# unrealBook — user reviews > 187 indexed App Store user reviews of unrealBook by Aron Nelson, rated 4.80/5 from 1,272 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook/id370135173/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unrealbook/id370135173.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 1,077 · 4★ 144 · 3★ 28 · 2★ 7 · 1★ 16 ## 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 ## Newest reviews (16 of 187) ### 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. ### 5/5 — The best app for iPad music reading and much more *2025-10-27, version 5.0* I have been using this app now for more than a decade and it continues to be fantastic. The creator is incredibly responsive and always updating the app to do more things. I use it primarily for my jazz trio and I am able to provide iPads for the Drummer and Bass Player and I can turn the pages for them. They never have to ask what song is next. It is always right in front of them! This app is a lifesaver for band leaders. I also know that some very high profile bands and music directors use this application to not only pull up songs but also to change patches on synthesizer in real time, etc.. There is seemingly no end to what the unrealBook is capable of. it truly lives up to its name. ### 5/5 — This thing is Great! *2025-09-18, version 5.0* I have used this app daily for about 12 years now. It is an excellent way to make sure you always have your music, lyrics, set list, etc. on hand. ### 4/5 — The best choice! *2025-08-19, version 5.0* This app is nearly perfect, and so affordable! I downloaded a bunch different apps in different price ranges a couple weeks ago when I decided to make the change from paper to digital charts. Of all the apps I tried (OnSong, SongbookPro, SongSheetPro, ForScore and a few others) I find it to be the most useable- it’s like having a piece of paper in your hand, but without the mess that come along with paper. I love that I can write all over it with my Apple Pencil, but also add proper, neat text boxes if I need them. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is that it still feels a little like a beta version— it could be a lot more intuitive and user friendly. You really have to hunt for some of the features, and it’s a bit clumsy to navigate. But it’s fully loaded with everything you need. I would definitely recommend to friends- I already have! One specific request: please add more shortcuts for pen/highlighter options across the top of the editing page. Thank you for this awesome app! I look forward to seeing how it gets polished and perfected in the next few updates! ### 5/5 — Truly the Best APP Ever For Gigging Musician *2025-08-10, version 4.50* I’ve used unrealBook now for 13 years, the APP has become an indispensable tool for all my gigs. The developer has continued to add useful features. I’ve never felt like I needed to look for a better APP. Rarely has the APP crashed. I do notice it gets slightly sluggish as the iPad & O/S ages. Most musicians I worked with over the years use unreal book - it’s the gold standard of sheet music APPs. ### 5/5 — Well worth it! *2025-07-21, version 4.50* This app is easy to use; well worth the cost! Our group saves time at practice (no music-shuffling; no huge, heavy notebooks tipping over music stands); and we always have all our music whenever we practice! ### 5/5 — UNREALBOOK *2025-06-20, version 4.50* As a gigging musician and band leader,this app alone has made my iPad an indispensable tool on live shows, sessions, meetings,etc. I use the Cicada page turner with it and it works flawlessly. I have thousands of pages of music on it at this point, and can quickly find anything. THANKS for the most valuable app that I own! ### 5/5 — An excellent app... *2025-05-03, version 4.50* I love this app! It has completely replaced paper that I used to carry. A solid support for the performing musician. A follow up... It keeps getting better with each update. I recommend it to my musician friends. ### 5/5 — UnrealBook goes to all my gigs! *2025-04-04, version 4.50* UnrealBook is the best app I have come across for chart reading at gigs … hands down!!! ### 3/5 — Very good but couple draw backs *2025-04-03, version 4.50* This is very good but my concerns are lack of clarity on using it. Definitely not intuitive. Some functions just don’t seem available on menus such as uploading files or creating new lists until you actually start the process then they appear. It means there’s an extra learning curve. Also support is not easy to access. ### 4/5 — External monitor in portrait mode support would be amazing. *2025-02-15, version 4.43* I would love to use this app with stage prompters onstage it would be a perfect pairing. Stage Traxx 3 has ability to put on external screens in portrait mode but will only give you the ability to use with backing tracks. I don’t need backing tracks but would still love to hide my iPad and use a stage screen. iPad only lets toy display in landscape. For all the tech iPad holds they can’t seem to give us this feature. If unreal book had this ability this app would truly be unstoppable. 