Compare software

Sibelius vs LilyPond: catalog facts
Sibelius	LilyPond
Paid Artist from $99 a year, Ultimate from $199 a year, or an $899 perpetual bundle.	Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.
Windows, macOS, iOS	Windows
Automatic layout and part generation Video sync and timecode support in Ultimate	High-quality engraved output Plain-text input that works with version control
Subscription pricing for most tiers Artist tier capped at 24 staves per score	Text-based input has a learning curve No built-in graphical score editor
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0-or-later
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.