Just like the topic says. If you could tell me why you recommend one or the other that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I'm pretty sure there's a few topics on this on the forum if you searched, but...

I'll recommend Sibelius 5.  I've been a Finale user for years and years and just recently decided to give Sibelius a go, and I'm not looking back.  Each program has its kinks, no doubt, but the fact that Sibelius automatically aligns dynamics and lines?! That makes my life easier, as I'm OCD about stuff like that.  I think it's easier to make a chart/score look pretty in Sib 5.  Additionally, I've found that VDL2.5 runs better in sib 5 than in Finale 08.  Don't ask me why, as I can't explain it, it just does with less hiccuping.

I will second Chris's thoughts. I used Finale from 2004 up to 2008 and knew the program well. I was able to do pretty much whatever I wanted and didn't have too many problems with it. I just recently made the switch over to Sibelius and I must say that I have learned to do just as much in less than half the time. This is not to say Finale was more difficult, I am just saying that Sibelius was easier to pick up and run with compared to Finale. Sibelius also does the little things like automatically lining up expressions and stuff that make it that much better. Plus it integrates seamlessly with VDL!!! It is just as simple as choosing the instruments from the list and starting to write.

I picked Sibelius after using Finale back in 2000-2002.  I started using Sibelius 3 along the way.  Finale is good but I like the way Sibelius 5 handles on screen and appears in print.  I also like the way the parts extract and appear (with minor adjustment).  For the money and time spent, Sibelius is much easier to use.  Both programs have their pluses and minuses, but I'm glad I use Sibelius.  Additionally, I like the way VDL works with Sibelius with no problem (except when I'm in a hurry and don't think clearly).

What he said ^^.  :)

Lately, all I've been saying is ";ACK! Why didn't someone tell me Sibelius was this easy?!";

And then Bill is always there to say ";I DID tell you that";

:p

I used Finale 98, 99, 2000, 2001, 2002, and then finally said ";there has to be something better for percussion writing.";  Then I got Sibelius 2 and never looked back.  I heard something like 10,000 people switched to version 2 back then. 

Anyways, Sibelius is awesome.  I have one hand on my MIDI keyboard to control pitch, and one hand on my computer's numeric keypad to control note duration and other stuff.  Entering notes is fast and easy, and easy to use as a beginner while having a lot of power to customize for advanced users.

Plus two of my friends work for Finale and it's like they're dead to me now :)

Depends.  I started on Finale and am too ingrained in my ways to switch.

Either way would get the results you want, just Sibelius is a bit easier to get going on out of the box.

In my humble opinion, the integration of Kontakt Player and native support of VST instruments puts Sibelius 5 out ahead of Finale.  They both have very different styles for note input, among other things. I would suggest getting the trial versions of both and trying them out for a bit to see which one you prefer.

Maybe we should put up a poll to see who is using what?

Sibelius  vs. Finale (whatever versions)

BATTLE ROYALE!!!

Sibelius is much more user friendly out of the box. But Finale is good too.

Add ";Sequencer"; as the third party...

yea sequencer would be nice, but that is throwing in a big battle of Mac vs. PC. Not that there isnt one there already, and trust me if I had the money I would get a mac, but you cant use Logic on PC, and while Cakewalk and Cubase are nice, I haven't found anything that just awed me the way Logic did.

As an owner of Sonar and Cubase, let me second that...

i've seen a lot about cubase and sonar? what the heck are they?