7 Best Music Composition Software To Write Music [Free & Paid]: 2023

Using the best music composition software you can get your music into a written version. These programs are also known as music transcription software or music writing software.

There are many software available to transcript your music, so I have created a list of the best music writing software to compose music.

7 Best Music Composition Software:

1. Crescendo Music Notation Software
2. ScoreCloud 
3. MuseScore
4. Notion 6
5. Music Notation Software – Sibelius – Avid
6. Symphony – Music Notation on the App Store
7. MagicScore Maestro 8

1. Crescendo Music Notation Software

Supported OS: Windows and Mac

Free Version: Yes

Paid Version: It has two pricing models:

• Master’s Edition: $49.99
• Home Edition: $39.95

Ratings:

• Apple App Store: 3.4/5
• Cnet: 3.5/5
• Filehippo: 6.6/10

This software can help you compose soundtracks, music, songs, and scores. The best thing is you can print your music with the help of “TwelveKeys Music Transcription Software”, which is a part of Crescendo.

Here are the main features of this music transcription software:

• Select time, clef, and key signatures according to your wish.
• .Add notes and rests of different time limits.
• Cut, copy paste feature.
• Support VSTi instruments.
• MIDI file creation is possible.

The software has a lot of impressive features for beginners and professionals. It also has a free version, so you should try it once before using any other software. 

2. ScoreCloud 

Supported OS: Windows, Mac, iPhone, and iPad

Free Version: Yes

Paid Version: It has two pricing models:

• ScoreCloud Plus: $49.99
• ScoreCloud Pro: $39.95

Ratings:

• Apple App Store: 2.5/5
• Educational App Store: 4/5

It is an efficient software to turn your audio songs into music sheets. It has many advanced features which makes it one of the best music writing software.

Here are the features of this music composition software:

• Edit your scores.
• Print without watermark with Pro and Plus versions as explained above in pricing models.
• Add chords or lyrics with the easy drag-and-drop feature.
• It can export and import MIDI

This is a nice tool to make and manage songs for beginners and professionals. The paid version of this software provides 10 days of free trial so, you can try this software and only buy if you like the features.

Also Read: How to Transfer Music From iPhone to Mac Without Software

3. MuseScore:

Supported OS: Windows, Mac & Linux

Free Version: Yes

Paid Version: No

Ratings:

• Apple App Store: 4.7/5
• Digital Trends: 10/10

MuseScore is free open-source software for music transcription. The software is also available at the official Microsoft Store. 

Here are the features of this music writing software:

• Automatic transposition and part extraction.
• Can make custom texts
• Contains many user-submitted plugins
• Print PDF files

It is a completely free tool and has no limitations in the free version. Also, the tools are easy to use and very powerful.

4. Notion 6:

Supported OS: Windows, Mac & iOS

Free Version: No

Paid Version: $149.95

Ratings:

• SweetWater: 3/5
• Amazon: 3.9/5

Developed by PreSonus, it is a popular software for music composition. You need to have at least 1GB of RAM to run this software and it is recommended to have more RAM to run this software more smoothly.

Here are the features of this music transcription software:

• Edit and compose music conveniently.
• Perform and create great sound quality.
• Import video of any kind of format.
• Get the  PDF version of the scores.
• Support for high-resolution displays.

Notion 6 is advanced software to transcript music. Along with this, it has many other advanced features which make it a perfect choice.

5. Sibelius – Avid

Supported OS: Microsoft Windows, macOS, RISC OS

Free Version: Yes

Paid Version: It has 3 pricing models:

• Sibelius First: Free
• Sibelius: $9.99
• Sibelius Ultimate: $19.99

Ratings:

• Toptenreviews: 4.6/5
• Amazon: 3/5
• Trustradius: 9/10
• Musicradar: 4.5/5

Sibelius is a popular software to compose music for professionals and beginners. The software has 3 different versions and Sibelius is free to use with some limitations. 

Here are the main features of this music composition software.

• It supports the Surface Pro 3 pen.
• Chord symbol appearance.
• Single, double, and triple dotted notes.
• Guitar chord and scale diagrams.

As you can see it has a lot of features that make it one of the best music writing software on the list.

6. Symphony 

Supported OS: macOS

Free Version: No

Paid Version: $14.99

Ratings:

• App Store: 3.7/5
• 99images: 3.7/5

Symphony is the best software to write music on macOS. The tool has a decent rating on play store and is available at affordable prices.

Here are the main features of this software for writing music:

• Handwriting recognition with Apple pencil.
• 24 plus acoustic instruments.
• 114 built-in instruments for playback
• Edit with MIDI inputs and QWERTY keyboards.

This is an efficient music writing software for macOS users. It is a nice choice for professionals and beginners with some advanced features.

7. MagicScore Maestro

Supported OS: Windows 10, 8, 7

Free Version: Yes

Paid Version:  It has 4 types of pricing models-

• Full license: $69.95
• Month Subscription: $6.99
• Quarter Subscription: $11399
• Annual Subscription: $27.99

Ratings:

• Softonic: 3.6/5
• bhphotovideo: 4/5

It is an efficient software to compose and notate music. This software can easily convert your music ideas into readable music notation files.

Here are the main features of this music transcription software:

• Easily print music notes.
• The music scoring system is customizable.
• Versatile options for notes entry.
• Extract a particular part from the score and print.

So, this was the last in the list of the best music writing software. The best thing about this software is it gives pricing models according to your need, if you need this software only for one month then you can opt for the monthly subscription only and save a lot of money. 

So, these were the best music composition software. Most of them are available for Windows 10, 8, and 7 and some of them are available for macOS. 

If you have any other software that you think deserves a place on this list then please share it in the comment section. And if you have any questions regarding any music transcription software listed in the article then feel free to ask in the comments.

Which is the best software for music composition?

Answer: Crescendo and ScoreCloud are nice software for music composition.

Can you compose music using the software?

Answer: With some skills and expertise in using the software you can compose music.

What is better than MuseScore?

Answer: The software listed in the article are nice alternatives to MuseScore to write music.