The 5 Best Setlist Apps for Gigging Musicians in 2026
A comprehensive comparison of the top setlist and gig management apps for musicians in 2026, including SetBook, BandHelper, OnSong, Set List Maker, and Planning Center.
By SetBook Team
If you're a working musician, you need a system for managing your setlists. The days of scribbling song orders on napkins or scrolling through a notes app on stage are over. In 2026, there are several purpose-built apps that handle setlists — and some do a lot more than just that.
There are plenty of apps for gigging musicians — sheet music readers, backing-track tools, recording apps. But the one that holds an actual gig together is your setlist and gig manager: the thing you pull up on stage and build the night around. That's what this guide covers, from simple song-order apps to platforms that run the whole gig.
Here's a breakdown of the best options available right now.
What to look for in a setlist app
Before you pick one, get clear on what you actually need beyond a list of songs:
- On-stage display — can you read it comfortably on a phone, tablet, or laptop mid-set? Look for a clean stage or gig view.
- Chart and key management — does it store your chord charts, and can you change a song's key for one gig without rewriting the original?
- The rest of the gig — scheduling, call times, pay, and inviting bandmates. A song list is only one piece of a gig.
- Collaboration — if you play in a band, can everyone see the same setlists and charts without emailing files around?
- Platform — web, mobile, or both? Make sure it runs on whatever you'll actually have on stage.
With that in mind, here are the apps.
1. SetBook
Best for: Full gig lifecycle management — scheduling, setlists, charts, collaboration, and pay tracking
Platforms: Web and mobile
Price: $9.99/month (free 2-week trial)
SetBook is the most complete option on this list. It's not just a setlist app — it's an all-in-one gig management platform. You can schedule gigs, build setlists with drag-and-drop, organize a searchable chart library, invite bandmates, and track earnings. If you play in multiple bands, SetBook lets you keep everything organized by project with shared libraries.
Strengths:
- Drag-and-drop setlist builder with key overrides and per-gig notes
- Full gig management with scheduling, invites, and RSVPs
- Chart library with links to Spotify, YouTube, Dropbox, Google Drive
- Band collaboration — shared charts, setlists, and schedules
- Pay tracking with earnings dashboard
- Organization plans for worship teams and music schools
- Works on web and mobile
Limitations:
- No MIDI automation
- No Android app (yet)
2. BandHelper
Best for: Musicians who need MIDI automation and on-stage lyrics display
Platforms: iOS + Android
Price: $4.99/month or $39.99/year
BandHelper (formerly BandMinder) has been around since 2012 and is a favorite among musicians who use MIDI heavily. It handles setlists, lyrics/chord display with auto-scroll, and can trigger MIDI patches, backing tracks, and lighting cues per song. If your setup involves foot pedals and automation, BandHelper is purpose-built for that workflow.
Strengths:
- Deep MIDI integration and stage automation
- Auto-scrolling lyrics with foot pedal support
- Available on Android
- Affordable pricing
Limitations:
- No web access — mobile only
- No gig invite system
- No pay tracking
- Collaboration requires manual sync
- Steeper learning curve
3. OnSong
Best for: Worship teams and musicians who want chord chart display with transposition
Platforms: iOS (iPad-optimized)
Price: $9.99/month
OnSong is popular with worship leaders and solo performers who want a powerful chord chart viewer. It supports ChordPro format, PDF import, on-the-fly transposition, and auto-scrolling. It's particularly strong on iPad where you can display full chord charts at a readable size.
Strengths:
- Powerful chord chart rendering with transposition
- ChordPro and PDF support
- Auto-scroll with configurable speed
- Large library of worship songs (SongSelect integration)
Limitations:
- iOS only (iPad-optimized, limited on iPhone)
- No gig scheduling or management
- No band-wide collaboration features
- No pay tracking
- Can feel complex for simple setlist needs
4. Set List Maker
Best for: Simple, straightforward setlist management
Platforms: iOS + Android
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)
Set List Maker by Arlo Leach is a lightweight, no-frills setlist app. If all you need is a way to create setlists, add song details, and view them on stage, it gets the job done without a lot of complexity. It's free to start, which makes it a low-risk option.
Strengths:
- Simple and easy to use
- Free tier available
- Available on both iOS and Android
- Basic song database with setlist builder
Limitations:
- Very basic feature set
- No collaboration or sharing
- No gig management
- No chart storage
- Limited development activity
5. Planning Center Services
Best for: Large church worship teams with full service planning needs
Platforms: Web + iOS + Android
Price: $14–200+/month (scales with team size)
Planning Center is the enterprise solution for church worship teams. It handles service planning, scheduling, team management, chord charts, and much more. If you're at a mid-to-large church with a dedicated worship ministry, it's the industry standard.
