Every worship team eventually hits the same problem. The chart is in G, the singer needs E, the guitarist wants to capo, and Sunday is in four days. Doing it by hand on paper is slow and easy to get wrong.
The good news is that there are many tools for finding charts, changing the key and getting them in front of the band. They do different jobs, though, and some of them cannot transpose at all. This list covers ten of them, using each maker's own documentation, and ends with what to check before you choose, including licensing.
The ten apps and services
1. SongSelect by CCLI
SongSelect is CCLI's library of lyrics, chord charts, lead sheets and vocal sheets for worship songs and hymns. CCLI's pages describe a catalogue of more than 230,000 songs and say you can change the key, tempo, note size or octave, and choose one column or two. Its Advanced level includes lyrics, transposable chords and lead sheets. Premium adds vocal sheets and ChordPro downloads. CCLI's fact sheet says it integrates with tools such as OnSong, MediaShout, ProPresenter and Worship Extreme. A Church Copyright License is required to buy it, a free account only covers public-domain songs, and subscriptions are for one church and cannot be shared with musicians outside it.
2. PraiseCharts
PraiseCharts sells chord charts that follow its scored arrangements, so a chord chart can sit alongside sheet music for other players. Its charts are transposable and editable, in ChordPro or chords-over-words format, with capo support. When you change the key and edit a chart, that becomes your default version, and you can revert to the original. For its sheet music PDFs, the keys included are listed on the song page, and other keys can be requested as a custom key change for a fee.
3. Planning Center Services and Music Stand
Music Stand is an add-on to Planning Center Services, so you need a Services subscription, and charts only appear once you have added them to Services. You can import them from MultiTracks, SongSelect or PraiseCharts. Charts made in the Lyrics & Chords editor can be viewed in another key, or as a number or numeral chart. The change is only for that musician and does not alter the key in the plan. Planning Center's own pages note that PDFs cannot be transposed. Music Stand also supports annotation, foot-pedal page turns and a shared metronome.
4. WorshipTools Charts
Charts is one of the WorshipTools apps and is described as free, on iOS, Android and the web. Any musician can transpose or set a capo on their own device, view lyrics, chords or Nashville numbers, and use a built-in ChordPro editor. Changes made by the leader in the plan sync to every device. You can import from SongSelect, Loop Community, PDFs and ChordPro files, though WorshipTools says access to SongSelect and Loop Community is not included. As elsewhere, ChordPro is what makes a chart transposable. PDFs are not.
5. OnSong
OnSong runs on iPad, iPhone and Mac only. Its own support pages say there is no Android version. It reads ChordPro natively and can transpose text-based charts when it knows the original key. If the key is not declared, it can detect it from the first chord, the last chord or the note counts. A song can be in a different key in a particular set without changing the master copy. A newer feature called ChordFlow can find chords in text-based PDFs and transpose them, but it does not work on scanned images. The app downloads free, with features unlocked by subscription.
6. SongBook (LinkeSOFT)
SongBook runs on Android, iPhone and iPad, Windows and Mac, and works with ChordPro and tab files. It transposes by half step or to a chosen key, switches between sharps and flats, supports a capo and can show Nashville numbers. A playlist can keep a different key for a song without changing the saved file. Songs can be synchronised across devices through cloud storage such as Dropbox, OneDrive or Nextcloud.
7. forScore
forScore is a sheet-music reader for iPad, iPhone, Mac and Apple Vision. It handles PDFs, annotation with Apple Pencil, setlists and page-turner pedals very well, but forScore's own support page is clear that it cannot transpose. It relies on user-supplied PDFs that could be scanned or handwritten, so it cannot detect notes. It can download pre-transposed files from a connected service when that service offers them. Choose it for reading and marking charts, not for changing keys.
8. MobileSheets
MobileSheets, from Zubersoft, is available for Android, Windows, iOS and Mac. It organises PDFs, images, text, ChordPro files and audio in a library with setlists. For text and ChordPro files, it says you can transpose the key or apply a capo and the chords change at once. Several tablets can be linked so that one leader's tablet controls the others, over Wi-Fi or up to seven over Bluetooth. On Android and Windows it uses a licence key per device instead of an account.
