LilyPond

LilyPond is ranked #6 of 37 in music notation software on The Geeks Club. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

LilyPond plans and pricing

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LilyPond Free Free software; GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS lilypond.org · 4 Oct 2026

Compared on music notation software

Free plan: Yes
Deployment: desktop
MusicXML support: Yes
MIDI support: Yes
Parts extraction: Yes
Tablature support: Yes

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LilyPond

Purpose: LilyPond is a music engraving program for producing sheet music.
Notation range: It supports engraving classical, complex, early, and modern music, tablature, vocal music, lead sheets, educational materials, and orchestral projects.
Input format: LilyPond processes text input containing score information in a human-readable form.
Automatic layout: It automatically determines spacing, breaks lines and pages, resolves clashes between lyrics, notes, and chords, and slopes slurs and beams.
Customization: Users can change layout settings, create text-based style sheets, and add functions using the built-in Scheme language.
Programmatic use: LilyPond input files can be edited or generated by programs and scripts, and the command-line tool can be used from other applications.
Integrations: The official features page describes integrating music into LaTeX or HTML and adding it to OpenOffice.org and LibreOffice with the OOoLilyPond extension.
Third-party editors: The official site lists user-developed editing tools including Frescobaldi, Denemo, and Spontini-Editor, and notes these are developed outside LilyPond’s core.
Accessibility: The text-based workflow can be used with speech-recognition software and screen readers to write LilyPond files.
License: LilyPond is published under the GNU General Public License, and the official Freedom page also identifies the GNU Free Documentation License.
Supported desktop platforms: The official site lists GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows as supported platforms.
Platform limits: The listed Windows binaries do not support Windows 7 or Windows 8, and the listed macOS binaries require macOS 10.15 or higher.
Support: The lilypond-user mailing list is the main place for users to discuss the program and help one another; some support is also available on IRC.
Release channels: The official site distinguishes stable releases from unstable development releases and recommends stable downloads for users unsure about installation.
Price from: Free

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Where it ranks on The Geeks Club

Best Music Notation Software in 2026#6 of 37

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Sources

lilypond.org· checked 4 Oct 2026
lilypond.org/features.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
lilypond.org/easier-editing.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
lilypond.org/freedom.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
lilypond.org/download.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
lilypond.org/contact.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
lilypond.org/development.html· checked 4 Oct 2026