saving, and exporting
- Professional download costs €195, paid once
- VST3 support described as preliminary beta
Who it suits
It suits composers, arrangers, students, and musicians needing notation, composition, theory, MIDI, and audio tools on Windows or macOS.
Verdict
Pizzicato Professional combines notation, composition, theory, MIDI, and audio functions in a desktop package. Its trial allows evaluation, but important save, print, and export functions are disabled in the free evaluation.
Plans and prices
From Pizzicato's own pricing page, checked 19 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Pizzicato Light | — | Introductory notation and learning edition · Basic MIDI and audio recording features |
| Pizzicato Guitar | — | Notation for guitar and other fretted instruments · Tablature and chord diagrams |
| Pizzicato Beginner | — | Score editing for small ensembles · Supports up to 16 instruments |
| Pizzicato Notation | — | Full score editing and printing · Supports guitar tablature, drums, piano and orchestral notation |
| Pizzicato Professional | — | Combines notation and composition features · Includes music theory course features |
| Pizzicato Professional — download version | €195, paid once | All Pizzicato versions’ features · Windows & Mac |
The facts
Each one read from Pizzicato's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Composition tools
- Composition tools include melody and harmony tools, music vectors, accompaniment, and a score arranger.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Demo limits
- The free evaluation version disables printing, saving, and exporting; a Pizzicato Light shareware version can be used for one month with printing and saving.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Deployment
- desktopchecked 19 Sep 2026
- File exchange
- Pizzicato supports score exchange through MusicXML and can export scores to PDF.checked 9 Oct 2026
- For whom
- The maker describes Professional as suitable for writing music from solo parts to full orchestral scores, across classical and techno music.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The maker says Pizzicato can be used as a standalone product or as a companion tool to other music software.checked 9 Oct 2026
- MIDI and audio
- The maker describes MIDI sequencing and effects, audio editing, sound creation, virtual synthesizers, and a sound library.checked 9 Oct 2026
- MIDI support
- Yeschecked 19 Sep 2026
- MusicXML support
- Yeschecked 19 Sep 2026
- Notation
- Features include note entry, chords, lyrics, score layout, playback, and audio-to-MIDI-to-score conversion.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Parts extraction
- Yeschecked 19 Sep 2026
- Security
- I found no security or compliance statement on the maker pages checked.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker directs users with technical questions to [email protected].checked 9 Oct 2026
- Supported systems
- The product list identifies the English Professional download as available for Windows and Mac.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Tablature support
- Yeschecked 19 Sep 2026
- VST3
- The maker’s version history says Pizzicato 4 added support for VST3 sound banks; it describes that release as preliminary beta software.checked 9 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Pizzicato Professional is music software for writing sheet music, composing music, and studying music theory.checked 9 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 1990checked 28 Sep 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Nochecked 19 Sep 2026
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