9. Ultimate Guitar
Ultimate Guitar's support pages say the free tier includes access to over two million tabs and chords, favourites, playlists, offline access and editing. Transposing is a Pro feature, available in Chords view on official tabs. It also sells Official tabs and charts as part of its paid plans. Whatever the source, check the licensing question below before printing and sharing charts with the band.
10. Chordify
Chordify generates chords automatically from audio, including YouTube, SoundCloud and your own files, using chord recognition and beat tracking. The free version shows synchronised chords and diagrams. The paid version adds transposing, a capo mode, tempo changes, loops, MIDI export, PDF chord sheets and setlists. It is useful for working out a song you only have as a recording. Because the chords come from software, check them against the recording or an official chart before the band uses them.
Two free extras
- Hymnary.org is a free hymn database where you can search by title, tune, meter, key and scripture reference, and download scores and MIDI for many entries. Its FAQ says public-domain songs can be reprinted freely and copyrighted ones must be purchased.
- MuseScore Studio is free notation software for Windows, macOS and Linux. You select notes, or the whole score, and use Tools, then Transpose, to move to a target key or by an interval. It suits written music more than chord sheets.
How to choose
- Where do you get charts? If you already use SongSelect or PraiseCharts, pick an app that imports from them.
- Does everyone need to change keys? Look for a tool that transposes text-based charts per musician, such as Music Stand, Charts, OnSong, SongBook or MobileSheets, rather than a PDF reader.
- What devices does the team own? OnSong is Apple only, forScore is Apple only, and SongBook, MobileSheets and WorshipTools cover Android as well.
- Do you need a leader to control the band? Planning Center, WorshipTools and MobileSheets can sync or control several devices.
- How will you handle PDFs? PDFs cannot be transposed in most of these tools. Keep a ChordPro or editable version.
Check the licence before you share charts
A free chart is not automatically a licensed one. CCLI's fact sheet says a Church Copyright License is required to buy SongSelect and that a Music Reproduction License is also required if you copy the sheet music you download. PraiseCharts says most of the free chord sites on the internet are not authorised by the music publishers, and that with a CCLI subscription you can make copies of its charts for your musicians within your church. Your licence terms vary by country, so check your own.
Once the key is right, you still need to choose a key that your congregation can sing. See how to choose the key for a congregation.
How Planify can help
None of these apps schedules the people who will use them. Planify handles that side.
- Positions for each role. Create vocals, keys, guitar and drums positions in your music department, with a coordinator for each. Each position can have a minimum and a maximum number of people.
- Monthly rota. The planner proposes assignments with attention to fairness and to unavailable periods.
- Confirmation by tap. Musicians confirm or decline on WhatsApp.
- Cover from the same position. If someone declines, Planify can ask colleagues who cover that position.
- Announcements. Send a short message to a department or position, for example "new chart is in the app".
Planify is not a chart or setlist app. Use your chart app for the music and Planify for who plays it.
Which features you get depends on your plan.
Read next: how to build a Sunday worship setlist that flows.
FAQ
What is the best app for worship chord charts?
It depends on your devices and where you get your charts. SongSelect and PraiseCharts are sources, while Music Stand, Charts, OnSong, SongBook and MobileSheets are apps that display and transpose them.
Can I transpose a PDF chord chart?
In most of these tools, no. Planning Center and WorshipTools both say PDFs cannot be transposed. OnSong's ChordFlow can transpose text-based PDFs, but not scanned ones.
Is there a free app to transpose chords?
WorshipTools describes Charts as free. Ultimate Guitar's free tier includes charts, but transposing is a Pro feature, and Chordify's free version does not transpose.
What is ChordPro?
A text format where chords are written in square brackets inside the lyrics, such as [G]Amazing [C]grace. Apps can then read the chords and change the key automatically.
Do I need a licence to share chord charts?
Often yes. CCLI says a Music Reproduction License is needed if you copy sheet music downloaded from SongSelect. Check your own country's terms.