Here is a comprehensive table of the differences between Sibelius | First, Sibelius, and Sibelius | Ultimate.
General features Notation Playback Utilities Publishing Exporting and sharing
General features |
Sibelius | First |
Sibelius |
Sibelius | Ultimate |
| Ideal for… | Composing simple scores with up to 4 instrument parts (staves) |
Simple/moderate music of up to 16 staves |
Scores and parts of any size or complexity; worksheets and exercises |
| Availability | Available for free for anyone to download and use | Subscribe annually or purchase and own a perpetual licence | Subscribe annually or purchase and own a perpetual licence (educational discount available), trade-up from other notation software, or get network licensing |
| Number of computers you can install a single copy on |
N/A | 1 | 2 (for use by same person, e.g. desktop + laptop) |
| Software updates and support | Download the latest software as it becomes available | Access all new releases and Standard support through a subscription or renewable 1-year Software Updates + Support Plan (included with new perpetual licences) | |
Notation |
Sibelius | First |
Sibelius |
Sibelius | Ultimate |
| Accidentals | Composing simple scores with up to 4 instrument parts (staves) |
Normal and double only, bracketed |
Normal, double, quarter-tones, bracketed |
| Articulations | – | Common ones only | Full set |
| Bar numbers | Composing simple scores | Limited | Full range of formats |
| Barline types | Single, double, repeat only | Single, double, repeat only | Single, double, repeat, dotted, early music |
| Bars, irregular | – | No, except pick-up bars |  |
| Beams, cross-staff (in keyboard music) | – | – | |
| Beam/rest groupings | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Brackets & braces | Fixed | Fixed | Customizable |
| Change transposition of tranposing instruments | – | – | |
| Chord symbols (appearance and MIDI/text input) | Limited Preset Options | Limited preset options | Fully customizable |
| Cue (small) notes | – | – | |
| Dotted notes | Limited | Single / double / triple dotted | Single / double / triple dotted |
| Guitar chord diagrams | Limited | Limited | |
| Guitar scale diagrams | – | – | |
| 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 | Scoops, falls, doits and plops |
| Lines, custom | – | – | |
| Note values | 32nd note to breve | 512th note (7 beams) to “long” (double breve) |
512th note (7 beams) to “long” (double breve) |
| Noteheads, custom | – | – | |
| Ossia staves | – | – | |
| Page numbers | Automatic | Automatic | Customizable |
| Special symbols | – | – | |
| Split multirests (in parts) | – | – | |
| Staves | Up to 4 | Up to 16 per system | Unlimited number |
| Stemlets (half-stems) and ‘feathered’ beams | – | – | |
| Tuplets | Duplets (2:3) to sextuplets (6:4) | Duplets (2:3) to nontuplets (9:8) |
Any (e.g. 2, 7, 44:31, nested tuplets) |
Playback |
Sibelius | First |
Sibelius |
Sibelius | Ultimate |
| Edit MIDI data | – | – | |
| Built-in sounds | – | High-quality Sibelius 7 First Sounds |
Full range of professional-quality orchestral, jazz, pop, marching band and percussion sounds in Sibelius 7 Sounds |
| Live Tempo (conduct playback by tapping) | – | Limited – playback only | Record, edit, clear and playback Live Tempo |
| Playback markings on specified repeats | – | – | |
| Playback of hairpins, rits & accel | – | Fixed | Adjustable |
| Playback of fermatas | – | Fixed | Adjustable |
| Words which affect playback (e.g. legato) | – | Fixed | Editable |
Utilities |
Sibelius | First |
Sibelius |
Sibelius | Ultimate |
| Arrange – automatic arranging and orchestration | – | – | |
| Comments (‘sticky’ notes) | – | |
|
| Compare different scores or versions | – | – | |
| Copy and paste to Word and other programs | – | Low resolution (96dpi) only | |
| Display timecode | – | Single format | Customizable format |
| Edit Dynamic Parts | – | Limited | Full |
| Edit word menus | – | – | |
| Export a log of changes to a score | – | – | |
| Export lyrics as text file | – | |
|
| Filters (for editing similar objects) | – | Quick filters only | |
| Find | – | – | |
| Focus on staves | – | – | |
| Graphics export (for e.g. creating worksheets) | – | – | |
| Highlight music | – | |
|
| Ideas Hub | – | 300 library ideas, capture your own, can’t edit ideas | Over 2000 library ideas, capture and edit your own, add to score/library |
| Import MusicXML files | – | |
|
| Instrument changes | – | – | |
| Join scores together | – | – | |
| Keyboard shortcuts | – | Fixed | Customizable |
| Lyric verses allowed | – | 5 | Unlimited |
| Lyrics from text file | – | – | |
| Note input options | – | Limited | Full |
| Panorama (scroll view) | – | |
|
| Paper & desk textures | – | 40 | Over 60 |
| Part extraction | – | – | |
| Paste As Cue | – | – | |
| Plug-ins | – | 38 | Over 140 |
| Properties window (to edit individual objects) | – | – | Full |
| Rehearsal marks | – | Default only | Fully customizable |
| Repeat structures | – | Customizable | Fully customizable |
| Rulers | – | – | |
| Score Starter (40 genre-specific templates) | – | |
– |
| Special page breaks | – | – | |
| Swap voices | – | – | |
| Versions | – | Save, view and print only | |
| Video (inc. timecode and hit points) | – | Add video, add/edit hit points | |
| Viewing options for Magnetic Layout, page margins, note colors, full screen, etc. |
– | – | |
| Worksheet Creator | – | – | |
Publishing |
Sibelius | First |
Sibelius |
Sibelius | Ultimate |
| Advanced layout features | – | – | |
| Auto Layout options | – | – | |
| Edit fonts | – | Limited | Full |
| Edit staff types | – | – | |
| Edit text styles | – | – | |
| Engraving rules, edit hundreds of | – | – | |
| Headers/footers | – | |
|
| House Style import/export | – | Import only | |
| Magnetic Layout | – | Fixed | Fully customizable |
| Manage Dynamic Parts | – | – | |
| Manuscript papers (preset score layouts) | – | Few; can’t create your own | Many; can create your own |
| Note spacing rules | – | Fixed | Customizable |
| Reset position/design of objects | – | Limited | |
| Set default object positions | – | – | |
| Staff spacing | – | Manual adjustment only | |
Exporting and sharing |
Sibelius | First |
Sibelius |
Sibelius | Ultimate |
| Audio recording, export your score as an | – | |
|
| Avid Scorch app (available on the App Store), optimized export to |
– | |
|
| Email score as .sib or .pdf | – | |
|
| Graphics file, export your score as a |
– | 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 | Type 0 and Type 1 for any device |
| MusicXML file export | – | Yes: compressed or uncompressed | Yes: compressed or uncompressed |
| Previous version, export to | – | |
|
| Publish directly to ScoreExchange.com | – | |
Indirect publishing via web only |
| Scorch (browser plug-in) web page, export a | – | |
|
| Share to YouTube, Facebook, SoundCloud | – | |
|
| Video file, export your score as a | – | |
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