This is a comparison of music notation programs.
| Name | Guitar tablature | WYSIWYG editor | MIDI entry | Playback | File formats | Developer(s) | Stable release; review date | License | Cost | Operating systems | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Import | Export | |||||||||||
| Canorus | CanorusML, MusicXML, MIDI, simple LilyPond | MusicXML, MIDI, LilyPond, PDF | Reinhard Katzmann, Matevž Jekovec, Georg Rudolph | 0.7.3; | 0.1.0 to 0.7.2: GPL-2.0-only | Linux | ||||||
| Capella | Capella, CapXML, MusicXML, MIDI | MusicXML, MIDI, BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, Truevision TGA, PCX, HTML | capella-software AG | 10.0-01; | Windows, macOS | |||||||
| Denemo | Denemo, limited LilyPond, MusicXML | LilyPond, MusicXML, WAV, Ogg, PDF, PNG, MIDI | Jeremiah Benham, Richard Shann | 2.6.0; | Windows, macOS, Linux | |||||||
| Dorico | Dorico, MusicXML, MIDI | MIDI, MusicXML, WAV, MP3, PDF, PNG, TIFF, SVG | Steinberg | 5.1.70; | Windows, macOS | |||||||
| Early Notation Typesetter | ENT | ENT, PDF | Samuel Gossner, Daniel West, Dieter Theuns | 0.9.6; | Windows, macOS, Linux | |||||||
| Encore | Encore, MusicTime, Rhapsody, Compressed MusicXML | MIDI, Cakewalk MIDI, Master Tracks Pro, PDF | Passport Music Software | 5.0.4 (Windows); 5.0.7 (macOS); | Windows, macOS | |||||||
| Finale | Finale, MusicXML, MIDI | MusicXML, MIDI, WAV, MP3, AIFF, PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, EPS, BMP, GIF, PICT | MakeMusic, Inc. | 27.4.1; final release | Windows, macOS | |||||||
| Flat | MusicXML, MIDI, MuseScore, TuxGuitar, Guitar Pro (versions 3–8), Power Tab | MusicXML, MIDI, WAV, MP3, PDF, PNG, SVG | Tutteo | 37.9.0; | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | |||||||
| Forte | Forte, MusicXML, MIDI, CapXML | MusicXML, MIDI, BMP, JPEG | Lugert Verlag GmbH | 12.1; | Windows | |||||||
| Frescobaldi | LilyPond, MusicXML, ABC | MusicXML, PDF | Wilbert Berendsen | 3.3.0; | Windows, macOS, Linux | |||||||
| Guitar Pro | Guitar Pro (versions 1–8), MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, MIDI, ASCII tab, Power Tab, TablEdit | MusicXML, MIDI, ASCII tab, PNG, PDF, WAV | Arobas Music | 8.1.3; | Windows, macOS, Linux | |||||||
| Impro-Visor | Impro-Visor | MusicXML, MIDI, PDF | Bob Keller | 10.2; | Windows, macOS, Linux | |||||||
| LilyPond | LilyPond
| PDF, PNG, PS, SVG | Han-Wen Nienhuys, Jan Nieuwenhuizen | 2.24.4; | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD | |||||||
| MagicScore | SFD, MusicXML, MIDI, Karaoke, WAV, MP3 | MusicXML, MIDI, Karaoke, WAV, MP3, PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, EMF, WMF | Maestro Music Software | 8.280; | Windows | |||||||
| Mozart | Mozart, MusicXML, NIFF, MIDI, Karaoke, ABC | MusicXML, MIDI, ABC, BMP, EMF, GIF, JPEG, PBM, PNG, TIFF | Mozart Music Software | 16.1.5; | Windows | |||||||
| Mus2 | Mus2 | MIDI, AIFF, WAV, PDF, SVG, BMP, JPEG, PNG | Utku Uzmen (Data-Soft Ltd.) | 3.2.3; | Windows, macOS | |||||||
