This is a comparison of music notation computer programs.
General information
Name Guitar tablature WYSIWYG editor MIDI entry Playback File formats Developer(s) Stable release; review date License Cost Operating system(s) 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 10.0-08; 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 6.2.10; 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, Android, iOS Forte Forte, MusicXML, MIDI, CapXML MusicXML, MIDI, BMP, JPEG Lugert Verlag GmbH 12.1; final release Windows Frescobaldi LilyPond, MusicXML, ABC MusicXML, PDF Wilbert Berendsen 4.0.5; 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 8.1.5; Windows, macOS, Linux Harmony Assistant Myriad, MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, MIDI, Karaoke, CMF,, Module, Encore, MusicTime, Rhapsody, NoteWorthy, ABC, Guitar Pro (versions 1–5), TablEdit, Finale (.mus), ETF, audio formats imported as sound "digital" track MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, HTML (MyrWeb), MIDI, Karaoke, ABC, WAV, MP3, Ogg, AIFF, PDF, PNG, SVG, TIFF, video using FFmpeg Myriad Software 9.9.9i; Windows, macOS, Linux Impro-Visor Impro-Visor MusicXML, MIDI, PDF Bob Keller 10.2; Windows, macOS, Linux LilyPond LilyPond; using converters: ABC, ETF, MIDI, MusicXML PDF, PNG, PS, SVG Han-Wen Nienhuys, Jan Nieuwenhuizen 2.26.0; 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 17.0.7; Windows Mus2 Mus2 MIDI, AIFF, WAV, PDF, SVG, BMP, JPEG, PNG Utku Uzmen (Data-Soft Ltd.) 3.3.1; Windows, macOS MuseScore Studio MuseScore, MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, MEI, 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, MEI, PDF, PNG, SVG, MIDI, WAV, FLAC, Ogg, MP3 The MuseScore developer community 4.6.5; 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 10.1m; 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 1.41; 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 5.1.4; Windows, macOS, Linux NoteWorthy Composer NWC, MIDI, Karaoke MIDI NoteWorthy Software 2.75a.2; Windows The Note Processor MIDI, DARMS MIDI, TIFF, DARMS, PostScript Stephen Dydo, ThoughtProcessors 2.3; MS-DOS Notion MusicXML, Compressed MusicXML, MIDI, Guitar Pro (versions 4–5) MusicXML, MIDI, WAV PreSonus 6.8.2; Windows, macOS, Android, iOS 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 5.33; Linux (older versions for RISC OS) Power Tab Editor Power Tab, MIDI MIDI, ASCII tab, BMP, HTML Brad Larsen 2.0.22; for version 2.0 and later Windows, macOS, Linux Rosegarden Rosegarden, MusicXML, MIDI, Hydrogen LilyPond, MusicXML, MIDI, Csound, Mup, PDF Chris Cannam, Richard Bown, Guillaume Laurent 25.12; 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 4.10.2; Windows, macOS, iOS Sibelius Sibelius, MusicXML, MIDI MusicXML, MIDI, MP3, PDF, SVG, EPS, PNG Avid Technology, Inc. 2026.2; Windows, macOS, RISC OS, Android, iOS SmartScore 64 NE SmartScore, scanned images, MusicXML, NIFF MusicXML, MIDI, Finale, NIFF, PDF Musitek Corporation 11.6.113 (Windows); 11.6.115 (macOS); 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 2.0.1; Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Android Name Guitar tablature WYSIWYG editor MIDI entry Playback Import Export Developer(s) Stable release; review date License Cost Operating system(s) File formats
File formats and extensions
See also Comparison of MIDI editors and sequencers List of guitar tablature software List of music software List of scorewriters
Notes