LilyPond vs StaffPad
LilyPond
lilypond.orgStaffPad
staffpad.netSide by side
| Figure | LilyPond | StaffPad |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Music notation software | 8.4 (#9) | 8.6 (#7) |
| Deployment | desktop | desktop |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Integrations | The official features page describes integrating music into LaTeX or HTML and adding it to OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice with the OOoLilyPond extension. | The StaffPad Store offers StaffPad Editions from developers including Cinesamples, Orchestral Tools, and Spitfire Audio. |
| MIDI support | Yes | Yes |
| MusicXML support | Yes | Yes |
| Parts extraction | Yes | Yes |
| Platform limits | The listed Windows binaries do not support Windows 7 or Windows 8, and the listed macOS binaries require macOS 10.15 or higher. | The site says Android is not supported and that Apple Silicon Macs can read, open, and preview scores but cannot be used to write notation. |
| Support | The lilypond-user mailing list is the main place for users to discuss the program and help one another; some support is also available on IRC. | The site lists [email protected] for support contact. |
Plans
StaffPad
- StaffPad for iPadPrice not published
- StaffPad ReaderFree
- StaffPad$49.99, paid once
In their own words
LilyPond
LilyPond is a desktop music-engraving program for producing sheet music, from classical and early music to modern scores, tablature, vocal music, lead sheets, educational materials, and orchestral projects. You enter score information as human-readable text; LilyPond then handles spacing, page and line breaks, clashes among lyrics, notes, and chords, and the shaping of slurs and beams. Layout settings can be changed, with text-based style sheets and functions written in the built-in Scheme language. Programs or scripts can edit or generate input files, and the command-line tool can be called from other applications. The site describes integrations for LaTeX and HTML, plus an extension for OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice. User-developed editors include Frescobaldi, Denemo, and Spontini-Editor; they are separate from LilyPond’s core. The text workflow can be used with speech recognition and screen readers. LilyPond is free software under the GNU General Public License, with GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows desktop support. Windows binaries do not support Windows 7 or 8; macOS binaries require version 10.15 or later.
StaffPad
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.