When comparing ScoreCloud vs Lilypond, the Slant community recommends ScoreCloud for most people. In the question“What is the best music notation software?” ScoreCloud is ranked 2nd while Lilypond is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose ScoreCloud is:
In addition to being able to convert MIDI to sheet music, ScoreCloud can analyze single-instrument audio to derive music notation from that.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Understands MIDI and audio input
In addition to being able to convert MIDI to sheet music, ScoreCloud can analyze single-instrument audio to derive music notation from that.
Pro Transcribes polyphonic audio to sheet music
Being able to transcribe an acoustic piano straight into sheet music is a time saver!
Pro Easy to use
Pro Web Player
You can share your scores through the ScoreCloud web page, and the web player is great! There is a voice mixer and you can even change the tempo and key of the songs witch is great for rehearsing.
Pro Import and export MIDI
Getting an automatic score from a MIDI file even when it doesn't have correct timing is very nice. And with MIDI export you can open the music in other music software like Logic or Ableton.
Pro Import and export MusicXML
Because you can import and export MusicXML you can transfer your scores from other notation programs into ScoreCloud, or create them in ScoreCloud and send MusicXML to friends or publishers that use MusicXML. Some editing is usually required when using MusicXML but that's true for any program.
Pro Customisable in every detail
Lilypond is easily the most powerful free/libre engraver, and arguably even more powerful than the commercial heavyweights Sibelius and Finale, mostly because it is set up as a Turing-complete programming language: it can be extended for any notation task whatsoever. For most common tasks this is of course not necessary (Lilypond has them built in), but whenever some feature doesn't exist yet, the user can just add it.
Pro Best Typographical placement of musical elements, most readable engraving
Although there is a learning curve, the output of Lilypond is superior in every way. Very little after engraving adjustment is needed and the typography is both beautiful and very readable.
Pro Free and open source, much effective for mass engraving
Lilypond is free, and open source.
Lilypond community is active and helpful.
Lilypond is much effective for mass engraving, by typing text instead of 1-button mouse clicking.
Pro Imports various sound files formats
There are converters that could convert from midi, encore (.enc), ABC music (.abc), MusicXML(*. mxml), etc.
Pro Very very lightweight
Even more lightweight than MuseScore, just need the binary, some libraries (that come preinstalled with almost all systems), and a text editor (even ed will do).
Pro Most stable software & files
Lilypond is quite stable as a software. As files are text files they're virtually incorruptible, the files could be edited with any text editor.
Cons
Con Transcription not always precise
Although very impressive, the results aren't always 100 %. The easy-to-use editor helps this though.
Con Music font doesn't look as professional as competitors
Con No VST instruments
Playback in ScoreCloud is only with default MIDI sounds witch doesn't sound great. But it is good enough to work with and rehearse. You can attach audio performance or youtube video to the song and that helps when sharing songs.
Con Only the pro plan allows saving files locally
ScoreCloud service is tied to their servers to a degree where it's not possible to save files locally without a $19.99 / month subscription.
Con Free plan doesn't allow exporting MIDI
Con There's a big learning curve at first
Con Even for fans of text-based languages, Lilypond is not easy to use
Lilypond's syntax is influenced by both LaTeX and Lisp, and one might argue that it combines the disadvantages of both: it is both inconsistent and verbose. For simple tasks, ABCjs is more convenient to write, whereas for big projects a proper AST layout would be desirable.
