Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

LilyPond VS Dorico

Compare LilyPond VS Dorico and see what are their differences

LilyPond logo LilyPond

GNU LilyPond is a computer program for music engraving.

Dorico logo Dorico

Dorico redefines the gold standard in scoring software.
  • LilyPond Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-29
  • Dorico Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-26

LilyPond features and specs

  • High-quality sheet music
    LilyPond is renowned for producing beautiful and professional-looking sheet music that rivals engraving done by hand. Its focus on quality ensures that scores are aesthetically pleasing and easy to read.
  • Text-based input
    Using a plain text input system allows precise control over notation and makes the editing process clear and straightforward. Users can see the exact impact of every command.
  • Cost-effective
    LilyPond is open-source and free to use, making it accessible to anyone without the need for an expensive software license.
  • Powerful scripting language
    The software supports Scheme, which allows for extensive customization and automation of tasks, affording users deep control over their scores.
  • Consistent updates
    The active development community frequently updates LilyPond, ensuring compatibility with new technologies and responding to user feedback for improvements.

Possible disadvantages of LilyPond

  • Steep learning curve
    The text-based input system, while powerful, requires users to learn its syntax, which can be daunting for those used to graphical interfaces.
  • Limited graphical UI
    LilyPond lacks a robust graphical user interface, which can be a drawback for users who prefer visual and intuitive interaction with their notation software.
  • Performance issues with large scores
    Handling very large or complex scores can lead to performance slowdowns, requiring users to wait longer times for rendering and adjustments.
  • Compatibility and format limitations
    While LilyPond excels in producing high-quality PDF sheet music, it lacks support for some modern formats and direct integration with proprietary file types used by other notation software.
  • Complex installation and setup
    Setting up LilyPond can be tricky, especially for those who are not familiar with software installation and configuration, potentially requiring time and technical assistance.

Dorico features and specs

  • Advanced Notation Features
    Dorico offers a highly sophisticated set of notation features, enabling complex score creation for composers, arrangers, and music educators.
  • Intelligent Layout
    The software automatically adjusts the score layout to optimize readability and reduce manual editing time, ensuring a professional look for printed scores.
  • User-friendly Interface
    Despite its powerful capabilities, Dorico is designed with an intuitive interface that makes it accessible even to newcomers in music notation software.
  • Flexible Workflow
    Dorico supports a highly flexible workflow by allowing seamless switching between writing, engraving, and playback modes, catering to various stages of score development.
  • Integrated Playback
    The software includes a robust playback engine with realistic virtual instruments, allowing composers to hear their work as they write it.

Possible disadvantages of Dorico

  • High Cost
    Dorico is relatively expensive compared to some other music notation software, which might be a barrier for students and hobbyists.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    While Dorico is intuitive, its vast array of features can be overwhelming for new users, requiring a significant time investment to master.
  • Resource Intensive
    The software requires a relatively powerful computer to run efficiently, which can be a limitation for those with older machines.
  • Limited Third-party Integration
    Compared to some competitors, Dorico has fewer options for integrating with other music production and editing software tools.
  • Lesser Known
    Dorico is not as widely used as some other notation software, which can make finding community support and resources more challenging.

LilyPond videos

LilyPond Tutorial 1 - Introduction to LilyPond (Your First Score)

More videos:

  • Review - Lilypond Carry-On Review

Dorico videos

Music Software & Interface Design: Steinberg's Dorico

More videos:

  • Review - Dorico Review (My First Impressions Switching from Sibelius)
  • Review - Why Is Dorico 3 Special?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to LilyPond and Dorico)
Music Tools
70 70%
30% 30
Audio & Music
71 71%
29% 29
Music
61 61%
39% 39
Email Marketing
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare LilyPond and Dorico

LilyPond Reviews

We have no reviews of LilyPond yet.
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Dorico Reviews

The 10 Best Music Writing Software Programs (2022)
Its professional design and easy-to-use interface are impressive. Furthermore, Dorico Pro 2 provides a smart layout and instrumental adjustments while you write and compose with a vast playback library of almost 1500 sounds.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, LilyPond seems to be a lot more popular than Dorico. While we know about 43 links to LilyPond, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Dorico. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

LilyPond mentions (43)

  • MIDI Editor
    Why use this when you could just use Lilypond, which is free, open source, and has a legacy in TeX: https://lilypond.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Show HN: TuneType – a font that has (guitar) chords embedded as ligatures
    > since its width was set to 0 Is this totally necessary? It might be. I don't know much about font programming. If the values have to be hard-coded. If you can get me a contact info, I could send you the master list of chords.. Maybe you could use that. > I think a more “advanced” use case like the one you described can be addressed by something like https://lilypond.org Lilypond is a music engraving system. That... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Show HN: TuneType – a font that has (guitar) chords embedded as ligatures
    So I need to pack the font itself with both the A and the Am6 ligatures… I think a more “advanced” use case like the one you described can be addressed by something like https://lilypond.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Make measure width smaller?
    At lilypond.org I found some tips, but they all were for the complete score. I don't want my score to be compressed or have smaller notes as I'm rewriting the music because the original notes are to small for me. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Caught by MuseScore's Dark Patterns
    As far as open-source software is concerned, you can use Lilypond [1]. Fully text-based transcription. You can edit, insert, splice, overwrite, etc. To your heart's content in your favorite text editor and get a high-quality engraving as output. [1] https://lilypond.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
View more

Dorico mentions (2)

  • Worth buying nuraphones?
    Absolutely love mine. Excellent sound quality unmatched by any other headphones that I've used below, at, and even slightly above their price range -- and by "unmatched," I mean it isn't even close. The Nuras are phenomenal, period. I use mine regularly, for both listening enjoyment and orchestral music composition with Dorico and Spitfire Symphony Orchestra. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Music Software and Bad Interface Design: Avid’s Sibelius
    Well, the founders of Sibelius started another music notation software called Dorico[1]. Is Dorico's UI more consistent? Does it address many of the issues of this video's criticism? Or put another way, does being a green-field software project allow the freedom to create a sane UI? Or did it have to deliberately copy may of Sibelius' faults so migrating users can quickly get up to speed with Dorico? (Analogous... - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing LilyPond and Dorico, you can also consider the following products

Sibelius - Sibelius is a virtual score creation tool which allows composers to easily create new piano scores, developed by Avid.

MuseScore - Our goal is to let musicians from all over the world create and share their works, as well as to make learning music exciting, easy and available for all.

Guitar Pro - Create, play and share your tabs

Finale - Finale, the world standard for music notation software, lets you compose, arrange, notate, and print engraver-quality sheet music.

MuseScore.org - Create, play back and print beautiful sheet music with free and easy to use music notation software MuseScore. For Windows, Mac and Linux.

OpenMPT - OpenMPT is a popular tracker software for Windows.