Comparison

BANDANA vs SetSmith

Reviewed August 2026

SetSmith is a cloud set list app for live bands — one shared repertoire across web, iOS, and Android, with charts, lyrics and audio per song, editor and viewer roles, an offline cache, and a play mode with auto-scroll and Bluetooth pedal support, on a free plan with paid options for advanced features and storage. BANDANA is free and covers the same shared-repertoire ground, then keeps going: whole-song transposition with key detection, rehearsal recording inside the app, availability voting for practices, reusable stage plots, and the venue you are playing for on 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 SetSmith focuses on

A focused cloud set list app built around one shared repertoire for live bands.

BANDANA and SetSmith, side by side

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

Price: BANDANAFree, no per-member charge; SetSmithFree plan with no ads or card; paid options for advanced features and storage, prices not published
Shared repertoire: BANDANAYes — songs live on the band; SetSmithYes — shared repertoire with editor and viewer roles
Offline: BANDANARead-only offline for opened content in the iOS app; SetSmithYes — offline cache on mobile
Performance mode: BANDANAAuto-scroll with a speed slider; SetSmithYes, and deeper: play mode with Bluetooth foot-pedal control
Transposition: BANDANAWhole-song, twelve semitones each way, slash chords and key badges; SetSmithNot published
Rehearsal recordings: BANDANARecord or upload takes per song, background playback on iOS; SetSmithAudio files can be attached to songs; no in-app recording published
Scheduling: BANDANAAvailability voting per band and a shared calendar; SetSmithNot published
Venue side: BANDANABooking directory, gig advances, guest lists, ticketing; SetSmithNot offered — set lists only

What you get	BANDANA	SetSmith
Price	Free, no per-member charge	Free plan with no ads or card; paid options for advanced features and storage, prices not published
Shared repertoire	Yes — songs live on the band	Yes — shared repertoire with editor and viewer roles
Offline	Read-only offline for opened content in the iOS app	Yes — offline cache on mobile
Performance mode	Auto-scroll with a speed slider	Yes, and deeper: play mode with Bluetooth foot-pedal control
Transposition	Whole-song, twelve semitones each way, slash chords and key badges	Not published
Rehearsal recordings	Record or upload takes per song, background playback on iOS	Audio files can be attached to songs; no in-app recording published
Scheduling	Availability voting per band and a shared calendar	Not published
Venue side	Booking directory, gig advances, guest lists, ticketing	Not offered — set lists only

Choose SetSmith if

You want a set list app and nothing beyond it
Bluetooth foot-pedal page turning is central to your live setup
Your band is split across Android and iOS and everyone needs the same native app

Choose BANDANA if

You want chords and transposition alongside the set list
Rehearsal takes should live on the song, not in someone's voice memos
You play rooms that could book and advance with you in the same place

Common questions

Does BANDANA work offline like SetSmith?

In the BANDANA iOS app, set lists and songs you have already opened stay readable offline; editing requires a connection. SetSmith publishes an offline cache on mobile — check their site for the current detail.

Which is better for a band with an Android player?

SetSmith publishes native iOS and Android apps. BANDANA's native app is iOS; on Android it runs in the browser, which covers reading set lists, lyrics, and chords but not the iOS-only offline cache.