Music Planner

Music Planner vs OnSong

OnSong is built for the player on stage. Music Planner is built for the whole band.

Both put chord charts and setlists on a tablet. OnSong goes deep on stage gear and runs on each player's own subscription. Music Planner adds the band around the charts: who's playing, when, in what key, and stems to learn from.

OnSong, in short

A long-running chord chart and performance app for iPhone, iPad and Mac, now also on Android. Strong on stage: foot pedals, MIDI, lighting, backing tracks and leader-controlled page sync. Each person has their own subscription.

Music Planner, in short

A band app for setlists, chord charts, AI stem splitting and a stage view, on the web, iPhone, iPad and Android. One plan covers the whole band, with positions, invites and a calendar feed built in. Free for your first band.

Try Music Planner free →

Free for your first band. No credit card.

01 - SIDE BY SIDE

Feature by feature.

FeatureMusic PlannerOnSong
Price and fit

Free plan

10 members, 30 songs

30 songs per person

Who pays

OnSong also sells a group plan with an admin; its prices aren't published.

One plan per band

Each person

Full-featured plan

OnSong's cheaper Essentials plan leaves out band sync, backing tracks and annotations.

$25/mo for up to 30 members

$5.99/mo per person (Premium)

Chord charts

ChordPro chord chart editor

✓

✓

Transpose and capo

✓

✓

Nashville numbers

✓

✓

Upload PDF charts

✓

✓

Transpose the chords inside a PDF

✕

✓

Import Word and other document formats

✕

✓

Setlists and the band

Build and share setlists

✓

✓

Positions, invites and I'm in / Can't make it

OnSong imports plans from Planning Center but doesn't schedule players itself.

✓

✕

One song library for the whole band

Every plan

Group plan

Practice and stage

Split any song into stems

OnSong plays multitracks you import; it doesn't separate a mixed recording.

✓

✕

Charts full screen on stage

Gig plan and up

✓

Draw notes on charts

✓

Premium

Leader turns pages for everyone

✕

Premium

Backing tracks and click on stage

✕

Premium

Bluetooth foot pedals

Pedals that send arrow or Page Up / Page Down keys turn pages in LIVE in the browser, including Safari on iPad. Not yet in the iPhone and Android apps.

In the browser

✓

MIDI and lighting control

✕

Premium

Platforms

iPhone and iPad

✓

✓

Android

✓

New in Oct 2026

Mac

In the browser

✓

Windows and web

OnSong Console lets Premium users manage their library from a browser.

✓

✕

02 - WHAT ACTUALLY DIFFERS

The differences that matter.

One plan for the band, not one per player

OnSong is priced per person: every player who wants band sync, backing tracks or annotations needs Premium at $5.99 a month. Music Planner is one plan for the band. Members join free, and the Gig plan at $25 a month covers up to 30 of them.

The band around the charts

OnSong is a performer's app: it's excellent at showing the right chart at the right moment. Music Planner also plans the gig: who's playing which position, who has said yes, when each song starts, and a calendar feed so it lands in everyone's diary.

Stems for practice

Music Planner splits any recording into vocals, drums, bass and more, so the bassist can solo the bass line or play along with everything else. OnSong plays multitracks you already have, but doesn't create them.

Stage gear

This is OnSong's home ground. Foot pedals, MIDI, lighting control, backing tracks with a click, and a leader who turns pages for the whole band are all there. Music Planner's stage view turns pages by swipe, tap, keyboard or a Bluetooth pedal in the browser, and each player moves through the set on their own.

03 - WHICH ONE IS FOR YOU

An honest answer.

OnSong is a good tool. It's the better pick for some bands, and we'd rather you knew which.

Choose OnSong if...

  • ✓

    You perform with MIDI or lighting cues, or need pedals in a native app

  • ✓

    You run backing tracks and a click from the same app as your charts

  • ✓

    You want a leader to turn pages on every player's screen

  • ✓

    You play alone or mostly need charts, not band planning

  • ✓

    You need to transpose chords inside PDF charts

Choose Music Planner if...

  • ✓

    You want one plan for the band instead of a subscription per player

  • ✓

    You need to know who's playing each gig and who has said yes

  • ✓

    You want stems of any song so everyone can learn their part

  • ✓

    Your band is on a mix of web, iPhone, iPad and Android

  • ✓

    You want the setlist, the lineup and the charts in one place

FAQ

Common questions.

Does every band member need to pay?+
On OnSong, each person has their own subscription, and the band features need Premium. OnSong also has a group plan with unpublished prices. On Music Planner the plan belongs to the band: members create free accounts and join your band space.
Can I bring my OnSong charts into Music Planner?+
There's no direct import. You can paste a chart's text into the chord chart editor, which reads chords-over-lyrics and ChordPro, or upload PDF charts to each song.
Does Music Planner support foot pedals or MIDI?+
Pedals, yes, in the browser: LIVE turns pages with the arrow keys and Page Up / Page Down, which is what many Bluetooth page-turn pedals send. That includes Safari on an iPad, but not the iPhone and Android apps yet. There's no MIDI. If your show depends on MIDI, OnSong is the stronger choice today.
Can I use Music Planner and OnSong together?+
Yes. Some bands plan in Music Planner, with the setlist, lineup, keys and stems, and individual players keep reading charts in the app they're used to.
Is Music Planner on Android?+
Yes, on Android phones and tablets as well as iPhone, iPad and any web browser.

See if it fits your band.

Free for your first band, with no credit card. Keep OnSong while you try it.

Start for free →Compare plans →

Sources

OnSong details were checked on October 25, 2026 against OnSong's own website, help pages and app store listings. Prices and features change, so check their site before you decide. OnSong is a trademark of its owner, used here only to compare.