Songbook Pro alternative · Windows · macOS · Linux available now - Android · iOS early access
Built for the whole band.
Songbook Pro is a good app. It's built around one player and one app-store purchase. BandBinder is built around a band: one library everyone shares, practice notes anchored to the line they're about, and the same app free on every device you own.
Why bands look for a Songbook Pro alternative
| Feature | Songbook Pro | BandBinder |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Android, Windows, iOS, Amazon Fire | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS |
| App price | ~$7 one-time, per platform | Free on every platform |
| Free tier | 12 songs | No song limit, no ads |
| Band sharing | Groups: per-user annual subscription, seat tiers, web dashboard | One per-band plan; members join free with a code |
| Practice notes | Annotations on the chart | Notes anchored to the lyric line, shared with the band |
| Desktop | Touch-first Windows app; browser-based Manager | Keyboard-first app on Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Export | ChordPro out | ChordPro out, any time |
1) Band sharing is the whole point, not a tier
Songbook Pro's band sharing is Groups: a separate per-user annual subscription, sized by seats and administered from a browser dashboard. In BandBinder the band isn't a tier, it's how the app works - one band code, members join free, and the shared library syncs inside the app. Add a second guitarist and a sub on keys and your bill doesn't move.
2) Rehearsal is where the songbook actually gets built
Songbook Pro gives you annotations on a chart. What it doesn't have is a note pinned to a line. BandBinder's practice notes attach to the exact lyric line they're about - come in on the 3, harmony starts here, we cut this verse - and they're still sitting on that line at the next rehearsal. Keep a note private, or pin it and it travels with the chart to everyone in the band.
Practice Mode adds reference playback, a count-in at the song's own tempo, and a display for the rehearsal-room screen; Performance Mode strips it all back for the gig - big type, fully offline, pedal-friendly.
3) If your rehearsals run off a laptop
Songbook Pro's Windows version carries its touch design across - their own documentation says to change the info bar by tapping it, "or swipe it on Windows" - and desktop library management is a browser page connected to the phone running the app. BandBinder's desktop app is keyboard-first: every action has a shortcut, every control names its shortcut when you hover it, and Windows, macOS, and Linux are straight downloads of the same app. If a laptop runs your rehearsals, that's a difference you feel every week.
4) What's free, and what you actually pay for
BandBinder's app is free on every device you own - not a trial, no song limit, no ads, and you can export everything back out any time. Only one thing in BandBinder ever costs money: keeping every device - and every bandmate - in the same book. During early access, even that is free. The Band Plan will eventually cover that: $2.49 a month for the whole band rather than per person, or $22 a year if you'd rather pay once and save. Founder pricing, cancel any time.
Be fair about the comparison, though: Groups is priced per user per year, and for a small band it lands near our flat band price. Price isn't the reason to switch. The shape is.
How to bring your library across
Step 1: Export your songs as ChordPro
In Songbook Pro's songs menu, turn on the multi-select toggle, select everything, and export in ChordPro format. A batch comes out as a zip archive - unzip it into a folder.
Worth knowing before you start: ChordPro is the portable format, so your charts, chords, keys, and structure come across, but as their own docs warn, "some information may be lost" - freehand ink annotations in particular. Chart-level work travels. Pen marks don't.
Step 2: Import the whole folder at once
In BandBinder's Songs list, choose Import folder of songs... and pick the folder you just unzipped. It scans every file, flags anything already in your library so you don't get duplicates, and imports everything you leave checked in one action. Single-file import works the same way for ChordPro, OnSong, plain text, or PDF - a text-layer PDF converts into an editable chart, or keep the original and perform straight from it.
New here? Tips & tricks shows the fastest ways to add a song, a reference link, and its album art.
Step 3: Share it with the band
Invite members with a band code and keep one agreed arrangement for everyone. See how that works for cover bands and worship teams. Coming from OnSong instead, or as well? There's a separate comparison for that.