Real-Time Collaboration · Free for Everyone
Write music together,
live, from anywhere.
Invite a co-writer, arranger, or bandmate with a link. The moment they open it, you're both editing the same score — same measures, same instant playback, no exporting a file back and forth. Free for every signed-in user, no Pro plan required.
Start co-writing in three steps
Write your score
Start the way you always do — no login required to try the editor solo first.
Send an edit-invite link
Open Share & Export (Ctrl+S),
choose Share for Editing, and set how many
people the link can seat.
Co-edit live
Anyone who opens the link signs in and starts editing immediately — same score, same moment, cursors visible for everyone.
Why collaborate in QuickStave?
Most notation software treats collaboration as exporting a file and emailing it. QuickStave treats it like a shared document.
| QuickStave | Dorico / Sibelius | Flat.io | Noteflight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real-time co-editing | Free, built in | Not built in | Gated by plan | Gated by plan |
| Setup for a collaborator | Open a link, sign in | Desktop install + licence | Create an account | Create an account |
| Live cursors | Yes | — | Yes | Limited |
| Who can just watch | Anyone with a link, no account | — | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
Comparison reflects each product's standard offering at time of writing.
Built to be written together
Free for everyone
Co-editing carries no Pro gate. Only taking your work out — export, publishing — is paid.
Live cursors & presence
See exactly who's editing what, as they do it — no guessing whether someone else is mid-change.
No merge conflicts
Concurrent edits merge instantly. There's no file version to reconcile, and no work ever silently overwritten.
Link-based invites
Set a seat limit, revoke a single link, or end the whole session — all from the Share panel, no usernames to hunt down.
Any device
Phone, tablet, Chromebook, or desktop — a collaborator only needs a browser.
Version history
Every session's changes are saved as you go, with earlier versions you can look back at and restore.
Running a rehearsal instead of co-writing? See how choirs and bands use live score-following to keep everyone on the same page.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free software to collaborate on sheet music?
Yes. QuickStave's real-time co-editing carries no Pro gate — invite anyone with a link and you're both editing the same score, live, at no cost. Only export (MusicXML, MIDI, clean PDF, audio) and publishing require a paid plan.
Can two people edit the same score at the same time?
Yes. Once a collaborator opens your edit-invite link and signs in, you're both working in the same live score — you'll see each other's cursors as you write, and changes merge instantly with no "whose copy is newest" confusion.
How do I write music with someone who isn't in the same room?
Open Share & Export (Ctrl+S) in your score, choose Share for Editing, and send the generated link. Anyone who opens it signs in and becomes another editor immediately — no file to email, no version to reconcile afterwards.
Do collaborators need to pay for anything?
No. Co-editing is free for every signed-in user. Each collaborator's own plan governs what they personally can export or print — editing itself is never gated.
What happens if we both edit the same bar at once?
Your edits merge automatically — there's no "last save wins" file conflict to sort out afterwards, and no lost work. This is the same underlying engine that keeps your own score in sync if you have it open in two tabs or two devices.
Can I let someone watch without letting them edit?
Yes — Share for Viewing generates a separate read-only link that anyone can open with no account at all. They see your score update as you write, without becoming an editor. This is also how rehearsal following works — see our page for choirs and bands.
Is my collaborator's work saved permanently?
Yes. Everything either of you writes is saved to the cloud as you go, and version history lets you look back at (and restore) earlier states of the score.
Does this work like Google Docs?
That's the comparison we aim for: open one link, and everyone invited is working in the same document at the same time — except the document is a score, with notation, playback, and engraving instead of paragraphs.
Invite someone to write with you
It's free, it takes one link, and you're both editing the same score within seconds.