Is a PDF in the WhatsApp group enough?
Often, yes. If the set is fixed, each member knows the songs, and nobody needs lyrics in a script they cannot read, a PDF or a shared Google Doc does the job and costs nothing. Do not buy software to solve a problem you do not have.
This page has no vendor table. It compares StageFloww with files and messages your band already uses, and the StageFloww limits on it come from our own pricing page, checked on 18 October 2026.
What does each method do when the night changes?
| Moment | PDF or Google Doc in the group | StageFloww |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed set, played top to bottom | Enough. Each member opens the file and scrolls. | Does the same job. No real gain. |
| No signal in the venue | A downloaded PDF still opens. A Google Doc needs to have been made available on the device beforehand. | Lyrics already opened on that device still show in Live Mode. Sync and requests stop. |
| Leader skips or swaps a song mid-set | Shout it, or hope the band sees the hand signal. | Leader advances; each member's screen moves to that song, if each device is online. |
| Order changed an hour before the show | Send a new file. Someone opens the old one. | One running order. Members see the current one once their device is online. |
| Lyrics in a script half the band cannot read | Someone retypes them in English letters by hand. | A toggle shows the lyrics in English letters. |
| A guest asks for a song | They walk up, or message someone. | They scan a QR code; the request appears on your screen. |
| Cost | Free. | Free plan with limits, or Pro. |
Where does a shared PDF break down?
Versions. A file is a snapshot. After the third revision there are three files in the chat, and on a dark stage it is easy to open the wrong one. A shared Google Doc fixes this part, as long as each member has signal or saved it to the device.
Changes during the set. A file cannot tell the bass player you have skipped ahead. With band sync, the leader moves to the next song and each signed-in member's screen follows. It syncs the song position and the start and pause of auto-scroll, not audio and not how far each person has scrolled. It needs an internet connection on each device, so in a basement venue with no coverage it does nothing a PDF does not.
Lyrics in another script. A wedding band that sings Hindi, Punjabi and Tamil songs in one night may have members who read some of those scripts and not others. StageFloww can show lyrics written in 14 scripts in English letters. That is phonetic transliteration, not translation of meaning.
Requests. A PDF has no way in for the audience. StageFloww gives a gig a QR code, and song requests from the audience arrive in the same place as the setlist. Guests enter a name and a phone number.
When is the PDF the better choice?
- The set does not change. A tribute show, a theatre run or a function with an agreed running order gains little from live sync.
- The venue has no signal at all. A downloaded PDF needs nothing. StageFloww keeps lyrics you have already opened, and loses sync, cues and requests.
- Your charts are notation or scanned pages. StageFloww shows lyrics and chords as text. It has no PDF viewer.
- Some members will not sign in to anything. Following a StageFloww setlist live needs a free account. A PDF needs nothing.
- You want to print it. A PDF prints cleanly. StageFloww has no setlist export to PDF.
What does StageFloww cost, and what does it not do?
The Free plan covers 1 active setlist of up to 40 songs, with Live Mode, band sync and English-letter lyrics included, and members join the leader's setlist free. For a band that plays the same core set most weekends, that may be all you need. The StageFloww pricing page lists what Pro adds, and the feature and limits list shows which features need a connection.
Sharing does not mean leaving WhatsApp. You can send the group a message with the first few songs, their keys and a link to the full set, share an invite link with View or Edit access, or show a QR code. A member who receives it can copy the setlist into their own account.
If the venue Wi-Fi drops, lyrics already opened on a device stay in that browser's storage and Live Mode keeps showing them. There is no download button and storage is limited. Before the gig, open each song in the setlist once on the device you will use, while you are online.
How should we decide?
Ask one question after your next gig: how many times did the plan change after the file was sent? If the answer is never, keep the PDF. If it is most nights, try a setlist app at a rehearsal first, with the band's real phones, and see whether the sync holds on the kind of connection your venues have.