Dorico - Compose Music

• Dorico Lifetime Unlock — $119.99

Last verified 31 Jul 2026

4.6 2129 ratings · App Store

1. 3/5Still half-baked

   Like most of my experiences with the desktop version of Dorico, this software is buggy, unstable, and lacks just enough features that you feel strung along until the next “update” (aka paid upgrade). That said, this is a mostly fully functional notation app that gets the job done — I recently created relatively complex lead sheets on an airplane, which was pretty cool. Just like the desktop version, be prepared for random crashes, parts of the UI glitching out (I just opened the Chord Symbol editor and got a gray translucent overlay but nothing else, until I minimized and reopened the app). It autosaves constantly (I think?) so the couple times it crashed completely were not an issue. A manual save feature would be nice even if it’s just a placebo. The touch interface is very glitchy and jittery…especially in engrave mode. Be prepared to wonder “where did that element go?” and it is halfway across the page because Dorico can barely tell the difference between pinch, scroll, and drag. One thing about Steinberg: they have weird ideas about how different elements should be organized. Be prepared to be confused about where things are or why they grouped certain things together. Sync with desktop app is pretty awesome. Is it great? no. Do I love it? Not yet. Is it worth the price? Meh. Is it the best option we have for iPad music notation? Probably!

   Joshuaziemann · 31 Jul 2026

2. 4/5Excellent app but needs to fix file corruption

   Dorico for iPad is an excellent app. It helped me learn a lot about writing music and notation without a lot of education. I can write on the go..I dont have to be sat on a desk to write music, which is quite revolutionary I think. This allows me find opportunities to transcribe my recordings. For however far my music transcription and development will go, I owe a lot to the flexibility of Dorico for iPad. I also find that the tutorials for the desktop version also help with the mobile version because they are so alike. I only use iPad version and I anticipate smooth transition once I get on the desktop version. Now just one pending issue I hope to return to edit out, is that I face file corruption almost everyday as of October 2024 with the iPad version. I hope the team finds a way to recreate this problem and trace it, because so far the fixes haven’t worked.

   cantino93 · 31 Jul 2026

3. 5/5I love Dorico…..but

   As a former Finale user over 25 years, moving over to Dorico was a shock but as I’ve been getting more into Dorico. I see it was necessary. One thing I noticed that maybe should be addressed is, if you’re on the iPad and you click up to the Learn Button to open a project page. The learn options should address only the iPad versions being that there is some differences. Or give you 2 options, the computer version help or the iPad version help. I spent 2 hours trying to find Repeat wings for my iPad to discover after finally going to the forum that you don’t have that access on the iPad version. I understand there’s a lot of similarities but…. There’s a lot of things that are different also. Please keep up the great work & looking forward to making charts in Dorico. Gene

   Bklyn Geno · 31 Jul 2026

4. 3/5Decent for Basic Tasks

   I’m a music minister/worship leader. I’m using Dorico for custom SATB arrangements of songs for my team. I also have the desktop version. But my iPad is significantly more convenient than my computer. Now, I’ll admit I’m fairly new to Dorico and still learning. But right now, two things would greatly improve the iPad app for me: 1. note input, especially via pencil (preferred), by also via touch or a bluetooth mouse (like mouse input on desktop). Without this, all I can really do while I’m on the go is transposing, exporting, and some very, very basic editing. 2. Some of the properties and settings either I can't find or they don’t exist. Example: I want to enable verse numbers—easy on the Desktop version, but I can’t seem to find the menu for this on iPad? Overall, this app is a great start with great potential. Adding more functionality and options from the desktop version would make it even better!

   timn03 · 31 Jul 2026

5. 2/5Flat fee, no subscriptions please

   Please Steinberg. I’ve used Cubase Pro for 30 years. I have Cubasis, Dorico Pro, Halion 6 and spent a lot of money on your products. All of your other products have a flat price model. Even Cubasis for iPad which is a deeper app has a flat price for full feature use. This subscription model has been abused by developers for products that do not merit a continued payment for a product. Dorico Pro for Mac is not a subscription model, why is this? Just charge a reasonable flat fee for all features and proportional to Cubasis and you will have better revenue and user feedback. Meanwhile, I will not be using this app at all if I cannot get into the details of how my parts and scores will look without being on the hook for an annual fee. *Update per developer’s response: I read your response and am sorry to say that I remain unconvinced by your pricing model. First of all, a notation app that would be used to prepare professional-looking sheet music or parts requires detailed control of notation elements and layout. A free version is useless without these features (and please don’t go to the “pro” argument - there is very little money to be made in music prep - which I’ve done - except for a handful of folks in the industry). If you really think a basic feature-set for an iPad app is worth $99, and you don’t have any luck with subscription sales, feel free to try that price point. I won’t pay it but maybe you’ll get a few sales. Lastly, nobody I know will “hop on and off” with an app like this. Good luck with your strategy. It doesn’t seem to be getting much of a reception so far.

   Captain Custerdome · 31 Jul 2026

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