OnSong vs SongBook Pro
Two of the best known chart apps for working musicians, compared on the things that decide it at a gig: what they run on, what they cost, how you turn pages, and what happens when the set changes at the last minute. Written by a gigging musician, so it is not a sales sheet for either one.
The short answer
Pick SongBook Pro if your band is on a mix of iPads, Android tablets and laptops, or if you want to pay once rather than monthly. Pick OnSong if you live on Apple gear and want the deepest chart handling, automation and hardware support in the category. If what you actually want is for the words to move on their own while you play, neither is built for that, and that is the gap QMe Prompter fills.
Platforms
OnSong is iPad and iPhone only. SongBook Pro runs on iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac. If you are the only one on an iPad and the rest of the band is not, that difference alone usually settles it.
Charts and files
Both read ChordPro and PDF, both transpose, both handle setlists. OnSong goes further on the chart itself: more formats, more automation, more control over how a chart is parsed and displayed. SongBook Pro keeps it simpler and is quick to load a folder of PDFs and get playing.
Turning pages
This is where the two are the same in kind: you turn the page, either by tapping or with a Bluetooth foot pedal. Both support the usual pedals. Neither follows you. If you lose your place, you find it yourself.
Setlists and the band
Both build setlists. OnSong can share a set with other OnSong users over its own connection. SongBook Pro keeps it local and simple. Neither sends a set to a bandmate on a phone that does not have the app.
The third option
People usually land on this comparison because page turning is getting in the way of playing. That is worth naming, because there is now another answer. QMe Prompter is a teleprompter rather than a chart library: the words and chords scroll on their own, following your voice as you sing, or a tempo, or a pedal if you prefer. The same words can appear on Even Realities G2 smart glasses or on wired display glasses, so you can keep your eyes up. Worship teams pull a Planning Center plan in as a setlist, chords in the plan's key.
It is not a replacement for everything OnSong does. There is no notation, and it is Apple only, with a browser follower for bandmates on anything else. It is narrower on purpose.
QMe Prompter at a glance. iPhone and iPad, iOS 17.6 or later. Free to download, 30 day full trial, then a free plan that keeps 3 songs or Pro by month or year. Words and chords on screen, scrolling on their own by voice, by tempo or by foot pedal. Setlists, books, Apple Watch, Even Realities G2 and wired display glasses, Planning Center import, MIDI in and out, and a web console at qmeprompter.com for building the library on a computer. No account needed to start.
Questions musicians ask
Is OnSong or SongBook Pro better for live gigs?
Both hold your charts and turn pages with a pedal. OnSong is deeper on chart handling and automation and is Apple only. SongBook Pro runs on iPad, Android, Windows and Mac, which matters if the band is not all on Apple. For a gig where you want the words to move on their own rather than be turned, neither is built that way.
Which one is cheaper?
SongBook Pro is a smaller one off purchase for its pro features. OnSong is a subscription with a larger feature set. Check both current prices before buying, since they change.
Can I move my songs between them?
Yes, through ChordPro files, which both read and write. That same format also moves your songs into QMe Prompter in bulk.
What does QMe Prompter do that neither does?
The chart scrolls itself while you sing, using your voice rather than a fixed speed, and the same words can appear on smart glasses. It also pulls a Planning Center service plan straight in as a setlist.
Try it on your next rehearsal
Free to download, 30 days of everything, no card. Put three songs in and run one through.
Download on the App Store