Comparison

OnSong 2026 vs SetSmith

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

OnSong 2026

This app helps musicians prepare, practice, and perform by managing chord charts, lyrics, and setlists. It offers features like importing songs from various sources, hands-free control, and advanced video output for live performances.

Highlights
  • Import and manage chord charts and lyrics
  • Create and organize setlists
  • Hands-free page turning and autoscrolling
  • Transpose, capo, and format charts
  • Real-time sharing with band members
  • Video output for lyrics and backgrounds
  • MIDI event automation and stage lighting control
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

OnSong is the best app for musicians. Get ready to prepare, practice and perform with ease. Download the app for free, create your account, and get started importing and viewing up to 30 songs. You can even receive sets and play with other OnSong users. When you're ready to go to the next level with more songs and features, subscribe to OnSong Essentials or OnSong Premium. ALWAYS READY Import and build your library of chords and lyrics with built-in support for Dropbox, Google Drive, SongSelect, Planning Center, and more to work the way you do. Even scan your paper charts directly and extract text¹. OnSong supports text-based chord charts, Adobe PDF and many other file types you can import from any supporting app like Safari. OnSong Console¹ lets you manage your library from your Mac or PC in any web browser. Whether you have ten or ten-thousand songs in your repertoire², it's always lightweight and mobile so you can play anytime, anywhere. PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS Play more gigs with planning made easy. Pull your set lists in moments² and gather the band. Transpose, capo, and format your text-based chord charts² to look just right and then annotate or draw on the page to make special notes¹. When you're all done, share wirelessly with your team in real-time¹, or print, email, and export too². OnSong is as flexible as it is powerful. BUILT FOR PERFORMANCE OnSong is built for the stage. Tap to turn pages or go hands-free with wireless foot pedals or intelligent autoscrolling². No more clumsy page turning on cluttered music stands. Every aspect of the song is at your fingertips. Assign tempo and time signature for a reassuring click², sing a cappella with a digital pitch pipe², link to backing tracks to play along², or even send MIDI events to automate your stage¹, all without complicated or confusing equipment. BE SEEN AND HEARD OnSong features powerful video features that go well beyond other apps. Display lyrics on a projector or an HDTV with a video adapter, AppleTV, or Google Cast-compatible device¹. Compose custom backgrounds with still or motion graphics, or live video¹ feeds for dynamic performances. Stay on the same page with your band with confidence monitors you control on-stage. While you're at it, run stage lighting too¹. OnSong is the ultimate creative tool for musicians. GET STARTED WITH ONSONG® ESSENTIALS Add an unlimited number of songs to your library and enable the features that let you perform with confidence including: • Pulling sets and organizing songs into books. • Hands-free control with foot pedals and actions. • Writing your own songs with custom formatting. • Transposing charts, applying capo and diagrams. • Sharing with your team. ONSONG® PREMIUM MEANS MORE POWER While OnSong Essentials has many of the basic features you need, there are a few that are only available with a Premium subscription including: advanced actions, annotations such as sticky notes, clips, text, and drawings, timeline, backing tracks, click tracks, multitracks, video tracks, Connect and OnCue, Console, document scanner, live video and motion videos backgrounds, MIDI automation, scenes, and premium technical support. Want to learn more? Visit http://onsongapp.com/features to find out if OnSong is right for you. ¹ Requires an active Premium subscription. ² Requires an active Essentials subscription. Terms of Use http://onsongapp.com/premium/terms Privacy Policy http://onsongapp.com/privacy

About

SetSmith

Features
Read full description

SetSmith is a setlist and sheet music manager designed for musicians who perform live. Prepare rehearsals faster, stay organized on stage, and focus on your performance instead of your screen. Whether you play solo, in a band, or lead an ensemble, SetSmith keeps your music ready when it matters. SetSmith is ideal for bands, solo performers, musical directors, church teams, orchestras, and any musician using digital sheet music during rehearsals or concerts. - Create and edit multiple setlists - Reorder songs with drag and drop - Use colors, tags, and band labels - Fast search and smart tag suggestions - Quick access to recent setlists Each song can include: - PDF sheet music - Lyrics and chords - Chord notation - MP3 reference audio - Notes and annotations All content is cached for offline use, so your music is always available on stage. Annotate your sheet music: - Write directly on PDFs - Annotate text - Annotate musical symbols like a staff - Adjustable pen color and stroke width - Erase individual strokes or clear pages - Zoom and pan freely - Annotations appear in Play Mode Practice with audio tools: - Built-in audio player - Playback speed control (0.5x to 1.25x) - Automatic STEMs separation - Ideal for rehearsing difficult parts Play Mode for live performance: - Continuous auto-scroll across pages - Manual page navigation with taps - Auto-scroll resumes automatically - Clean, distraction-free interface - Bluetooth pedal and keyboard support Available everywhere: SetSmith its built cloud based and its multiplatform. Bring everywhere your setlists. SetSmith helps musicians rehearse efficiently, perform confidently, and stay focused on the music. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

OnSong 20264 screens
SetSmith4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SetSmith at none against OnSong 2026's 4. SetSmith also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly). OnSong 2026's advantage is chart position (#184 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. OnSong 2026 sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. SetSmith asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OnSong 2026 ships an update monthly, SetSmith every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
OnSong 2026 versus SetSmith: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOnSong 2026SetSmith
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (5.7K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews28.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings5.7K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#184 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.5 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size204 MB42 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperOnSong LLCAlejandro Albala

Bugs and requests

OnSong 2026

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Songs and annotations randomly disappearing
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Inconsistent behavior when importing/exporting songs
  • Sync and sharing issues between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved sync and backup capabilities
  • More intuitive user interface
  • Ability to transpose songs easily
  • Better support for older devices and iOS versions

SetSmith

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

OnSong 2026

Subscriptions4
  • Essentials (Monthly)$3.991 Month
  • Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Essentials (Annual)$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Premium (Annual)1 Month trial$59.991 Year
None

SetSmith

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OnSong 2026 free?
OnSong 2026 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SetSmith free?
SetSmith is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do OnSong 2026 or SetSmith have ads?
Neither OnSong 2026 nor SetSmith shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OnSong 2026 or SetSmith?
OnSong 2026 ships an update monthly, and SetSmith every 4 days. Most recently, OnSong 2026 was updated on October 25, 2026 and SetSmith on October 23, 2026.

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