# unrealBook

> Digital sheet music and lyrics organizer for musicians on iPad. (iPhone/iPad app by Aron Nelson.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook/id370135173 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Aron Nelson](https://appshunter.io/developer/353420800)
- Category: Music, Books
- Price: $14.99
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 1,272 App Store ratings · 187 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 192 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian
- Released: 2010-05-04
- Data updated: 2026-08-27
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook/id370135173/reviews.md

## What is unrealBook?

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 and July 2016 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 (and many since day 1!). This product is the result of input from many users. unrealBook does not come with songs or charts, you must add your own PDF files. The screenshots are samples of what you can do with unrealBook.

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.

"I LOVE unrealBook"
"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 or document 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, AirDrop, Dropbox and Box 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

- Digitize music and lyrics PDFs
- Alphabetized and indexed song list
- Create bookmarks and setlists
- Hot spots for navigation
- Built-in music player
- Annotation tools
- Wireless syncing between iPads

## What do users think of unrealBook?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Convenient organization of music
- 👍 Useful features like setlists and annotations
- 👍 Reliable and stable performance
- 👍 Excellent customer support

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔍 Unintuitive user interface
- 🔍 Difficulty adding/importing files
- 🔍 Limited annotation and editing capabilities

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- Inconsistent page resizing and zooming
- Unexpected behavior when editing lyrics or text

**Most requested features**

- Improved annotation tools with Apple Pencil support
- Ability to selectively clear annotations
- Automatic song indexing for PDF songbooks
- Larger transport controls and more intuitive navigation

## Recent user reviews (10 of 187)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook/id370135173/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Perfect for me

*2026-08-25, version 5.6.2*

I was introduced to this app by a musician friend and thought I ‘d give it a try.  My needs are simple and had numerous charts in Apple Pages.  This made i easy to export to a PDF and load them using the App.  Very easy to use.  I like how easy it is to create and modify set lists and I like being able to add a metronome to the charts.  It works very well with an Airturn PED 500 footswitch.  I have not used the slaving function yet but have seen it work well with 5 iPads.   I am very pleased with it.

### 5/5 — I Love UnrealBook

*2026-08-13, version 5.6.2*

I’ve been using this app for a few years now, and it is such an integral part of my live performance rig. This app does so much from simple charts, stage promp, midi contol, everything!
The developer is also very responsive!
I can’t say enough good about this app. 

Thank you for designing it.

### 5/5 — Simple yet powerful

*2026-06-02, version 5.5.1*

This app solved my music cataloging and scrolling problems. Please keep this app going!

### 1/5 — It’s become useless

*2026-05-23, version 5.5.1*

I depended on unrealBook  for my musical performances. For 17 years it’s been my backbone. But it has become so difficult to access files from my Dropbox that this programme is now utterly useless.  I even paid for  UnrealBook 1  but that is equally as useless. Once you stop it being able to accept new files it’s rubbish!

### 5/5 — Must have app

*2026-05-16, version 5.5.1*

I play worship on Sunday’s and this app is how i organize and annotate my worship sets. Thanks to the folks who made and maintain it.

### 1/5 — EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO USE!!!

*2026-05-15, version 5.5.1*

I hate this app!  It doesn’t let you nest files for organization!  It alphabetizes songs when creating new set lists, even in set list mode!!!  And it says you can edit lists, but it’s not letting me edit the one I just created!!!  How is this POS better than just using Dropbox or Google Drive???  SPOILER ALERT!!!  ITS NOT!!!  ITS ACTUALLY WORSE!!!

### 5/5 — Bass Feast

*2026-05-02, version 5.5.1*

Share Peace

### 5/5 — My go to score app

*2026-04-21, version 5.5.1*

Totally has worked for me for years.

### 5/5 — Can't Live Without It

*2026-03-30, version 5.4*

I've been using this app as a solo guitarist for almost 10 years. 

I honestly don't know how I got along without it!!!!!!

THANKS!!!!!

### 3/5 — Each Update downgrades the app

*2026-03-25, version 5.4*

I’ve used this app for over 10 years and it gets more buggy and more cumbersome with each update. When uploading a file, a glitch resizes and shifts whichever file is already open. I haven’t been able to assign any writing utensils to write in white in months. You can’t “undo” any writing/notations you’ve made on a file if you made them before the most recent update. I could go on and on. Please get it together or I’ll have to jump ship.

## Frequently asked questions about unrealBook

### What does unrealBook do?

unrealBook allows you to access your entire library of music or lyrics on your iPad. It replaces bulky binders with a digital solution, making it easy to organize, search, and access your music PDFs.

### What are the key features of unrealBook?

Key features include an alphabetized and indexed list for easy song finding, the ability to create bookmarks and setlists, hot spots for navigation within PDFs, a built-in music player, annotation tools, and wireless syncing between multiple iPads.

### How much does unrealBook cost?

Based on the provided information, unrealBook is a paid application. It does not mention any subscription fees or in-app purchases for core functionality.

### What devices is unrealBook compatible with?

The application is designed for iPad. It leverages the iPad's portability to store and display your music PDFs.

### How can unrealBook help me during a performance?

unrealBook helps by eliminating the need for bulky binders, allowing quick searching for songs, preventing accidental page turns from breezes, and enabling the creation of setlists for seamless transitions between songs during live performances.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 5.6.3 — 2026-08-25

Fixes set list song popup (right side popup) stopping edit mode after dragging a single file. Now allows multiple re-ordering of files.

### 5.6.2 — 2026-08-06

Addresses external display mirroring when using 2 page display. Use pure mirroring.

### 5.6.1 — 2026-07-29

Fixes issues with transmogrify typing tempo and choosing an audio file. Fixes issue with play and stop button custom sizes when linking audio.

### 5.6 — 2026-07-21

Optimizations, fixes external display, bug fixes.

### 5.5.1 — 2026-04-11

Fixes a problem with adding songs to a set list and the set list did not update visually. Songs were added but the set list didn't update properly.

## Apps similar to unrealBook

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [iGigBook Sheet Music Manager](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/igigbook-sheet-music-manager/id396323113) | 4.6 (1,403) | $19.99 | Music |
| [forScore Cue](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forscore-cue/id824880320) | 4.2 (89) | $4.99 | Music |
| [MobileSheets®](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mobilesheets/id1620569987) | 4.6 (56) | $15.99 | Music |
| [GigBag Song Setlist Manager](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gigbag-song-setlist-manager/id1639664588) | 4.0 (2) | Free | Music |
| [Genius Jamtracks](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/genius-jamtracks/id1131210331) | 4.4 (177) | $19.99 | Music |
| [Nashville Numbers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nashville-numbers/id1475438302) | 4.5 (101) | $9.99 | Music |

## More apps by Aron Nelson

- [unrealBook Mobile](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook-mobile/id714881996)
- [Meter Metronome](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/meter-metronome/id924386452)
- [unrealBook One](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook-one/id1121138915)
- [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 2026-08-27.*