What is Flat used for?

Flat is collaborative music notation software for web, desktop and mobile, with real-time editing, instruments, PDF import and a classroom edition. It is a good fit for music teachers running classroom assignments and composers co-writing scores remotely.

Yes. Flat has a free plan. Free Basic plan limited to 15 scores. Flat Power adds unlimited scores and 180+ instruments, sold monthly, yearly or as a one-time lifetime purchase; prices are not shown on this page.

No. Flat is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Flat include MuseScore.

What are some alternatives to Flat?

Flat competes with Noteflight, Avid Sibelius and Steinberg Dorico. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Flat alternatives.

Flat: features, pricing and alternatives

About Flat

Flat is music notation software that runs on the web, on Mac and Windows desktops, and on iOS and Android. Composers and teachers can write, play back, print and share sheet music from any device, and several people can edit the same score together in real time.

Features include high-quality instrument sounds, an offline mode, a desktop app that is free to download, a guitar tab editor and PDF import. Flat for Education is aimed at classrooms, schools and districts, and Music Snippet lets users embed notation into Google and Microsoft tools. A community area offers sharing, a monthly challenge and an affiliate program.

Flat is a hosted commercial service with a pricing page. It suits teachers, students and composers who value real-time collaboration and cross-device access over a traditional single-computer notation program.

Key features

Real-time collaborative score editing
Web, desktop and mobile apps
Offline mode and desktop app
Guitar tab editor
PDF import
Flat for Education classroom tools

Good fit for

→Music teachers running classroom assignments
→Composers co-writing scores remotely

Tags: music-notation; collaboration; education; sheet-music; web; mobile; composing

Flat: questions and answers

What is Flat used for?: Flat is collaborative music notation software for web, desktop and mobile, with real-time editing, instruments, PDF import and a classroom edition. It is a good fit for music teachers running classroom assignments and composers co-writing scores remotely.
Is Flat free?: Yes. Flat has a free plan. Free Basic plan limited to 15 scores. Flat Power adds unlimited scores and 180+ instruments, sold monthly, yearly or as a one-time lifetime purchase; prices are not shown on this page.
Is Flat open source?: No. Flat is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Flat include MuseScore.
What are some alternatives to Flat?: Flat competes with Noteflight, Avid Sibelius and Steinberg Dorico. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Flat alternatives.