Denemo vs StaffPad

Denemo is a free desktop music-notation program for composing, transcribing, arranging, and listening to music. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with MusicXML, MIDI, parts extraction, and tablature support. Music can be entered through a computer keyboard, MIDI controller, mouse, or microphone. Denemo opens its own files and imports MIDI, LilyPond, and MusicXML. LilyPond typesets notation in the background while you work, and the program supports figured bass, historical noteheads and barlines, chords, and tablature. It can create exercise sheets, aural-training materials, note-reading exercises, and playing exercises. Scores may be printed or exported as images, MIDI, OGG, or WAV files. MIDI or audio can be routed to other applications such as JACK, and LilyPond text and commands can be included in a score. Denemo is free to use, share, and change under the GPL; the listed plan costs nothing. Version 2.6 is listed as the current stable release, dated March 11, 2022. Some download links still point to version 2.2.

StaffPad is a music composition app for handwriting notation, recording or importing audio, touch editing, and playback. It turns handwritten notes into typeset scores, can correct stem directions, and flags beat-count issues. Playback includes a core library of more than 55 instruments. Audio features include tempo mapping, Adaptive Audio, recording and import, plus delay, reverb, compression, chorus, and EQ. Exports include MP3, WAV, AAC, MIDI, MusicXML, and print-layout PDF. StaffPad Reader shows individual parts and receives score changes over local Wi-Fi with synchronized playback and annotations. ScoreSync works without internet, and scores remain local rather than in the cloud. StaffPad requires an iPad with Apple Pencil or a Windows device with active pen and touch. Apple Silicon Macs can open and preview scores but cannot write notation; Android is unsupported and the app is English-only. StaffPad costs $49.99, paid once; Reader is free, while the iPad plan has no listed price.