Dorico review
A full notation and engraving workflow, with free editions and a 60-day trial.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Dorico is Steinberg’s music notation and composition software for composers, arrangers, educators, publishers, and performers who need to create scores and performance materials. Its shared project structure brings players, flows, layouts, and parts together, with tools for notation, engraving, page layout, tablature, playback, and audio export. It is aimed at people producing formatted scores rather than those looking only for a lightweight way to jot down musical ideas.
The editions distinguish basic score work from more advanced production needs. Dorico SE 6 is a free edition for macOS and Windows, with MusicXML and MIDI import and export. Dorico Elements 6 includes notation and engraving features, along with the same exchange formats. Dorico Pro 6 adds advanced engraving and layout capabilities and a proofreading panel. Dorico for iPad is a free download with notation and playback, plus optional paid functionality. A 60-day trial gives prospective users a way to evaluate the software before choosing an edition.
Dorico’s breadth is useful when scores need to move between notation, parts, and performance preparation: it supports instrumental part layouts, custom chord symbols, fretted-instrument tablature, cycle playback, and audio export, alongside MusicXML and MIDI exchange. VST instruments, MIDI devices, and Audio Unit instruments are supported in its playback ecosystem. That scope makes Dorico a fit for composers and engravers who need control over the finished page as well as the musical content. Someone seeking advanced engraving should look at Pro; users needing a free starting point can consider SE or the iPad edition, while those who only need basic notation may not need the fuller workflow.
Dorico pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Combines score creation, engraving, page layout, and instrumental parts
- Supports MusicXML, MIDI, tablature, playback, and audio export
- Offers a 60-day trial plus free macOS, Windows, and iPad editions
- Where it doesn't
- Advanced engraving and layout capabilities are reserved for Pro
- The iPad edition has optional paid functionality
- Desktop editions are limited to macOS and Windows
Dorico fact sheet, pricing and score →
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