11 Free Music Notation Software For Windows (2023)

Music notation software for windows

1. Notion 6

Our first pick for the best free music notion software for Windows is Notion 6. It’s pretty popular among the music artists and music composers all thanks to its feature-rich interface. The software features a number of tools and options that will help you through your journey of music creating and lets you explore your full creativity.

It is not actually free but you can take the free trial and we are pretty sure you would love it at its first use. Some of the best features of this music notation software for Windows include an integrated keyboard, drum pad among many others which will help you to record the music exceptionally. This one will also help you to convert your handwritten notes into the digital ones so that you can edit them or make little changes and see them the bigger pictures. The software also supports a number of video formats as well.

Furthermore, it’s a built-in audio mixer with eight different sound effects that will also impress any musician or composer. And the best part for this music notation software is its compatibility with other platforms other than Windows. Overall, it’s one of the best music notation software that you will ever find even though it’s a little pricey, it’s worth checking out.

2. Quick Score Elite

Quick Score Elite is our second choice for the best free music notation software for Windows. This one is also a renowned and well-known free software for music notation that you find. There are a number of features that we find impressive. The layout of the software is in a panorama view that means it can easily fit all the bars on one window. The software features a number of tools such as the Piano Roll Editor, Track Sheet, MIDI Mixer, controller Editor, etc.

Users can easily choose the instrument name from the dropdown in the tracking sheet. When you select the instrument, the software will automatically set clef, program, channel, and key transportation field. Users can also change the playback rate and control the tempo of playback. You can also easily move Notes from one track to another using its Move to track edit function.

Overall this one is a decent music notation software for windows and you can easily rely on for composing music notes. And there are many other amazing features that you will find in the software so go ahead and explore this one.

3. MuseScore2

We have finally found the best (completely) free music notation software for windows that you will love to use. This one is open-source software so anyone can download it from anywhere for free. There is no subscription or additional fee that it will ask. Even if the music software comes for free, you don’t have to compromise with the quality in any way. This one is considered as the best free music notation software due to its amazing features and the best quality.

The software provides great help in music composing using different instruments such as piano, guitars, drums, MIDI keyboard, etc. Users can easily import or export their music composition from various sources. Lastly, the software supports multiple platforms including the Mac OS.

The software also features a large community of composers consisting of both amateurs as well as professionals, so you can connect with them and find inspiration for your work and help each other out. The bottom line is, for a completely free music notation software for Windows, this one should be your first choice!

4. Noteflight

This one might be a music notation “software” but it’s definitely a great help when it comes to composing music. This one comes in both the free version as well as the premium version. And the best part is it’s the premium version comes at a very cheap and affordable price and one can easily afford it as well.

This one is designed especially for beginners who just want to explore the field of music composing and song-making. It easily syncs with the Google classroom and other learning management systems. Overall this one is kinda an educator software for music. It can’t be permanently downloaded in your computer but it’s definitely worth the online version as it provides several tools and features that would be helpful for the amateurs.

Users can easily import and export their music compositions and edit them via its several tools. The software is also highly customizable and you will definitely love to use this one as well. So take a look at this one and learn how to make music notes and compose music as well.

5. Sibelius First

Sibelius might be one of the best most popular free music notation software for windows on this list and this one is also a great choice for beginners as well as the experts. It is one of the easiest music notation software that you would ever come across and that’s why it’s a suitable choice for those who have never used a music notation before.

Even though the software is commonly known as the best free music notation software for beginner, it surely features a number of advanced features as well. The software features cloud storage where you can save your music notes and compositions. You can also easily share your work with other members of Sibelius users and get their feedback as well.

So the bottom line is, it has an intuitive and user-friendly interface with some advanced features. And it comes with the free version as well as the premium version and is compatible with Windows as well as the Mac OS.

6. LillyPond

LillyPond is another popular free music notation software that you might be aware of as it gained immense popularity over the years. This software allows you to write the music notes as a coding language so that makes it a little hard to use for those who have no experience with coding or writing computer languages.

But if you are someone who doesn’t find it trouble, it’s a perfect software for music notations and that’s too far free. This one allows it’s users to convert the notes into a pdf or MIDI. Even with it’s quite a different interface, this software is pretty easy to use once you got a grip over it. Being free software makes it even more appealing so go ahead and try this one out as well.

7. Finale NotePad

Our next pick for the best free music notation software is Finale NotePad, this one too is white popular and you would certainly love to use this one as well. You can easily compose the music using staves and notes. The software also featured a number of different tools that help you to make the music notes. The tools include playback controls, smart shape palette, utility palette, and so on.

Users can easily record and edit the notes they compose and there are many features to do that. Overall this one is definitely among the best music notation software that we found. Users can also easily import and export music files in different formats.

Keep in mind that this one also comes with a free version and the premium version, so the free version might lack some of the features but even then it does a better job than most of the other free music notation software for Windows.

8. Crescendo

Crescendo is also a popularly known music notation for Windows that you can try out sometime. This one features an easy way of writing the music notes and you can easily with the music notations on your computer.

Users can easily make the sheet music in Treble, Bass, Tenor, or Alto Clefs. Users can also write the guitar tablature and they can also create the dotted notes and chords. Lastly, users can easily print their compositions as well. Overall this software makes you feel like a professional music composer and you will be definitely impressed by this one.

9. Kangas Sound Editor

Kangas Sound Editor is another reliable free music notation software that you can use. Although the software is based on a Kangaroo theme which is quite unique. The software has been appreciated as it is able to make music notes from scratch and this one is definitely a great companion when it comes to becoming a part of your creative journey.

The software also features a frequency ration system that makes it pretty easy to use the sound pitched in your musical track. The software also offers a MIDI pitch number. This one is a completely free music notation software that you would wanna use.

10. MC Music Editor

MC Music Editor is also open-source software that means anyone can use it without downloading it or paying a subscription for the software. This one definitely fits into the criteria of the best free music notation software for an expert. Being a portable program has definitely attracted a lot of music composers and songwriters. The interface of the software is quite intuitive and easy to use.

Users would be able to export the music files from the software. And to use the software, users won’t even have to alter the Windows registry settings. Overall it’s a decent Windows software for music notation that lookup to.

11. MagicSocre

MagicScore too does a very great job when it comes to creating music notes. The software is full of choices and variants that means you will get to be as creative as you want to be. The software lets you use the musical symbols both general and extended. The music notes can be easily converted into mp3 and WAV formats. It features a number of instruments as well so you will get decent software with all the necessary options.

Conclusion

And these are the 11 best free music notation software that you needed to know about. Now some of them are entirely free and other ones come with a free trial so that you can actually check them out and if you like them you can spend a little money too. For every music composer, whether a beginner or a pro, they have to have to right kind of tools with them which will enhance your creativity. So choose any of the free music notation software that you find the best one for yourself and that meets your requirements as well.

Thank you for being with us and we hope you liked the article and found it helpful.