Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Crescendo VS Notion

Compare Crescendo VS Notion and see what are their differences

Crescendo logo Crescendo

Music note writing and composing software

Notion logo Notion

All-in-one workspace. One tool for your whole team. Write, plan, and get organized.
  • Crescendo Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16
  • Notion Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-12

Crescendo features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Crescendo boasts an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface, making it accessible for users of all levels, including beginners.
  • Affordable
    Crescendo is priced reasonably, providing necessary music notation features without a hefty price tag, making it ideal for budget-conscious users.
  • Comprehensive Toolset
    The software includes a wide range of notation tools, allowing users to create detailed and complex musical scores.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Crescendo is available on multiple operating systems, including Windows and Mac, ensuring flexibility for users across different platforms.
  • MIDI Input Support
    It supports MIDI input, enabling users to input notes through a MIDI keyboard, which can enhance the speed and accuracy of score creation.

Possible disadvantages of Crescendo

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to some high-end notation software, Crescendo lacks some advanced features that professional musicians or composers might require.
  • Export Options
    The software offers limited export formats, which might be restrictive for users needing to work with various file types for different purposes.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported occasional performance issues, such as lagging or crashing, particularly with larger, more complex scores.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Usage
    While the basic functions are user-friendly, mastering more advanced features can take time, requiring a steeper learning curve.
  • Customer Support
    There have been mixed reviews regarding the efficiency and responsiveness of customer support, which can be a concern for users requiring immediate assistance.

Notion features and specs

  • All-in-One Workspace
    Notion combines note-taking, task management, databases, calendars, and collaboration features in a single platform, reducing the need for multiple tools.
  • Highly Customizable
    Users can tailor Notion to fit their specific workflow with customizable templates, pages, and databases, making it versatile for various use cases.
  • Collaboration Features
    Notion offers seamless collaboration with real-time editing, comments, mentions, and shared workspaces, enhancing teamwork and productivity.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Notion is available on multiple platforms, including web, desktop, and mobile, providing flexibility and accessibility from anywhere.
  • Integration Capability
    Notion supports integrations with various third-party applications like Google Drive, Slack, and Trello, allowing for a more interconnected workflow.

Possible disadvantages of Notion

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and customization options, new users might find Notion challenging to learn and navigate initially.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users report that Notion can become slow or experience lag, especially with large databases and complex pages.
  • Offline Limitations
    While Notion offers some offline capabilities, its functionality is significantly reduced without an internet connection, which can be inconvenient for some users.
  • Pricing for Teams
    Though Notion offers a free version, its premium plans can be expensive for larger teams, which may be a constraint for startups or small businesses.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any cloud-based service, there are potential privacy and data security concerns, especially for users handling sensitive information.

Analysis of Crescendo

Overall verdict

  • Crescendo is a solid option for musicians and composers who need reliable music notation software without the complexity or high cost. Its user-friendly design and essential features make it appealing to a broad audience, especially those who are new to music composition software.

Why this product is good

  • Crescendo from NCH Software is considered a good choice for those looking for a user-friendly music notation software. It offers a range of features that cater to both beginners and experienced musicians, including support for various musical symbols, a comprehensive note entry system, and the capability to handle multiple instruments. It is also praised for its intuitive interface and affordability compared to other professional notation software.

Recommended for

    Beginners, music students, educators, and anyone who requires an accessible and affordable music notation solution.

Crescendo videos

Strain Review Crescendo by Thc Design

More videos:

  • Review - Weed Review - THC Design/Crescendo
  • Review - Crescendo by MysteryVibe - Review and Giveaway

Notion videos

The Most Powerful Productivity App I Use - Notion

More videos:

  • Review - I switched to Notion for a week... Here's what happened!
  • Review - Notion is Truly an All-in-One Productivity Tool (App Review)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Crescendo and Notion)
Project Management
4 4%
96% 96
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
Task Management
3 3%
97% 97
Office & Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Crescendo and Notion

Crescendo Reviews

7 Best Music Composition Software To Write Music [Free & Paid]: 2022
This software can help you compose soundtracks, music, songs and scores. The best thing is you can print your music with the help of “TwelveKeys Music Transcription Software”, which is a part of Crescendo.

Notion Reviews

  1. jk22
    · consultant at GFI ·
    Notion has helped in documenting our business

    It's been very very helpful to streamline different people on our team, especially remote workers to help them understand what's going on in our business without 100s of meetings.

