Best music21 Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from music notation software ranked against music21 on the same published basis.
- 1music21 vs Dorico
- 2music21 vs Flat
- 3music21 vs Sibelius
- 4music21 vs Fender Notion
- 5music21 vs TuxGuitar
- 6music21 vs DomiSol
- 7music21 vs ScoreCloud
- 8music21 vs StaffPad
- 9music21 vs Guitar Pro
- 10music21 vs Crescendo Music Notation Software
- 11music21 vs MuseScore Studio
- 12music21 vs Noteflight
- 13music21 vs iWriteMusic
- 14music21 vs Symphony Pro
- 15music21 vs LilyPond
- 16music21 vs Denemo
- 17music21 vs SmartScore
- 18music21 vs Harmony Assistant
- 19music21 vs capella
- 20music21 vs Notation Composer
music21 alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dorico | 9.7 | Free plan | Free | iOS |
| 2 | Flat | 9.5 | Free plan | — | Android, iOS, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Sibelius | 9.2 | No | — | iOS, Mac, Web |
| 4 | Fender Notion | 9.1 | Free plan | Free | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android |
| 5 | TuxGuitar | 8.7 | Free plan | Free | Android, Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | DomiSol | 8.7 | Free plan | $10/mo | Android, API, iOS, Web |
| 7 | ScoreCloud | 8.6 | Free plan | $5.99/mo | Web, Windows, Mac, iOS |
| 8 | StaffPad | 8.3 | No | — | Windows, iOS |
| 9 | Guitar Pro | 8.1 | No | $69.95/mo | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 10 | Crescendo Music Notation Software | 8.0 | No | $80/mo | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android |
| 11 | MuseScore Studio | 7.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | Noteflight | 7.9 | No | $4.08/mo | Web |
| 13 | iWriteMusic | 7.7 | Free plan | Free | iOS, Android, Mac |
| 14 | Symphony Pro | 7.6 | No | — | iOS, Mac |
| 15 | LilyPond | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 16 | Denemo | 6.8 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 17 | SmartScore | 6.6 | No | $49/mo | Windows, Mac |
| 18 | Harmony Assistant | 6.5 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 19 | capella | 6.5 | No | — | Windows, Mac |
| 20 | Notation Composer | 6.0 | No | $198.99/mo | Windows, Mac, Linux |
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Questions about music21 alternatives
What is the best alternative to music21?
Dorico, number 1 in music notation software with a score of 9.7 out of 10. The others here: Flat, Sibelius, Fender Notion and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to music21?
Dorico is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 9 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.