| MuseScore Studio | MuseScore, MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, MIDI, Karaoke, MuseData, Bagpipe Music Writer, Band-in-a-Box, Overture, Capella, CapXML, Guitar Pro (versions 1–6), Power Tab (experimental), PDF (experimental), ABC (with plugin) | MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, PDF, PNG, SVG, MIDI, WAV, FLAC, Ogg, MP3 | The MuseScore developer community | 4.4.3; | Windows, macOS, Linux | |||||||
| MusiCAD | MusiCAD, MIDI, ABC | MIDI, ABC, PDF, JPEG, PNG, BMP | Musys Software | 4.0; | Windows | |||||||
| MusicEase | MusicEase, MusicXML, MIDI, ABC, SongWright | MIDI, PDF | MusicEase Software | 10.1j; | Windows, macOS | |||||||
| Musink | Musink | MIDI, PDF, PNG, XPS | Lee Reid | 1.3.0.3 | Windows, macOS | |||||||
| MusiXTeX | TeX (PMX and M-Tx), MusicXML (with converters) | DVI, PS, PDF, MIDI (for PMX input) | Daniel Taupin, Ross Mitchell, Andreas Egler | 1.38; | Windows, macOS, Linux | |||||||
| Notation Composer | Notation, MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, MIDI, Karaoke | MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, PDF, MIDI, Karaoke, PNG, BMP, JPEG, GIF, WAV, FLAC, Ogg, MP3 | Notation Software | 5.0.1; | Windows, macOS, Linux | |||||||
| NoteWorthy Composer | NWC, MIDI, Karaoke | MIDI | NoteWorthy Software | 2.75a.2; | Windows | |||||||
| Notion | MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, MIDI, Guitar Pro (versions 4–5) | MusicXML, MIDI, WAV | PreSonus | 6.8.2; | Windows, macOS, iOS (iPad) | |||||||
| Overture | Overture, MusicXML, MIDI, Score Writer | MusicXML, MIDI, WAV, MP3 | Sonic Scores | 5.6.1.1; | Windows, macOS | |||||||
| Philip's Music Writer | PMW | MIDI, PS | Philip Hazel | 5.22; | Linux (older versions for RISC OS) | |||||||
| Power Tab Editor | Power Tab, MIDI | MIDI, ASCII tab, BMP, HTML | Brad Larsen | 1.0.0.175; | Windows | |||||||
| Rosegarden | Rosegarden, MusicXML, MIDI, Hydrogen | LilyPond, MusicXML, MIDI, Csound, Mup, PDF | Chris Cannam, Richard Bown, Guillaume Laurent | 24.06; | Linux | |||||||
| SCORE | SCORE (.mus) | EPS | Leland Smith, San Andreas Press | 5.01; | MS-DOS Windows | |||||||
| ScoreCloud Studio | MIDI, live audio | MusicXML, MIDI, WAV, PDF | Doremir Music Research AB | 4.8.1; | Windows, macOS, iOS | |||||||
| Sibelius | Sibelius, MusicXML, MIDI | MusicXML, MIDI, MP3, PDF, SVG, EPS, PNG | Avid Technology, Inc. | 2024.10; | Windows, macOS, RISC OS, iOS | |||||||
| SmartScore 64 NE | SmartScore, scanned images, MusicXML, NIFF | MusicXML, MIDI, Finale, NIFF, PDF | Musitek Corporation | 11.6.109; | Windows, macOS | |||||||
| TuxGuitar | TuxGuitar, MusicXML, MIDI, Guitar Pro (versions 1–6), Power Tab, TablEdit | MIDI, Guitar Pro (versions 3–5), LilyPond, ASCII tab, PDF | Julian Gabriel Casadesus | 1.6.4; | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Android | |||||||
| Name | Guitar tablature | WYSIWYG editor | MIDI entry | Playback | Import | Export | Developer(s) | Stable release; review date | License | Cost | Operating systems | |
| File formats | ||||||||||||
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