# unrealBook One

> Digital music and lyric binder for gigging musicians on iPad. (iPhone/iPad app by Aron Nelson.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook-one/id1121138915 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Aron Nelson](https://appshunter.io/developer/353420800)
- Category: Music, Education
- Price: $6.99
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 24 App Store ratings · 8 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 5.1.1 · 26 MB
- Languages: American English, Catalan, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French (France), German (Germany), Greek and 20 more
- Released: 2016-06-15
- Data updated: 2026-06-03
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook-one/id1121138915/reviews.md

## What is unrealBook One?

unrealBook One is unrealBook that still runs on iOS5 and iPad 1. Get this version if you have an iPad 1 or are running an old version of iOS previous to iOS9. This version also runs un-optimized for iPad Pro - which means menus are larger and the keyboard is larger - some people will like this.
unrealBook allows you to access your entire library of music or lyrics on your iPad with ease. Replace your bulky and heavy binders with a small and light device filled with your music PDF files. The alphabetized and indexed list makes it easy to find the song you are looking for. unrealBook is the answer for the gigging musician!
Please check the reviews. 4.5 stars!!!!!! unrealBook is being used on tour with Billy Joel - see October 2014 Keyboard Magazine!

unrealBook was one of the first apps for displaying music charts on stage. The evolution continues as many musicians use it on stage every day. This product is the result of input from many users. 

Yes, unrealBook supports PDF Table of contents, user created indexes, bookmarks, keywords. You can even convert the PDF table of contents into indexes. It has been able to do these features for a while.

Note: Screenshots are from iOS7/iOS8. unrealBook runs on every iPad, even the iPad 1!

"unrealbook is just an awesome app"
"On gigs people are always asking about it and I am always telling them about unrealBook. Thanks for the great app and the great support. Awesome!"
"Have been using unrealBook in live band set up for a year or so – really useful app my man, thank you."
"I want to thank you for creating unrealBook! I love it!"
"I just wanted to let you know that I used unrealBook extensively on my most recent rehearsal and show….couple of weeks ago and it performed flawlessly"
"I absolutely LOVE your APP on my iPad"
"I love the page turning, it's instant and also the Index is the right size for my fingers! 
Love not having to carry big books to work! It's so neat!"
"I love unrealBook so thanks !!"


•Replace your bulky and heavy binders with a small and light iPad filled with your music PDF files. The alphabetized and indexed list makes it easy to find the song you are looking for. 
•No more asking for a light for your music stand on dark stages. 
•No more worrying about a breeze turning a page by accident. 
•Search for a song quickly and easily. 
•Create bookmarks that allow you to easily load up a large PDF and go directly to a page within. 
•Use bookmarks and PDF files together to create set lists for different gigs. 
•Hot spots allow you place highlighted areas on the page that allow you to jump from one page to another when pressed (think To Coda and D.S. signs). 
•There is a built in music player so you can listen to your music while you check out the score!
•Connect to the world via email and dropbox support.
•Annotate your scores with auto-highlighted text and colored pens with different sizes.
•Create set lists easily. Jump to any song in a set list directly or step through the set list sequentially.
•Assign an iPad as a master and have multiple iPads slaved via bluetooth or WiFi!
•Record your rehearsals or your band on stage, all while reading music in unrealBook!
•Take pictures of a chart on a gig and create a PDF that you can use on stage.
• Airturn Support for turning pages.
• Use the iRig BlueBoard to jump directly to D.S. and CODA in a document via foot switches.
• AirDrop an entire set list of files between two AirDrop compatible devices - including unrealBook Mobile on iPhone.

## Key features

- Digital music and lyric library
- Alphabetized and indexed song search
- Setlist creation
- PDF bookmarking and indexing
- Hot spots for page jumps
- Score annotation with pens
- Built-in music player

## Recent user reviews (8 of 8)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook-one/id1121138915/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Musician

*2025-12-03*

Wish I could list songs in a play list in the order I want to play them, not just in alphabetical order

### 2/5 — Unhelpful help section

*2025-03-16*

I can’t figure out how to import images of songs to unreal books. The help section didn’t even address it

### 4/5 — Bought the wrong one

*2023-09-02*

Hey, Aaron, I’m trying to set up this app so I can play with my friend but we apparently bought the wrong one. Can I upgrade to the regular UnrealBook app without paying the total for both? There are several UnrealBook apps and they look so similar it is difficult to figure out which one matches my friend’s.

Frustrated

### 5/5 — Great app

*2023-06-13*

Difficult to find a good score viewer for outdated software, but this one works like a charm. Well worth the money!

