Setlist Helper alternative
Switching from Setlist Helper?
Stage Friend is a Setlist Helper alternative with live follow for the band, on Android and in the browser on iPhone, iPad and computers. One backup file brings your songs, setlists, chords and keys across in a few minutes.
The whole move, start to finish. We guide you in the app too.
- Songs & lyrics
- Setlists with song order
- Chords & keys
- The whole catalogue at once
At a glance
Setlist Helper keeps lyrics and setlists on your phone without fuss, and its backup carries the setlists across, which many apps' exports don't. Switch if your band should follow along live to the song you're on, if you want chords you can edit with a tap and transpose in one go, or if you'd rather have a free plan without ads. The free plan has no song limit, so the whole catalogue comes across before you decide anything.
What comes across, and what stays behind
The backup holds Setlist Helper's whole database in one file, and the lyrics inside it are ChordPro, the format Stage Friend imports, so the chords stay on the right words. Stage Friend reads the file right in your browser, and in the preview, before anything is saved, you see every song it found. This is exactly what the import keeps:
Comes across
- Every song with its lyrics and chords, the chords still above the right words
- The title, artist and key of each song
- Your setlists, with the songs in the same order
- Section labels such as Verse, Chorus and Bridge
Stays behind
- The set break markers inside a setlist, such as End of set 1
- Tempo, genres and tags
- Attached PDFs, documents and audio files
- Highlighted lines, which arrive as plain lyrics
The free plan holds three setlists per band, so if you have more than that, Solo Pro gives every one of them room. Songs have no limit on any plan.
Four taps, two minutes
- 1
Tap the menu
Top left in Setlist Helper. Choose Settings.
- 2
Tap Backup setlist helper database
Then pick Dropbox or SD Card.
- 3
Tap Use this folder
The backup is saved as one file, named with the date.
- 4
Drop it in Stage Friend
Songs, setlists and keys land in seconds.
Every step with pictures from the app: Move from Setlist Helper, step by step
Setlist Helper and Stage Friend, feature by feature
What each app does as of October 2026, from Setlist Helper's own site and store pages and from Stage Friend's own plans. Where Setlist Helper does more, the table says so.
| Feature | Setlist Helper | Stage Friend | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Setlist Helper: Free with ads, then a one-time upgrade, no subscription | Stage Friend: Free plan with no ads, Solo Pro and Stage Pro are subscriptions | Edge: Setlist Helper |
| Where it runs | Setlist Helper: Android, iPhone, iPad, the web and Apple Silicon Macs | Stage Friend: Android app, and in the browser on iPhone, iPad and computers | Edge: Even |
| Audience votes and requests | Setlist Helper: No | Stage Friend: On Stage Pro: guests vote and request songs from their phones, with no app or account | Edge: Stage Friend |
| Sync between your devices | Setlist Helper: Web sync | Stage Friend: Built in, on Solo Pro | Edge: Even |
| Autoscroll and foot pedal | Setlist Helper: Yes | Stage Friend: Yes, on the free plan too | Edge: Even |
| PDFs attached to a song | Setlist Helper: Yes | Stage Friend: No | Edge: Setlist Helper |
| Audio with a song | Setlist Helper: Attach your own mp3 files | Stage Friend: Opens the song in Spotify or YouTube | Edge: Setlist Helper |
When Setlist Helper is the better choice
If a song in your catalogue is really a PDF, or comes with a backing track you play from the phone, Setlist Helper keeps those with the song and Stage Friend doesn't. The same goes if you're happy on one Android phone with the free version: Setlist Helper does the job there, and switching only pays off once you want a band following along, a tablet on the music stand or chords you can edit. It is also a one-time purchase, while Stage Friend's paid plans are subscriptions.
Bands are the other case to check. The makers of Setlist Helper now also make Band Central, a separate app for bands with a free plan of up to 50 songs, and Setlist Helper's store listing points users to it. If your band is moving there anyway, compare the two before you move twice. For Setlist Helper next to BandHelper and Band Central, see BandHelper vs Setlist Helper.
What you gain by switching
Phone, tablet and computer
The Android app, and the browser on iPhone, iPad and computers. Synced between them on Solo Pro.
Made for bands
Shared library, shared setlists, live follow at rehearsal.
Chords you can touch
Tap a chord to see it on a piano or change it in the chord editor, and move the whole song a half step at a time.
Format single words
Bold, italics, underline, text colour and highlight on any word of the lyrics.
Offline on stage
The Android app opens with no signal, the browser after one visit online.
Your audience in on it
On Stage Pro, guests vote for songs and send requests from their phones.
Prices side by side
Prices as of October 2026, from each app's own site and store pages. Stage Friend's prices are shown in your currency, and its pricing page lists every feature plan by plan.
Setlist Helper
- Free, with ads in the free version
- Full version: a one-time upgrade, $14.99 on the US App Store, with no subscription
Stage Friend
- Jammer: free, with no time limit and no card
- Solo Pro: €4.90 a month, or €42 a year
- Stage Pro: €13 a month, or €108 a year, adding gigs, audience voting and song requests
- Each person has their own plan. Members on the free plan can play from the band's songs and setlists
Import questions, answered
Your songs are ready to move
Drop your backup file and see your whole catalogue first. Create the account when you like what you see.
Try it with your backup