I received this question from a WorshipMatters reader:

I’ve heard good things about both Finale and Sibelius as far as notation software goes. Now, I understand that, perhaps depending on the needs, one software might be better than the other. Is it possible to give a quick run-down as to “which should I (i.e. my church) choose if it wants notation software?” Does it matter? What are the different strengths/weaknesses?

Let me start by telling you I’m a Sibelius fan.

Here’s my story. I used Professional Composer in the early 90’s for notation and then switched to Finale in the early 90’s. Not too long after I moved to Covenant Life Church in 1997, I got Sibelius for the office just because it seemed easier than Finale to use. It was. Significantly. But I kept using Finale at home. So I was able to compare them. Every year I’d receive a brochure from Finale, advertising the new version. I hesitated to upgrade because I noticed that each version just kept getting more and more like Sibelius. One year I broke down and ordered the newest version of Finale, but couldn’t get my keyboard to work with it. At that time Sibelius was offering a “switch from Finale” upgrade for $149. I switched. When I installed Sibelius, my keyboard worked right away.

Sibelius is at version 5.2 now after about eleven years. …

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