Is there a free app for organizing a band?

Yes. BANDANA is free for bands, including the calendar, set lists, song library with chords and auto-scroll, rehearsal recordings, and scheduling — with no per-member charge.

Can I share a set list with someone who is not in the band?

Yes. Every set list and song has a public read-only link that opens in any browser, so a sub can read the chart without installing anything.

Comparison

BANDANA vs Band Mule

Reviewed August 2026

Band Mule is a private band organizer built around a shared calendar, a members-only chat room, and set lists with audio attached, on iOS, Android, and the web. BANDANA is free and covers the same organizing ground, then keeps going: lyrics with chords, whole-song transposition, hands-free auto-scroll, rehearsal recordings per song, time-slot voting for practices, public share links a sub can open without an account, and the venue you are playing for on the other side of the same gig page.

BANDANA dashboard on a phone listing a band and a venue the same person runs — One dashboard for every band you play in and every room you run.

BANDANA song library on a phone listing a band's songs with keys and recordings — The band's song library, with keys and recordings attached to each song.

Lyrics with chords positioned above the words on a BANDANA song page — Chords sit above the lyric they belong to, not in a separate document.

BANDANA set list on a phone showing the running order and a maybe section — Drag songs into order and park undecided ones in the "maybe" section.

BANDANA set list showing the offline banner while the phone has no connection — Set lists you have opened stay readable when the venue has no signal.

Transposition controls on a BANDANA song shifting every chord into a new key — Shift the whole song up or down and the key badge follows.

Downloading a lyrics and chords PDF from a BANDANA song page — Export the chart as a PDF in whatever key you just transposed to.

Rehearsal recordings listed underneath a song in BANDANA — Rehearsal takes live on the song itself, not in a group chat.

A rehearsal recording playing in BANDANA with playback controls — Playback keeps going when the screen locks on iOS.

Proposed rehearsal time slots listed on a BANDANA band event — Propose rehearsal times instead of polling the group chat.

Band members voting on rehearsal time slots in BANDANA — Everyone votes, and the winning slot is obvious at a glance.

A band's stage setup and input needs attached to a BANDANA gig page — Your stage plot and input list, attached to the show before load-in.

A top-down BANDANA stage plot showing drums, keys, bass, guitar, two saxes and amp positions — Save a band setup once, then attach its stage plot to any gig.

Guest list entries submitted by a band on a BANDANA gig page — Each band fills its own guest list quota — no spreadsheet at the door.

A band filling out a venue's booking request form in BANDANA — Bands submit dates, links and their bio in one pass.

A BANDANA gig advance page showing set times, backline and band details — One advance page the venue and every band on the bill share.

What Band Mule focuses on

A private organizer for a working band: shared calendar, chat, and set lists in one app.

BANDANA and Band Mule, side by side

Competitor details below are from their own public pages, checked August 2026. Pricing changes — confirm on their site before you decide. Band Mule pricing

Price for a band: BANDANAFree, with no per-member charge; Band MuleFree app with in-app purchases; tier prices not published on their site
Platform: BANDANANative iOS app on iPhone and iPad, plus a full web app on Android and desktop; Band MuleiOS, Android, and web
Shared calendar: BANDANAGigs and rehearsals with per-member availability; Band MuleYes — a shared band calendar where members mark their availability
Set lists: BANDANADrag-and-drop, maybe section, PDF export, public share link; Band MuleSet lists linked to gigs and practices, shared inside the band only
Lyrics and chords: BANDANAStored per song, with AI import from text or a file; Band MuleNot published — their song library is described around audio, not lyrics
Transposition: BANDANATwelve semitones each way, slash chords handled; Band MuleNot published
Auto-scroll: BANDANAHands-free with a speed slider, including on shared links; Band MuleNot published
Recordings: BANDANAPer song, with background playback on iOS; Band MuleYes — audio files attach to set lists and play in the app
Scheduling rehearsals: BANDANATime-slot voting weighted toward the gig date; Band MuleAvailability marked on the shared calendar; no time-slot voting published
Stage setups: BANDANAReusable setups cloned onto each gig; Band MuleNot published
Venue side: BANDANABooking requests, shared advances, guest lists, ticket links; Band MuleNot published — band-side only
Offline: BANDANARead-only offline for opened content in the iOS app; Band MuleNot published

What you get	BANDANA	Band Mule
Price for a band	Free, with no per-member charge	Free app with in-app purchases; tier prices not published on their site
Platform	Native iOS app on iPhone and iPad, plus a full web app on Android and desktop	iOS, Android, and web
Shared calendar	Gigs and rehearsals with per-member availability	Yes — a shared band calendar where members mark their availability
Set lists	Drag-and-drop, maybe section, PDF export, public share link	Set lists linked to gigs and practices, shared inside the band only
Lyrics and chords	Stored per song, with AI import from text or a file	Not published — their song library is described around audio, not lyrics
Transposition	Twelve semitones each way, slash chords handled	Not published
Auto-scroll	Hands-free with a speed slider, including on shared links	Not published
Recordings	Per song, with background playback on iOS	Yes — audio files attach to set lists and play in the app
Scheduling rehearsals	Time-slot voting weighted toward the gig date	Availability marked on the shared calendar; no time-slot voting published
Stage setups	Reusable setups cloned onto each gig	Not published
Venue side	Booking requests, shared advances, guest lists, ticket links	Not published — band-side only
Offline	Read-only offline for opened content in the iOS app	Not published

Choose Band Mule if

You mainly want a calendar and a private chat room in one place
Your band already lives in it and nobody wants to move

Choose BANDANA if

You want charts with chords, transposition, and hands-free scrolling
Subs and fill-ins need to get up to speed from one link, no account required
The venues you play could book and advance with you in the same tool

Common questions

Is there a free app for organizing a band?: Yes. BANDANA is free for bands, including the calendar, set lists, song library with chords and auto-scroll, rehearsal recordings, and scheduling — with no per-member charge.
Can I share a set list with someone who is not in the band?: Yes. Every set list and song has a public read-only link that opens in any browser, so a sub can read the chart without installing anything.