### 5/5 — Unreal book great so far

*2021-05-07*

I bought a used iPad pro, 1st gen.. specifically to use on my gigs and was recommended to use Unreal Book to organize all of my charts. So far I’m completely happy. It has changed my life from dragging paper books around. But I can still use my handwritten charts which I generally prefer. I’m a happy camper

### 5/5 — Great app!

*2020-09-24*

I recently started paying the piano again, and used this program to eliminate the need to shuffle and flip pages in books of sheet music. Combined with a Bluetooth page turner foot switch, it is wonderfully convenient. I love being able to play one song immediately after another, without a long delay (thanks to playlist mode).

Scanning all my music is taking some time, but once scanned, PDFs are easily imported into the program, and it is very much worth the effort. "Hotspots" allow jumping forward and backward a number of pages to handle repeats, although it would be nice to be able to define a page ordering for a piece (e.g. 1-2-3-1-2-4) so I can just use my foot pedal and not have to touch a hotspot to do multi-page jump.

Finally, it is much appreciated that this program supports old versions of iOS. Nice to be able to put an old iPad to use!

### 2/5 — Crashed!

*2019-07-17*

iPad Mini 2 on IOS version 12.3.1.
The APP completely froze requiring me to terminate it manually. Not stable.

**Developer response:** It is certainly true that there are bad PDF files which can lock up unrealBook. I agree that it is frustrating to have this happen. All I can say is that once you weed out bad PDF files, the app is stable. It has been stable for years as I use it on stage all the time. If you can point out a bug that is always reproducible, I can help debug. There is a send email command in the action menu,

### 5/5 — Unreal Book for older iPad

*2016-10-10*

we are using Unreal Book in iPad one and two to replace more than 3 thick, three-hole punched books of over 100 tunes each.  It was heavy and unwieldy.  Each instrument in our groups had their own set of books which had to be maintained.  We were reluctant to add new tunes.  All this was replaced by Unreal Book. 
      Unreal Book was recommended to us by a friend who has used it for several years with a large horn band.  It works well for us, but the transition has been a bit difficult.  The help doc is very useful, but far from perfect.  And when you have made a mistake, there is not much help there. 
      You can create categories and put relevant tunes in each. For example:  Jazz Tunes, Rock Tunes, W Ceremony, Church, etc. but you can't do that thru iTunes.  You must do it through Dropbox. 
      The set list feature is great!  You can page forward thru all the tunes in order. You can turn the pages forward and backward with a Bluetooth pedal, such as the Page Turn pedals.  A bit tricky, but it does work pretty well. 
      The app author does answer emails and does try to be helpful, a plus!  
       A few quick points:  sometimes, the download of new tunes does not work until several tries -- Irritating when you have deadlines.  And when you have several iPads to maintain, it's much easier thru backup and restore thru iTunes than downloads thru Dropbox.   Your music must be pdf files. 
      All in all, a great app and very useful. We depend on it for everything now.

## Frequently asked questions about unrealBook One

### What is unrealBook One?

unrealBook One is a digital binder app designed for musicians to store and access their music PDFs and lyrics on an iPad. It helps replace physical binders with a lightweight digital solution.

### What devices does unrealBook One support?

unrealBook One is specifically designed to run on iPads, including older models like the iPad 1 and devices running iOS 5. It also functions on newer iPads, though it may appear un-optimized with larger menus.

### How does unrealBook One help musicians on stage?

It eliminates the need for bulky binders, provides quick song searching, and prevents issues like pages being turned by a breeze. Features like setlists and hot spots further streamline live performances.

### Can I annotate my music scores with unrealBook One?

Yes, unrealBook One allows you to annotate your scores using colored pens of different sizes and auto-highlighted text. This is useful for making notes or marking changes during rehearsals or performances.

### Does unrealBook One have ads?

No, unrealBook One does not contain advertisements. The app is a paid product, offering an ad-free experience for its users.

### How is unrealBook One priced?

unrealBook One is available for a one-time purchase of $6.99. There are no in-app purchases or subscription fees associated with this application.

### What is the update frequency for unrealBook One?

The latest version of unrealBook One is 1.0, which was released on June 15, 2016. The app has not received updates since its initial release.

### What is the user sentiment for unrealBook One?

Users generally express high satisfaction with unrealBook One, with many praising its usefulness for gigging musicians and its ability to replace physical binders. The app holds a strong rating of 4.4 stars.

## Version history (last 1 release)

### 1.0 — 2016-06-15

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

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## More apps by Aron Nelson

- [unrealBook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook/id370135173)
- [unrealBook Mobile](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook-mobile/id714881996)
- [Meter Metronome](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meter-metronome/id924386452)
- [Backtrack Golf](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backtrack-golf/id1233099135)
- [NextSong 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nextsong-2/id1460322014)

All apps by Aron Nelson: https://appshunter.io/developer/353420800

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-03.*