Strengths:
- Comprehensive service planning
- Full team scheduling with confirmations
- Chord chart and lyric display
- Integrates with the broader Planning Center ecosystem (People, Giving, Groups)
- Excellent for large teams
Limitations:
- Expensive — costs scale with congregation size
- Overkill for small worship teams or secular musicians
- Complex setup and administration
- Not designed for non-church gigging musicians
A few newer setlist apps to watch
The space keeps growing, and a handful of newer, setlist-focused apps are worth a look if none of the five above fit:
- Gig Set Hero — a free, AI-assisted setlist builder aimed at working bands.
- SetMate — a distraction-free live view with large auto-scrolling lyrics and chords, one-tap transpose, and reference widgets like scales and chord shapes.
- Setlists — a song-catalog and lyric-prompting app for iPhone and iPad.
These are narrower than a full gig manager, but if all you need is on-stage song order, they're worth a try.
Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | SetBook | BandHelper | OnSong | Set List Maker | Planning Center | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Setlist builder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Chart library | Yes | Lyrics/chords | Chords/PDF | Basic | Yes | | Gig scheduling | Yes | Basic | No | No | Yes | | Band collaboration | Yes | Sync-based | No | No | Yes | | Gig invites | Yes | No | No | No | Yes (services) | | Pay tracking | Yes | No | No | No | No | | MIDI automation | No | Yes | Limited | No | No | | Web access | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | | Free tier | 2-week trial | No | No | Yes | No | | Pricing | $9.99/mo | $4.99/mo | $9.99/mo | Free+ | $14–200+/mo |
Head-to-head comparisons
Want a deeper one-on-one breakdown? We compared SetBook directly against the most common alternatives:
Which App Should You Choose?
- You want everything in one place (gigs, setlists, charts, pay, collaboration) → SetBook
- You need MIDI automation and stage cues → BandHelper
- You want a powerful chord chart viewer with transposition → OnSong
- You just need a simple, free setlist app → Set List Maker
- You're at a large church with a full worship ministry → Planning Center
For most gigging musicians who play in bands, the choice comes down to what you need beyond the setlist. If you just need song order on a screen, any of these will work. If you want to manage the whole gig — from booking to getting paid — SetBook is the most complete option.
Other apps gigging musicians use
A setlist app is the hub, but most gigging musicians round out their kit with a few specialized tools:
- Sheet music readers — ForScore and MobileSheets Pro keep your PDFs in one place and let you annotate and foot-pedal through them on a tablet, ideal if you read off notation rather than chord charts.
- Backing tracks and practice — Moises isolates or removes instruments and builds custom practice mixes, handy for duos and solo acts running tracks live.
- Recording and ideas — BandLab and GarageBand catch song ideas and rough demos between gigs.
None of these replace a setlist or gig manager — they sit alongside one. That's the role SetBook is built for: the hub where your gigs, setlists, charts, and pay live, with everything else plugging in around it.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best free setlist app? Set List Maker has a free tier and Setlist Helper is free with ads. Both are fine for a basic song list, but free apps generally stop there — no gig scheduling, pay tracking, or band coordination. SetBook is paid but includes a free 2-week trial so you can try the full thing first.
Can I use a setlist app on stage? Yes — most of these have a stage or performance view meant to be read off a phone, tablet, or music stand. SetBook's Stage View is full-screen and distraction-free; OnSong and BandHelper add auto-scroll and foot-pedal control.
Do I really need an app, or is a spreadsheet fine? A spreadsheet works until you're juggling charts, gig details, bandmate RSVPs, and tracking who got paid. At that point a purpose-built app saves real time — that's exactly the gap SetBook was built to close.
What's the best setlist app for a band (not a solo act)? Look for shared libraries and gig invites so the whole band sees the same thing. SetBook and Planning Center are built around collaboration; OnSong and Set List Maker lean single-user. If you need more than setlists, see the best band management apps and our playbook for managing a band.
Which apps work on both web and mobile? SetBook and Planning Center work on web and mobile. OnSong is Apple-only; BandHelper and Setlist Helper are mobile-only.
Ready to try the most complete option? Start your free SetBook trial — free for two weeks, cancel anytime.