Best Setlist Apps for Gigging Musicians (2026)

July 2026 · Updated regularly

Ask ten gigging musicians for the best setlist app and you will get several different answers, because the right choice depends on what you play, what devices your band carries, and whether you need chord charts and sheet music on stage or just a song order. This guide compares the apps working musicians actually use in 2026, with honest notes on who each one fits, including our own app, Band Central. Where a competitor is the better pick for your situation, we say so.

How we compared them

A setlist app for a gigging band lives or dies on a few things:

• Platform coverage — does it run on everyone's device (iPhone, Android, tablet, web) or only Apple?
• Band collaboration — can the whole band share one library and see setlist changes, or is it built for a single player?
• Charts on stage — chord charts, ChordPro, and PDF sheet music with auto-scroll and pedal support.
• Price — free tier, one-time purchase, or subscription, and whether every member has to pay.
• Ease of use — how quickly a band can actually get going.

The best setlist apps at a glance

Band Central — best for cross-platform bands

Band Central is the app we make, and it exists to solve one problem the others leave open: getting a whole band, on mixed devices, onto the same page. It runs on iPhone, Android, and the web, so the drummer on a Samsung and the singer on an iPhone use the same tool. You build setlists with drag-and-drop, attach chord charts, lyrics, ChordPro, and PDF sheet music to each song, transpose on the fly, turn pages with a Bluetooth pedal, and everything syncs to the whole band in real time. Each member can keep their own lyric version and transposition of a shared song.

Pros: truly cross-platform including a real web app; built around bands, not a single user; free tier of 50 songs; only the band owner needs a subscription, so invited members are free.

Cons: it is not aimed at MIDI or stage-lighting automation, and it is a newer app than the decade-old incumbents.

Best for: cover bands, worship teams, and any group with a mix of iPhones, Android phones, and tablets that wants everyone in sync.

BandHelper — best for pro bands that need automation

BandHelper is the most feature-deep option here and, like Band Central, it is genuinely cross-platform (iOS, Android, Mac, and web). Beyond songs and setlists it adds MIDI program changes, synchronized backing tracks, stage-lighting control, and business tools like contacts and finances. That power comes with a steeper learning curve, and pricing is a per-user subscription.

Best for: working and touring bands that run automated shows and want everything in one place. If you need MIDI or backing-track automation, BandHelper goes further than Band Central.

OnSong — best iPad chord-chart app

OnSong has a devoted following among worship musicians and solo performers on iPad. Its chord-chart rendering, on-the-fly transposition, and ChordPro and PDF support are excellent. The catch is that OnSong is Apple only, with no Android version, and it has moved to a subscription. If your whole band is on iPads, it is a strong choice; if anyone is on Android, look at a cross-platform option instead.

Best for: iPad-based worship leaders and solo players. (On Android, see our OnSong for Android guide.)

forScore — best for reading PDF sheet music on iPad

forScore is the gold standard for reading and annotating PDF sheet music on an iPad, popular with classical and reading musicians. It is a polished single-user reader with a one-time price. It is also Apple only and PDF-focused rather than built for chord charts or whole-band setlist collaboration.

Best for: solo players reading scores on an iPad. (Need it on Android? See our forScore for Android guide.)

MobileSheets — best offline PDF library for Android and Windows

MobileSheets (and MobileSheetsPro) is a powerful PDF-focused reader that started on Android and Windows and now runs on iOS too, with a one-time purchase and a large, active user community. It is built around a local library on your device rather than cloud-first band sharing, and there is no web app.

Best for: a single player who wants a deep, offline sheet music library on Android or Windows without a subscription.

SongbookPro — best simple songbook for solo players

SongbookPro is a clean chord-and-lyric songbook that runs on iPad, Android, and Windows, handling ChordPro, PDFs, and setlists at an affordable price. It is mainly a single-user tool, so it is a great personal songbook but not built for real-time band collaboration.

Best for: solo players and hobbyists who want an inexpensive, cross-device personal songbook.

Set List Maker, Planning Center, SetBook, and Setlist Helper

• Set List Maker is a lightweight setlist organizer from the same developer as BandHelper. It is being wound down and folded into BandHelper, so new users are generally better off starting with BandHelper.
• Planning Center Services is the standard for church worship scheduling, with a companion Music Stand app. It is powerful for volunteer scheduling and team planning but is church-oriented and priced for organizations rather than a single band.
• SetBook layers gig scheduling and pay tracking on top of setlists, aimed at the business side of gigging. It is a newer entrant worth a look if you want booking and finances alongside your sets.
• Setlist Helper is the long-running app (over a decade of use) that Band Central is the successor to. Existing users can migrate their songs, setlists, and tags to Band Central with one tap while keeping their Setlist Helper account.

How to choose the right one

• Mixed-device band? Choose a cross-platform app: Band Central or BandHelper. Avoid Apple-only apps like OnSong and forScore.
• All on iPad and want the best chart reader? OnSong for chord charts, forScore for PDF scores.
• Run automated shows with MIDI or backing tracks? BandHelper.
• Solo player who just wants a personal songbook? SongbookPro, or MobileSheets for a deep offline PDF library.
• Worship team that needs scheduling? Planning Center for logistics, paired with a chart app like Band Central or OnSong for the stage.
• Want the whole band in sync for free to start? Band Central.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best setlist app for a band?

For a band on mixed devices that wants everyone sharing one synced library, Band Central is the best all-around pick because it runs on iPhone, Android, and the web with real-time collaboration and a free tier. BandHelper is the better choice if you need MIDI or backing-track automation and do not mind a steeper learning curve.

What is the best free setlist app?

Band Central has a free plan that includes up to 50 songs with all core features, and only the band owner needs a paid plan, so invited members are always free. Set List Maker is free with in-app purchases but is being retired into BandHelper.

What is the best setlist app for Android?

Band Central, BandHelper, MobileSheets, and SongbookPro all run on Android. OnSong and forScore do not have Android versions, so Android players should choose one of the cross-platform apps.

What is the best setlist app for worship teams?

Planning Center Services is the standard for scheduling and volunteer coordination, but it is not a chart reader on its own. Many worship teams pair it with a stage app like Band Central (cross-platform) or OnSong (iPad) for chord charts and lyrics.

Is there a cross-platform alternative to OnSong and forScore?

Yes. Both OnSong and forScore are Apple only. Band Central is a cross-platform alternative that runs on iPhone, Android, and the web, with chord charts, PDF sheet music, setlists, and real-time band sync.

Band Central is free to start and works on iPhone, Android, and the web. Build setlists, share chord charts and lyrics with your whole band, and keep everyone in sync on stage.

Related reading: OnSong alternative, BandHelper alternative, MobileSheets alternative, and the best tablets for musicians.

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