Comparison

JustChords vs SongBook

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

Head to head
About

JustChords

Organize your song library with chord charts and lyrics. Create or import songs, sync across devices, and build setlists for live performances. Supports various music notations and audio playback.

Highlights
  • Chord chart and lyric editor
  • Import songs from online sources
  • iCloud device syncing
  • Setlist creation and sharing
  • AirPlay lyric projection
  • Audio player and recorder
  • Support for multiple music notations
Read full description

JustChords is your complete tool for cataloging chord charts and lyrics. Create charts from scratch, import them from files, or pull them from online sources — building a library that's always with you, synced across iPhone, iPad and Mac via iCloud. Use JustChords standalone or as an AUv3 plugin in your favorite DAW. FEATURES • Setlists, with sharing and collaboration • Song editor is based on ChordPro and supports chords & lyrics, note sheets (PDF), chord beats, guitar tabs and ABC notation • Change Key, Capo, Piano Transpose, Rewrite into key • Metronome & Tuner • Autoscroll • Guitar, ukulele and piano chord diagrams, including alternate tunings • Audio player & recorder. Attach your tracks from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, URL or local file • Project lyrics or a dedicated stage display via AirPlay, with rich configuration options • Bluetooth / MIDI pedal support • Chord Beats — visualize chord duration right in your chords & lyrics, send chord notes over MIDI as they play, and trigger predefined MIDI messages on section changes • Tonic Pad — an ambient backing pad matched to your song's key • PlayTogether — keep your whole band in sync live, hands-free

About

SongBook

Features
Read full description

SongBook is the complete companion for working musicians — write songs, build setlists, tune your instrument, keep time, and perform with confidence. One app instead of five. WRITE • Song editor with chords placed right over your lyrics • Chord transposition — change key with one tap, capo-aware • Automatic key detection • Built-in chord diagrams • Rhyme helper for finishing that line (Plus and Pro) PERFORM • Setlist builder with swipe-between-songs • Performance mode with large, readable fonts (Plus and Pro) • Smart auto-scroll at your own pace (Plus and Pro) • Clean PDF export to print or share (Plus and Pro) PRACTICE & RECORD • Chromatic tuner • Metronome • Multi-track recording — layer takes on any song, then trim, fade, mix, solo and mute each track (originals are never changed) • Chord listener — play a chord and SongBook names it • Strum pattern trainer • Chord playback (Plus and Pro) EVERYWHERE YOU PLAY • Cloud sync across your devices (Pro) • Designed for iPhone and iPad, light and dark PLANS • Free — 10 songs, 3 setlists, tuner, metronome, key detection, chord editor & diagrams, and a few chord-listener and strum-pattern uses each month • Plus (one-time purchase) — 50 songs, 10 setlists, 3 recordings per song, unlimited chord listener & strum patterns, chord playback, performance mode, clean PDF export • Pro (subscription, monthly or yearly) — 200 songs, 50 setlists, 10 recordings per song, 2 GB cloud storage, cloud sync across devices, everything in Plus New accounts start with a 14-day trial of Pro features. No payment is needed to start the trial, and nothing is charged unless you choose a plan. Pro subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://vinteksolutions.com/terms-songbook-apple.html Privacy Policy: https://vinteksolutions.com/privacy-songbook.html

Screenshots

JustChords4 screens
SongBook4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: SongBook at 15.0 against JustChords's 17.5. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. JustChords sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and SongBook sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JustChords ships an update every 11 days, SongBook every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
JustChords versus SongBook: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJustChordsSongBook
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (359 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews95.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings359 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB93 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerget started s. r. o.Gary Vincent

Bugs and requests

JustChords

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes when importing songs from online sources
  • Pinch zoom feature stopped working
  • Songs disappearing from library
  • App unable to load songs from library in certain conditions
  • Multi-column view not functioning on iPad
Show 6 more
  • PDF export inconsistently includes/excludes metadata
  • Control+S keyboard shortcut non-functional on iPad and desktop
  • Choppy scrolling between songs
  • Tagging system filters incorrectly (excludes songs with multiple tags)
  • Songs won't open when tapped (reported on iPhone 8 with iOS 16.7.4)
  • Sticky notes placement requires manual adjustment

Requested features

8 requests
  • Apple Pencil direct annotation with eraser capability
  • Standard tag filtering logic (show songs with selected tags)
  • Bluetooth pedal support for song navigation without touching device
  • Web-based editor for songs
  • Direct in-app sharing to other users
Show 3 more
  • Improved documentation and user manual
  • Smoother song-to-song scrolling transitions
  • Dark mode option

SongBook

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

JustChords

One-time4
  • Nice Chords!$2.99
  • Rock On!$6.99
  • Big Thanks!$17.99
Show 1 more
  • Legendary Support!$44.99
3 purchases

SongBook

Subscriptions2
  • Songbook Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Songbook Pro Yearly$34.991 Year
One-time1
  • SongBook Plus$4.99

Questions

Is JustChords free?
JustChords is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SongBook free?
SongBook is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do JustChords or SongBook have ads?
Neither JustChords nor SongBook shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JustChords or SongBook?
JustChords ships an update every 11 days, and SongBook every 2 weeks. Most recently, JustChords was updated on November 12, 2026 and SongBook on November 9, 2026.

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