2026 Review

AIVA

AI composer that writes instrumental soundtracks in 250+ styles, with MIDI export for your DAW.

MusicFreemiumNiche65% positive

Facts checked Aug 13, 2026

About AIVA

AIVA is an AI composer for instrumental music: pick from more than 250 styles — or train a custom style model — then rework the result in a built-in editor and export MIDI into your own DAW. It's aimed at film, game, and video creators who want an editable score rather than a finished pop song; vocals are deliberately out of scope. The free plan allows 3 downloads a month with attribution for non-commercial use; Standard is €15/month (€11/month billed annually) for social-channel monetization, and Pro at €49/month (€33/month annually) adds WAV export and full copyright ownership.

At a glance

Founded: 2016
Headquarters: Luxembourg, LU
Platforms: Web, Windows, macOS, Linux

Main competitors

Suno SoundrawMubertUdio

Best for

Film & game scoringYouTube background musicEditable MIDI compositionsRoyalty-free soundtracks

Pros

Strongest orchestral and cinematic writing in the AI music field
MIDI export makes every track a starting point, not a locked file
Copyright terms are explicit per tier — Pro assigns ownership to you
Free plan needs no card and never expires

Cons

Instrumental only — no vocals at any tier
Tight download caps: 3/month free, 15/month on Standard
Full copyright ownership requires the €49/month Pro plan
No public API and no official mobile apps

Our verdict

Best for: Composers and video or game creators who want an editable, royalty-clear score they can finish in a DAW.

Skip if: You want finished songs with vocals — Suno and Udio do that; AIVA deliberately doesn't.

Our review

AIVA is the composer among the song machines. It has been at this longer than almost anyone — founded 2016, first AI recognized as a composer by SACEM — and it shows in what the product optimizes for: not a finished radio single but an editable piece of music. You pick from 250+ styles or train a custom style model, steer a piece with an uploaded audio or MIDI influence, then open the result in a real editor and export MIDI into your DAW. For orchestral and cinematic writing it is the strongest tool in this category, and the 2025 Lyra model brought natural-language prompting to the same workflow.

The trade-offs are sharp. There are no vocals at any price, tracks tend to repeat themselves past the ninety-second mark, and the download caps sting — 3 a month free, 15 on Standard, with full copyright ownership gated behind the €49/month Pro plan (€33 billed annually). There is no public API, and no official mobile app either — the "AIVA" app on the iOS App Store is a third-party clone, not the real thing. Suno costs a quarter as much for commercial rights, if what you want is finished audio.

Verdict: the pick when the music is an ingredient rather than the product — film, game, and video creators who want a royalty-clear score they can pull apart in a DAW. If you just want a great-sounding song, Suno wins; if you want raw material you control, AIVA is the only tool here that really offers it.

What reviewers elsewhere say

65% positive — Composers praise the orchestral quality, MIDI export, and unusually clear licensing; critics hear repetition past ninety seconds and resent the download caps and the €49 price of ownership.

Sentiment estimated from reviews on Reddit, Trustpilot, as of Aug 2026. Third-party scores are point-in-time snapshots. We don't host user reviews.

Key features

Instrumental composition in 250+ preset styles, from cinematic orchestral to jazz
MIDI export to rework and finish tracks in your own DAW
Custom style models trained on your chosen influences
Upload audio or MIDI as an influence to steer a new composition
Built-in editor for melodies, chords, and instrumentation
Desktop apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux alongside the web app

How to use AIVA

Create a free account — no card — and generate first tracks from the 250+ preset styles.
Set style, key, duration, and ensemble, or upload an audio/MIDI influence to steer the piece.
Rework the result in the built-in editor: melodies, chords, instrumentation.
Export MIDI and finish the arrangement in your DAW — WAV export needs Pro.
Upgrade to Standard (€11/mo billed annually) to monetize on social channels, or Pro (€33/mo annually) to own the copyright outright.

Pricing

Deal: Annual billing saves 26–33% — Standard drops to €11/mo and Pro to €33/mo

Free€0

3 downloads/month, tracks up to 3 minutes. Non-commercial use only, attribution to AIVA required.

Standard€15/mo

€11/mo billed annually. 15 downloads/month, tracks to 5 minutes; monetization on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch only.

Pro€49/mo

€33/mo billed annually. 300 downloads/month, tracks to 5:30, WAV export, full copyright ownership.

Pricing verified August 2026 · prices as listed by the vendor; check the official site for current offers.

Try AIVA

Frequently asked questions

What is AIVA?

AIVA is an AI music composer that generates instrumental tracks in more than 250 styles — cinematic, jazz, electronic, and more — with a built-in editor and MIDI export so you can finish the piece in your own DAW. It has composed under its own name since 2016 and was the first AI recognized as a composer by the rights society SACEM.

How much does AIVA cost?

The free plan allows 3 downloads a month for non-commercial use with attribution. Standard is €15/month (€11/month billed annually) with 15 downloads and social-channel monetization; Pro is €49/month (€33/month annually) with 300 downloads, WAV export, and full copyright ownership.

Who owns music made with AIVA?

On the Free and Standard plans, AIVA keeps the copyright — Free is non-commercial with attribution, Standard licenses monetization on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch. On Pro, the copyright is assigned to you outright.

Does AIVA have an API?

No — there is no public API. AIVA's license terms say API access is negotiated case by case under a separate licensing agreement, which in practice means enterprise deals only.

AIVA or Suno?

Different jobs. Suno produces finished songs with vocals from a prompt; AIVA writes instrumental compositions you can edit note by note and export as MIDI. Score a film or game with AIVA; make a radio-style song with Suno.