4 stars only because lack of this feature. Otherwise great app if you don’t mind having to have an ipad stuck on your mic stand. ### 5/5 — App support *2024-12-18, version 4.49* Why is their app support no longer working. I’m trying to update to iPad 12.9 and need to ask a few questions but can’t now find a way to email them. Still using UnrealBook and UnrealBook 1 after 13 years but want to update to larger iPad now and need to know what versions work with the air or pro. It’s been brilliant - still is! ### 3/5 — Some issues with touch zones *2024-11-19, version 4.48* With the latest update, trying to touch on a letter in the songs list (say, to jump to the songs starting with G), the touch space is so small now, that you get the song that’s to the left of where you touch instead of the list advancing to the G section. We use this app extensively, and love it, but this latest version created some issues for us last night on stage. ### 5/5 — Really Useful Music Score App *2024-10-31, version 4.48* Enables you to locate your .pdf music alphabetically, by use, by pre-made list .... Well worth the money. Have used this excellent App for years. Has features such as: - Read the next page, and have a timed half-display of current one. - Jump to a pre-selected Page. - Index Titles, and Comments, .... The Developer support is excellent. ### 5/5 — Simply the best app for Charts for gigging musicians *2024-10-18, version 4.47* I purchased this app back in October of 2011 and it replaced 4 HUGE 4” 3-ring binders of multi-page charts. Now I can have as many pages as necessary when making a pdf chart and I can make notations. Plus I no longer need a lamp because the iPad is backlit. So many pluses to this easy to use program and the support from Aron is AMAZING. ### 2/5 — Difficult user experience *2024-07-20, version 4.43* The app seems to work, but the user experience very strange and makes it difficult to use. The way the app is organized does not seem to follow any usual standard, so it ends up not being intuitive at all. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 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! ### 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!!! ### 1/5 — IRig Blue Turn *2026-01-13, version 5.2* cannot get pedal to change pages left and right, have spent 2 hours on research, nothing is working! ### 1/5 — TERRIBLE UPDATE *2025-09-23, version 5.0* IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX IT! WHY DID YOU MESS UP THE TEXT/LYRICS EDITOR??? I’ve been using this app for years. Terrible update! What’s this in my lyrics? rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\cocoartf2761 \cocoatextscaling1\cocoaplatform1{\fonttbl\f0\fswiss\fcharset0 Helvetica;} {\colortbl;\red255\green255\blue255;} {\*\expandedcolortbl;;} \pard\tx560\tx1120\tx1680\tx2240\tx2800\tx3360\tx3920\tx4480\tx5040\tx5600\tx6160\tx6720\pardirnatural\partightenfactor0 ### 1/5 — Waste of time and money *2024-03-12, version 4.43* No trial mode, so you have to buy. It doesn’t do what I expected and is inordinately complicated, so a complete waste of time and money. ### 1/5 — So disappointed *2022-09-08, version 4.38* Wanted an app to read fake books. This app is so cumbersome to load the books to! Even with (limited) help from the developer, I could not get tunes loaded into the app in order to be able to use it. Total waste of ten bucks. ### 1/5 — Idiot application *2021-12-13, version 4.33* never bay it ### 1/5 — I cannot connect the stamp box with unreal book *2019-11-01, version 4.21* I had purchased I unrealBook so that my sheet music on my iPad for gigs. Unreal book was very easy to set up and I have 6 song sets on it. Based on the authors recommendation I bought the Bluetooth stomp box to automatically page turn. I can easily connect the stomp box via Bluetooth to my iPad, but I can’t get it to turn pages in unrealBook. Stomp box- coda says it works with unrealBook but provides no set up direction like it does for other apps. I have sent them emails and I get no response. Likewise, I sent an email to unrealBook author about setting up stomp box that he advertises is compatible with his software and get no response. Can someone advise? I have a $140 box that I can’t use. ### 1/5 — New version is not opening! *2019-07-26, version 4.0* I have a gig tonight. The new version downloaded and I can’t get past the “Welcome to UnrealBook” page! HELP!! ### 1/5 — No way to get files, not user-friendly and not supported *2019-06-18, version 3.9* Badly written software. Makes sense mostly to the owner. I cannot find instructions to download any files, actually I cannot even locate files. For the price of this app, it doesn’t do much, can’t download any music, non-existent support. Trying to get a refund. Beware: any app that doesn’t have a trial version is an app that is useless. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 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! ### 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. ### 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!!!!! ### 5/5 — UnrealBook *2026-01-22, version 5.2* I like it. Use it every day. I can make set list(s) but I just put a combo list of tunes that I play the most in one big list. For me that's about 200 tunes. Works for me. ### 5/5 — Well worth it! *2025-11-18, version 5.1* This app is easy to use; well worth the cost! I add music often, & easily Our group saves time at practice (no music-shuffling; no huge, heavy notebooks tipping over music stands); and we always have all our music whenever we practice! ### 5/5 — Excellent music organizer *2025-10-27, version 5.0* This app allows you to organize all those bootleg PDFs of the real book and other fake books and easily retrieve them on a gig. It actually can organize any library of PDFs files, not just music, and also makes it really easy to add new individual charts, even hand-written ones. I use it pretty much every day. --- *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.*