    👍 Pros:    Ui is very attractive|Easy to use|Great for collaboration|Good customer service|Free to use
    👎 Cons:    Steep learning curve
  2. Ramesh Kumar
    · Product Manager at Aerial ·
    Extremely helpful- made life easier

    My remote-first start-up has eliminated more than 200+ hours of meetings and 1000s of mismanaged documents because our entire communication happens through Notion.

    👍 Pros:    Clean ui|File sharing|Modular
    👎 Cons:    Learning curve
  3. Boyd Richardson
    · Writer at SE ·

    As someone who's always on the lookout for the perfect productivity app, I was excited to try out Notion. It promises to be an all-in-one tool for everything from note-taking to project management to personal wikis.

    From the moment you open Notion, you can tell that it's different from other productivity apps. The interface is sleek and modern, and it's easy to navigate. The app is divided into pages, which can be customized with different templates to fit your needs. You can create to-do lists, databases, wikis, calendars, and more.

    One of the things I love about Notion is the ability to create relationships between pages. For example, you can create a database of your favorite books and then link to a page with your book reviews. Or you can create a to-do list and link to a page with notes about the task. This feature makes it easy to keep all of your information in one place and to connect related items.

    🏁 Competitors: Microsoft Loop
    👍 Pros:    Highly customizable|All in one|Collaboration|Cross platform
    👎 Cons:    Steep learning curve

Top 10 Notion Alternatives for 2025 and Why Teams Are Choosing Ledger
If you're looking for a Notion alternative that supports real, scalable teamwork, you're not alone. Whether you’ve outgrown Notion or are just exploring more robust, team-friendly platforms, here’s a breakdown of the top 10 alternatives in 2025—and why Ledger is becoming the go-to choice for modern teams.
How Tight-Knit Teams Get More Done with Innovative Project Management Tools
Notion: More than a task manager, it acts as a knowledge base. You can store guidelines, references, wikis, and to-do lists all under one roof.
Source: medium.com
11 Popular Knowledge Management Tools to Consider in 2025 
Notion AI (Optional Add-on) – $8 per user/month (billed annually). Available for all plans (including the free plan)
Source: knowmax.ai
11 Best Google Keeps Alternatives for 2024
Unlike other note-taking apps, Notion stands out for its endless customization. It’s like an all-in-one workspace structured by pages and blocks.
Source: upbase.io
20 Obsidian Alternatives: Top Note-Taking Tools to Consider
Notion is a popular alternative to Obsidian for its simplicity, minimalistic interface, and large community. On top of note-taking, you can use Notion as a task management tool to create simple to-dos or build a personal knowledge base. You can also embed links, images, videos, code snippets, etc. Notion also has bi-directional functionalities enabling you to interconnect...
Source: clickup.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Notion seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 441 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Crescendo mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Crescendo yet. Tracking of Crescendo recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Notion mentions (441)

  • Cool SHIT you can do with docker
    Two of the most popular open source note taking app are affine (basically notion but open source) and obsidian (which stores notes in markdown). - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (October 2024)
    Notion | https://notion.so | Android Engineer | SF | hybrid (in office 2x a week) | Full time
      Level: Mid/Mid+ (4-6yrs experience).
    - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Karyam: Simples everyday writing app
    Advanced Notion and Google Doc writing editor. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • My blog post workflow
    I manage my non-work and work-adjacent tasks in Notion. Whenever I have an idea, regardless of how big or small or silly or achievable it is, I'll add it to Notion, and use labels to categorise it by type of output (e.g. blog, silly project, website update). Today I wanted to write a short post for my site. I clicked on the filtered blog post view, and selected this one (because I hoped it would be a quick one!). - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • 6 AI tools that feels illegal to know🤖
    Notion.so redefines workspaces. With its intelligent organization and collaboration features, it's more than a productivity tool—it's a digital haven. Discover the art of streamlined and efficient teamwork. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Crescendo and Notion, you can also consider the following products

Paperflite - Paperflite is a prospect engagement platform to enable business development reps to see what sells.

Trello - Infinitely flexible. Incredibly easy to use. Great mobile apps. It's free. Trello keeps track of everything, from the big picture to the minute details.

ClearVoice - ClearVoice is a content marketing platform and service solution.

Asana - Asana project management is an effort to re-imagine how we work together, through modern productivity software. Fast and versatile, Asana helps individuals and groups get more done.

Styla.com - Content commerce solution for online retailers and brands

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.