The best Nashville number system app for writing charts fast
ChartSpace is the fastest way to get a chart down. You type it as fast as you can say it, flip between Nashville numbers and letter chords with one tap, move it to any key, and play it back with a count-in to check the changes. It runs in the browser on your phone, tablet and laptop, and it is free for up to 5 songs.
Facts on the other apps come from each app's website and US App Store listing, checked . Prices in US dollars.
Where ChartSpace is ahead
These are the reasons to pick it. Each one is about getting a chart written, checked and in front of the band.
| ChartSpace | Nashville Numbers | 1Chart | JotChord | OnSong | SongSheet Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entering a chart | Type it. Space moves to the next beat, Tab to the next bar, Enter to a new line. Type numbers or letters. | Tap a number keypad on screen. Apple Pencil for rhythms and notes. | Tap on-screen chord, rhythm and symbol keyboards. | Type plain text, such as 4 5 1 6-. Numbers only. | Type lyrics with chords in brackets, or tap chords from a bar above the keyboard. | Type lyrics, then tap chords from a palette. Numbers are typed as custom chord names. |
| Numbers and letters | One tap or ⌘⇧N flips the whole chart, in the editor and on stage. Numbers or Roman numerals. | Switch the chart between 123 and ABC views. | A per-chart setting in the Chart Settings menu. | You write in numbers. Letters come out only in an exported PDF, in beta. | A display style in the Style Preferences menu. Needs a paid plan. | Letter chords. Typed numbers are recognized since December 2025. No switch between them listed. |
| Play it back | Plays the chords on piano, Rhodes, acoustic guitar, organ or strings, with a metronome and a count-in. On the free plan. | Not listed. | Not listed. | Not listed. | Plays backing tracks you add, and a virtual instrument can strum the chords. Metronome. On-screen count-in on Premium. | Plays a backing track from your music library. A visual tempo dot, no audible click or count-in listed. |
| Where it runs | Any browser: phone, tablet or laptop. Charts follow your login. Nothing to install. | iPhone, iPad and Apple silicon Macs. | iPad. Last updated August 2023. | Web browser. Its site names computers and tablets. | iPhone, iPad and Mac. Android since October 2026. | iPhone and iPad. |
| Sharing with the band | Send a view-only link that opens in any browser, free. Bands share and edit charts together on Pro. | Send the chart file or a PDF by AirDrop, Mail or Messages. | Email a PDF or chart file, or save it to iCloud, Dropbox or Google Drive. | A view-only link, or a PDF you send yourself. | Real-time sharing with the band on Premium. Print, email and export on Essentials. | Send a PDF, ChordPro or OnSong file through the share sheet. |
Where they are close
Most of these apps do the following. Pick on the rows above.
| ChartSpace | Nashville Numbers | 1Chart | JotChord | OnSong | SongSheet Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transpose | The whole chart moves to a new key in one click. | Key changes inside a song. A transpose feature is not listed. | Change the key in the header and every letter chord follows. | Change the key of the whole chart in one click. | A transpose slider and capo setting. Needs a paid plan. | Transpose the song in one tap, with a capo setting. |
| Setlists and stage view | Setlists and a dark, large-type performance view with auto-scroll. | Setlists and a read-only view that swipes between songs. | Notebooks in set order and a locked performance mode. | Setlists that export as one PDF, in beta. | Setlists, auto-scroll and foot pedals, on a paid plan. | Setlists, auto-scroll and foot pedals. |
| PDF export | Download a PDF of a song or a whole setlist. | PDF, including your drawings. | PDF of a chart or a notebook. | PDF of a chart or a setlist. | PDF, ChordPro and text, on a paid plan. | PDF and ChordPro. |
| Price | Free for up to 5 songs and 2 setlists. Pro is $6 a month or $60 a year. | $9.99 once. | $15.99 once. | Free during its limited beta. | Free for up to 30 songs. Essentials $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year. Premium $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year. | Free download. Pro is $5.99 a month, $59.99 a year or $129.99 for life. |
| App Store rating | Not in an app store. It runs in the browser. | 4.5 from 102 ratings. | 4.3 from 38 ratings. | No app store listing. | 4.5 from 5,665 ratings. | 4.7 from 2,717 ratings. |
What the Nashville number system is
The Nashville number system writes chords as numbers instead of letters. The numbers 1 to 7 stand for the seven notes of the major scale of the song's key. In the key of G, 1 is G, 2 is A, 3 is B, 4 is C, 5 is D, 6 is E and 7 is F#. The key goes at the top of the chart, and the numbers carry the song.
The numbers stay put when the key changes. If the singer wants the song in A, nobody rewrites the chart: 1 4 6- 5 now means A, D, F#m, E. One chart works in every key, which is why it is quicker to read and to change than letter chords.
A plain number is a major chord. Marks after the number give the quality: a minus sign or a small m for minor (6- or 6m), a 7 for a dominant seventh (5⁷), a triangle or maj7 for a major seventh (1△ or 1maj7), a small circle for diminished (7°), and sus for suspended (5sus). A slash puts another note in the bass: 1/3 in G is G with B in the bass. A flat in front lowers the root: ♭7 in G is F.
Each number gets one bar unless the chart says otherwise. When two or more chords share a bar, the chart groups them, usually with a line under them or a box around them, and the bar splits evenly unless a rhythm is written over it. In 4/4, an underlined 1 4 is two beats of G and two beats of C. Session players in Nashville have charted this way since the late 1950s, when Neal Matthews Jr. of the Jordanaires worked it out for studio dates. You can chart a song on one listen to the demo, and the band can play it in whatever key the artist calls.
Questions and answers
What is the best Nashville number system app?
For writing your own charts, ChartSpace. You type the chart on your keyboard, flip it between numbers and letters with one tap, transpose it, and play it back with a count-in, in any browser. If you chart on an iPad and want written rhythm marks such as pushes, Nashville Numbers ($9.99) and 1Chart ($15.99) are built around on-screen keypads for that. OnSong and SongSheet Pro are built around lyrics with chords over them, with worship team tools such as lyric projection.
Can I switch a chart between Nashville numbers and letter chords?
In ChartSpace, yes. One tap or ⌘⇧N flips the whole chart, in the editor and in the performance view, and you can type in either view. Nashville Numbers and 1Chart switch with a view mode or a chart setting. OnSong has a number display style on its paid plans. JotChord writes in numbers and exports letters as a PDF, in beta.
Can I transpose a chart to a new key?
Yes. ChartSpace moves the whole chart to a new key in one click. In the number view nothing changes, because the numbers already work in every key. In the letter view every chord follows. 1Chart, JotChord, SongSheet Pro and OnSong transpose as well, OnSong on a paid plan.
Can I play the chart back?
In ChartSpace, yes. It plays the chords on piano, Rhodes, acoustic guitar, organ or strings at the song's tempo, with a metronome and a count-in, on the free plan. OnSong plays backing tracks you add, and its virtual instrument can strum the chords in time. SongSheet Pro plays a backing track from your music library. Nashville Numbers, 1Chart and JotChord do not list playback.
Is there a free Nashville number system app?
Yes. ChartSpace is free for up to 5 songs and 2 setlists, with playback, transposing and the number view included. Pro is $6 a month or $60 a year for unlimited songs and band sharing. JotChord is free while in beta and writes number charts as PDFs. Nashville Numbers ($9.99) and 1Chart ($15.99) are one-time purchases.
Write your first number chart free
Type it, flip it to letters, play it back. Free for up to 5 songs and 2 setlists. No card needed.
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