Avid Sibelius Comparison
Avid Sibelius Comparison Chart
Compare the features of the 3 versions of Sibelius! Use the table below to see which product best suits your needs and to learn more about the capabilities offered.
Sibelius | First | Sibelius | Sibelius | Ultimate | |
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| Ideal for... | Composing simple scores with up to 4 instrument parts (staves) | Composing simple/moderate music with up to 16 staves | Composing, arranging, and publishing scores and parts of any size and complexity; creating notation worksheets and exercises for education |
| Number of computers you can install a single copy on | n/a | 2, for use by same person (e.g., desktop + laptop) | |
| Accidentals | Normal and double only | Normal and double only, bracketed | Normal, double, quarter-tones, bracketed |
| Metadata | Common ones only | Full set | |
| Bar numbers | Limited | Limited | Full range of formats |
| Barline types | Single, double, repeat only | Single, double, repeat, dotted, early music | |
| Bars, irregular | No | No, except pick-up bars | Yes |
| Beams cross-staff in (keyboard music) | Yes | ||
| Beam/rest groupings | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Brackets and braces | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Change transposition of tranposing instruments | Yes | ||
| Chord symbols appearance and MIDI/text input | Limited preset options | Limited preset options | Fully customizable |
| Cue (small) notes | Yes | ||
| Dotted notes: single, double, triple | Single dotted | Yes | Yes |
| Guitar chord diagrams | Limited | Limited | Yes |
| Guitar scale diagrams | Yes | ||
| Guitar tab | Basic only | Basic only | Full |
| Instruments | Common only | Common, jazz, and world instruments only, with fixed number of staves | Full customizable range |
| Jazz articulations: scoops, falls, doits, and plops | Yes | Yes | |
| Lines, custom | Yes | ||
| Note values: 512th note (7 beams) to "long" (double breve) | 32nd note to breve | Yes | Yes |
| Noteheads, custom | Yes | ||
| Ossia staves | Yes | ||
| Page numbers | Automatic | Automatic | Customizable |
| Special symbols | Yes | ||
| Split multirests in parts | Yes | ||
| Staves | Up to 4 | Up to 16 per system | Unlimited number |
| Stemlets (half-stems) and "feathered" beams | Yes | ||
| Tuplets | Duplets (2:3) to sextuplets (6:4) | Duplets (2:3) to nontuplets (9:8) | Any (such as 2, 7, 44:31, and nested tuplets) |
Sibelius | First | Sibelius | Sibelius | Ultimate | |
| Advanced notation interpretation |
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| Yes |
| Edit MIDI data |
| Yes | |
| Included sampled sounds | N/A | High-quality Sibelius Sounds (10 GB library) | Full range of professional-quality |
| Espressivo 2.0 | Presets only | Customizable rhythmic feel | |
| Live Tempo (conduct playback by tapping) | Limited—playback only | Limited—playback only | Record, edit, clear, and play back Live Tempo |
| Playback markings on specified repeats | Yes | ||
| Playback of hairpins, rits, and accels | Fixed | Fixed | Adjustable |
| Playback of fermatas | Fixed | Fixed | Adjustable |
| Words that affect playback (e.g. legato) | Fixed | Fixed | Editable |
Sibelius | First | Sibelius | Sibelius | Ultimate | |
| Annotate | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Arrange: automatic arranging and orchestration | Yes | ||
| Comments (sticky notes) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Compare different scores or versions | Yes | ||
| Copy and paste to Word and other programs | Low resolution (96 dpi) only | Yes | |
| Display timecode | Single format | Customizable format | |
| Edit Dynamic Parts | Limited | Full | |
| Edit word menus | Yes | ||
| Export a log of changes to a score | Yes | ||
| Export lyrics as text file | Yes | Yes | |
| Filters for editing similar objects | Quick filters only | Yes | |
| Find | Yes | ||
| Focus on staves | Yes | ||
| Graphics export (for creating worksheets and other content) | Yes | ||
| Highlight music | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Ideas Hub | 300 library ideas, with the ability to capture your own ideas (editing not supported) | Over 2,000 library ideas, with the ability to capture and edit your own ideas and add to the score/library | |
| Import MusicXML files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Instrument changes | Yes | ||
| Join scores together | Yes | ||
| Keyboard shortcuts | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Lyric verses allowed | 2 | 5 | Unlimited |
| Lyrics from text file | Yes | ||
| Note input options | Fixed | Limited | Full |
| Panorama scroll view | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Paper and desk textures | 40 | 40 | Over 60 |
| Part extraction | Yes | ||
| Paste As Cue | Yes | ||
| Plug-ins | None | 38 included | Over 140 included |
| Inspector window to edit individual objects | Full | ||
| Rehearsal marks | Default only | Fully customizable | |
| Repeat structures | Fixed | Customizable | Fully customizable |
| Rulers | Yes | ||
| Score Starter: (40 genre-specific templates) | Yes | Yes | |
| Slide notes and rests | Yes | Yes | |
| Special page breaks | Yes | ||
| Timeline window | Yes | ||
| Swap voices | Yes | ||
| Versions | Latest (head) version only | Save, view, and print only | Yes |
| Video, including timecode and hit points | Add video, add/edit hit points | Yes | |
| Viewing options for Magnetic Layout, page margins, note colors, full screen, and more | Yes | ||
| Worksheet Creator | Yes | ||
Sibelius | First | Sibelius | Sibelius | Ultimate | |
| Advanced layout features | Yes | ||
| Auto Layout options |
| Yes | |
| Edit fonts | Limited | Full | |
| Edit staff types | Yes | ||
| Edit text styles | Yes | ||
| Engraving rules (edit hundreds of) | Yes | ||
| Headers/footers | Yes | Yes | |
| House Style import/export | Import Only | Yes | |
| Intelligent Rests | Yes | Yes | |
| Magnetic Layout | Fixed | Fixed | Fully customizable |
| Manage Dynamic Parts | Yes | ||
| Manuscript papers (preset score layouts) | Includes a few; can\'t create your own | Includes a few; can\'t create your own | Includes many; can create your own |
| Multiple staff size | Fixed | Fixed | Fully customizable |
| Note spacing rules | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Reset position/design of objects | Limited | Limited | Yes |
| Set default object positions | Yes | ||
| Staff spacing | Fixed | Manual adjustment only | Yes |
Sibelius | First | Sibelius | Sibelius | Ultimate | |
| Audio recording export | WAV, AIFF, and MP3 | WAV, AIFF, and MP3 | |
| Avid Scorch optimized export (app available on the iTunes App Store) | Yes | Yes | |
| Email score as .sib or .pdf | Yes | Yes | |
| Graphics file export | PDF export only | Standard bitmap and vector formats (SVG, EPS, PNG, JPG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, and PDF) | |
| MIDI file export—Type 0 and Type 1 for any device | Yes | Yes | |
| MusicXML file export (compressed or uncompressed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Previous version export | Yes | Yes | |
| Publish directly to ScoreExchange.com | Yes | Yes | |
| Scorch (browser plug-in) web page export | Yes | Yes | |
| Share to YouTube, Facebook, SoundCloud | Yes | Yes | |
| Sibelius | Cloud Sharing | 10 scores | 20 scores | Unlimited (up to 1 GB storage) |
| Video file (export your score as) | Yes | Yes |
Sibelius | First | Sibelius | Sibelius | Ultimate | |
| How to Buy: | Visit Avid\'s website to |
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