BandHelper vs Setlist Helper

    BandHelper is a subscription that runs the whole band: songs and setlists, but also the schedule, contacts and money, with one plan covering every member. Setlist Helper is a songbook and setlist app you can use free with ads or unlock once, with no subscription. Which suits you depends on whether the app should run the band or just the songs, and on how many of you play from it.

    Updated

    Side by side

    What each app does as of October 2026, from BandHelper's and Setlist Helper's own pricing, feature and help pages and their App Store and Google Play listings. Stage Friend, the app this site is about, is the third column, so you can see where a different kind of app fits.

    • Devices

      BandHelper:
      iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and the website. Windows only through an Android emulator
      Setlist Helper:
      iPhone, iPad, Android, the web and Apple silicon Macs
      Stage Friend:
      Android app, and the browser on iPhone, iPad, Windows and Mac. No App Store app yet

    • How you pay

      BandHelper:
      Subscription, for one player or for the whole band
      Setlist Helper:
      Free with ads, then a one-time upgrade with no subscription
      Stage Friend:
      Subscription, with a free plan

    • Free to try

      BandHelper:
      A 30-day trial, no free plan
      Setlist Helper:
      Free version with ads
      Stage Friend:
      Free plan with no song limit and 3 setlists per band

    • Full version for one player

      BandHelper:
      From $16 a year on Basic to $32 a year on Pro
      Setlist Helper:
      $14.99 once on the US App Store
      Stage Friend:
      Solo Pro €42 a year

    • A shared library for the band

      BandHelper:
      One subscription covers every member, from $40 a year for 2 to 5 members, with admin-managed access
      Setlist Helper:
      A band can work from one shared library. Separate members are what Band Central, its newer app, adds
      Stage Friend:
      The band's owner needs Solo Pro, with room for 1 member on the free plan, or Stage Pro at €108 a year, with room for 5. Those members play from the band's songs and setlists

    • Following the leader on stage

      BandHelper:
      Live Sharing to up to 15 devices, on the same Wi-Fi network. iPhones and iPads also without one
      Setlist Helper:
      Not mentioned on its site
      Stage Friend:
      Live follow on every plan, over the internet, so each device needs a connection

    • Autoscroll

      BandHelper:
      Yes, timed to the song's length, in the apps
      Setlist Helper:
      Yes
      Stage Friend:
      On every plan, at the song's own pace

    • Foot pedal

      BandHelper:
      Bluetooth and MIDI foot switches
      Setlist Helper:
      Bluetooth pedals such as AirTurn
      Stage Friend:
      Keyboard-style Bluetooth pedals on every plan: press, double press and hold

    • PDF charts

      BandHelper:
      Yes, with notes and zoom
      Setlist Helper:
      PDF, Word and image files attached to a song
      Stage Friend:
      No, songs are text and chords

    • MIDI and backing tracks

      BandHelper:
      MIDI in and out, backing and click tracks
      Setlist Helper:
      Your own mp3 files with a song
      Stage Friend:
      No MIDI. On Solo Pro a song plays from Spotify or YouTube in the app

    • Schedule and money

      BandHelper:
      Schedule and contacts on Plus, finances on Pro
      Setlist Helper:
      Not listed on its site
      Stage Friend:
      Gig dates and venues, no finances

    • Importing from other apps

      BandHelper:
      ChordPro and OnSong files, spreadsheets, PDFs and documents
      Setlist Helper:
      ChordPro, PDF, Word and images, mostly through Dropbox
      Stage Friend:
      ChordPro, SongbookPro backups, BandHelper, Setlist Helper and Spotify playlists

    • Taking the whole library with you

      BandHelper:
      Songs as ChordPro or a spreadsheet, every file, and a project backup only BandHelper opens
      Setlist Helper:
      A backup of the whole database
      Stage Friend:
      PDF of a song or a setlist. No ChordPro export

    • Audience votes and requests

      BandHelper:
      No. It can show a set list live on your website
      Setlist Helper:
      No
      Stage Friend:
      On Stage Pro: guests vote and request from their phones

    Choose BandHelper if

    The app should run the band, not only the songs. BandHelper keeps the schedule, availability, contacts and, on Pro, the band's money next to the repertoire, and one subscription covers every member, from $40 a year for 2 to 5 people on Basic. On stage it does the most of the two: PDF charts with notes, MIDI, backing and click tracks, and Live Sharing so the band follows one screen.

    Its reviews often mention a steep learning curve, and there is no free plan, only a 30-day trial. A solo player pays from $16 a year.

    Choose Setlist Helper if

    You want songs and setlists without a subscription. Setlist Helper is free with ads, and one upgrade, $14.99 on the US App Store, unlocks the full version. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple silicon Macs and the web, syncs your library between them, scrolls on its own and turns pages with a Bluetooth pedal.

    It's built around one library: a band can share it, but member management and real-time band sync are what its makers put in Band Central.

    What about Band Central?

    Band Central is the newer app from the makers of Setlist Helper, in the App Store since April 2026. It adds bands with members, real-time sync and a separate lyrics version for each member. It's free for one member with up to 50 songs and 5 setlists, and a band of 6 costs $29.99 a year. It is a separate app with its own accounts: you import from Setlist Helper once, and after that the two don't sync.

    Setlist Helper itself still gets updates, and as of October 2026 no end date has been announced, so there's no rush to move.

    A third option for bands: Stage Friend

    If what matters most is the whole band on the same song, Stage Friend is built around that. When one player leads, everyone following opens the song they open, on Android, iPhone, iPad or a computer, over the internet and on every plan, the free one included. Guests at a gig can vote for songs and send requests from their phones on Stage Pro, which neither BandHelper nor Setlist Helper offers.

    Stage Friend works with songs as text and chords, so it has no PDF charts, no MIDI and no band finances. Coming from one of these apps, see Stage Friend compared with BandHelper or with Setlist Helper, where each page also shows how your songs come across. For more apps side by side, see the best setlist apps for bands.

    BandHelper or Setlist Helper: questions

    For one player, yes over time. Setlist Helper is free with ads, and the full version is a one-time upgrade, $14.99 on the US App Store. BandHelper is a subscription from $16 a year for one player on Basic, with no free plan but a 30-day trial. For a band, BandHelper's one subscription covers every member, from $40 a year for 2 to 5 members.

    Not as of October 2026. Band Central is a separate, newer app from the same makers, with its own accounts and a one-way import from Setlist Helper. Setlist Helper still gets updates and no end date has been announced.

    BandHelper. Its Live Sharing lets up to 15 devices follow a leader's screen or actions, on the same Wi-Fi network, and between iPhones and iPads even without one. Setlist Helper's site doesn't mention following another device.

    Their phone and tablet apps do. BandHelper says its apps work without an internet connection while its website does not, and Setlist Helper keeps your library on the device so you need no connection on stage.

    Try your songs in Stage Friend

    Drop an export from BandHelper or a Setlist Helper backup and look through your songs before you make an account.

    Try it with your songs