MuseScore is an open source and free music notation software. For support, contribution, bug reports, visit MuseScore.org. Fork and make pull requests!
Score writing, playback and engraving, with MusicXML import for scores exported from Sibelius.
alternatives to
Sibelius
Avid's music notation software for writing, playing back and engraving scores. A closed product from Avid.
Side by side
| Tool | Fit | Stars | Licence | Terms | Self-hosted | Language | Latest | Last push |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MuseScore | Full replacement | 15k | Other | Open source | No | C++ | v4.7.5 | 2026-10-06 |
| Frescobaldi | Partial | 953 | GPL-2.0 | Open source | No | Python | v4.0.7 | 2026-09-06 |
Every alternative
2 alternatives
Frescobaldi LilyPond Editor
Scores are written as LilyPond text with a live engraved preview, not edited graphically.
Head to head
About Sibelius
- Vendor
- Avid