Song Library
Local song library with search, filters, sorting, favourites, and archive.
Songbook Buddy vs Ultimate Guitar
Ultimate Guitar is built around an online tab catalog. Songbook Buddy is for musicians who own their charts — your song library, ChordPro editor, stage tools, and optional sync.
How Songbook Buddy compares
Conditional positioning against well-known apps. Choose another product when its focus matches your workflow; choose Songbook Buddy when you need the full ChordPro journey on your platforms.
| Aspect | SBB | UG |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Complete ChordPro workflow — import, edit, publish, perform, collaborate | Online tab catalog and play-along |
| Platforms (typical) | Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux (one codebase) | Strong mobile + web; desktop varies |
| Offline-first | Yes — local database; sync optional | Offline often limited without downloads/premium |
| ChordPro editor depth | Custom ChordPro parser, many directives, custom blocks | No full editor for your song library |
| Band sharing & end-to-end encryption | Band Mode + per-band key, roles, invites | Social/sharing around catalog |
| Live session leader/follower | Yes — scroll, playback, setlist, metronome sync | Not comparable |
| Metronome / meter | Sample-accurate click; live sync; time signatures | Play-along; metronome secondary |
| MIDI & footswitch control | MIDI & USB foot pedals; network MIDI on macOS | Mostly play-along |
| Print / PDF | Print pipeline, PDF-oriented options | Export secondary |
| Cloud sync | Optional encrypted sync (Basic+); WLAN for audio/sheets | Account often required for catalog |
| Localization | 23 interface languages + translated help + PDF manuals | Very broad |
Competing products change continuously. This table describes typical positioning — choose another app when its focus matches your workflow; choose Songbook Buddy when you need the full ChordPro journey on your platforms.
Choose Ultimate Guitar to browse and learn from public tabs. Choose Songbook Buddy to build, organize, and perform your own library.
Explore by Feature
ChordPro Editor
Write and edit songs in ChordPro with live preview, undo/redo, templates, and find/replace.
Chord Diagrams
Guitar, ukulele, and piano shapes with soundfont audio and jazz alteration parsing.
Switching tips
- Songbook Buddy is built for songs you own — import or write ChordPro instead of relying on a tab catalog.
- Use chord diagrams and audio preview for practice; keep your personal library offline on device.
- Teachers can print clean PDFs; Pro sends setlists person-to-person, and Pro Cloud Band Mode shares a library with the group.