How to Migrate from OnSong to Fretlist

OnSong has been a go-to app for many gigging musicians. But if you've been feeling the friction — the dated interface, the iOS-only lock-in, the lack of updates — you're not alone.

I've talked to dozens of musicians who want to move on but dread the idea of re-entering hundreds of songs by hand. Good news: you don't have to. Fretlist can import your entire OnSong library in one go, including your setlists.

What gets imported

When you import an OnSong backup into Fretlist, here's what comes across:

All your songs — lyrics, chords, and content
Metadata — title, artist, key, capo, tempo, time signature
Setlists — your setlists are recreated with the same songs in the same order
Attachments — PDF and Word files embedded in your backup are extracted and processed too

ChordPro formatting is preserved. Section headers (Verse, Chorus, Bridge) come through as-is. Your chord charts will look the way you expect them to.

Step 1: Export your OnSong backup

Open OnSong on your iPad or iPhone and create a full backup:

Tap the gear icon (Settings) in OnSong
Go to Utilities → Backup
Choose Create Backup
Save or share the .backup file — AirDrop it to your Mac, save it to iCloud/Google Drive, or email it to yourself. On Windows, use a cloud drive or email to get the file onto your computer

The .backup file is a ZIP containing an SQLite database and all your song files. Fretlist knows how to read it.

Step 2: Import into Fretlist

Log in to Fretlist and open the Import dialog (the upload icon in the sidebar)
Drop your .backup file onto the dropzone — or click to browse
Fretlist will parse the backup, detect all your songs and setlists, and show you a review screen

The review screen shows every song that will be imported, along with any duplicates it detected (songs that already exist in your Fretlist library). You can deselect songs you don't want.

Step 3: Review and confirm

Before importing, you'll see:

Total songs found in the backup
Duplicates — songs that match titles already in your library
Setlists — listed with the number of songs in each

Hit Import and Fretlist does the rest. Songs are saved in batches, and your setlists are recreated with the correct songs linked.

What about formatting?

OnSong uses a mix of ChordPro directives and its own formatting conventions. Fretlist handles both:

[G]Strumming on my [C]guitar renders as chords above lyrics
Section headers like Verse: or Chorus: are converted to proper sections
ChordPro directives ({key: G}, {capo: 2}) are extracted as metadata

If some songs were stored as PDF attachments in OnSong, those are extracted and processed server-side during import.

After the import

Once your songs are in Fretlist, you get a few things OnSong doesn't offer:

Works everywhere — phone, tablet, laptop, any browser. No iOS lock-in.
Instant transpose — change the key of any song with one click
Play Mode — a distraction-free, full-screen view built for performing on stage
Auto-scroll — hands-free scrolling at adjustable speed during a performance
Offline access — your songs are cached for offline use, even in the browser

Your setlists are ready to go. Open one, hit Play, and you're performing.

Tips

Export everything — the OnSong backup includes your full library. Better to import everything and delete what you don't need than to miss songs.
Check duplicates — if you've already added some songs to Fretlist manually, the importer will flag them. You can skip duplicates during review.
Setlists reference songs — if you deselect a song during import, it won't appear in any imported setlists either. Import the songs first, then curate.

Ready to switch?

The whole process takes about two minutes. Export from OnSong, drop into Fretlist, review, import.

Try Fretlist for free — your songs and setlists, on any device, ready for the stage.