Best Music Notation Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Flat is ranked #1 of 37 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Fender Notion and Dorico. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Fender Notion. The lowest first paid tier on this page is MagicScore at $2.33/mo.
For composing scores, arranging parts, or preparing notation to share, music notation software can support a range of writing workflows. The ranking opens with Sibelius, Flat, and Dorico. Compare collaboration features, MIDI and MusicXML support, tablature, and parts extraction to see which capabilities match your needs. Deployment details, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing offer further points of comparison. If you exchange editable scores, need separate parts, or work with tablature, pay particular attention to those features as you weigh the entries.
37 music notation software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 Flat Top pick · 9.3 
#2 Fender Notion Runner-up · 9.2 Free plan · Free
#3 Dorico Also great · 9.0 Free plan · Free
- Free plan AndroidiOSmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $9.99/mo
- Deployment
- both
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan WebWindowsmacOSLinuxiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan iOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $10,913/mo
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - iOSmacOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $79/mo
- Deployment
- both
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free trial Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- Free
- Deployment
- web
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$4.08/mofirst paid tier About NoteflightVisit site - Free plan AndroidLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan WebWindowsmacOSiOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $5.99/mo
- Deployment
- both
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$5.99/mofirst paid tier About ScoreCloudVisit site - Free plan AndroidapiiOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $8/mo
- Deployment
- web
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$10/mofirst paid tier About DomiSolVisit site - WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$80/mofirst paid tier About Crescendo Music Notation SoftwareVisit site - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$69.95/mofirst paid tier About Guitar ProVisit site - Free trial WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOS
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOS
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$49/mofirst paid tier About SmartScoreVisit site - WindowsmacOS
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan iOSAndroidmacOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- No
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Windows
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- $6.99/mo
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$2.33/mofirst paid tier About MagicScoreVisit site - Free trial LinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$14/mofirst paid tier About HarmonyBuilderVisit site - WindowsiOS
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - iOSmacOS
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- both
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment
- both
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$198.99/mofirst paid tier About Notation ComposerVisit site - WindowsmacOS
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment
- desktop
- MusicXML support
- Yes
- MIDI support
- Yes
- Parts extraction
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$80/mofirst paid tier About OvertureVisit site
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which music notation software is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
Flat is ranked #1 of 37 with a score of 9.3. Fender Notion is second and Dorico third.
How many of these have a free plan?
9 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, MagicScore has the lowest first paid tier we found: $2.33/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.