The best AI song writer tools do not write the song for you. They sit beside you and suggest chords, melodies, rhymes and structure when you get stuck. For chords, start with Scaler 3 or Hookpad; for melody ideas, try LANDR Composer or Magenta Studio; for lyrics, a general chatbot plus a rhyming dictionary covers most needs.
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This guide is about AI songwriting tools that help you write. If you want a finished track from a text prompt, that is a different category, covered in our guide to the best AI song generators. If you only need words, see the best AI lyric generators.
Quick picks
- Best for chord progressions: Scaler 3
- Best free option for chords and melody: Hookpad (free tier, with the paid Aria AI add-on)
- Best all-in-one composition plugin: Captain Plugins Epic
- Best AI MIDI generator: LANDR Composer (the successor to Orb Producer Suite)
- Best free idea starter: BandLab SongStarter
- Best lyric co-writer: ChatGPT or Claude, paired with RhymeZone
How to choose an AI song writer tool
“AI songwriting” covers very different products, so pick by the job you need done, not by the label. Ask yourself three questions:
- Where do you get stuck? If you have a melody but no chords, you need a harmony assistant. If you have chords but no topline, you need a melody generator. If the music is done but the words are not, you need a lyric co-writer.
- Where do you work? Plugins such as Scaler and Captain Plugins run inside your DAW. Hookpad and BandLab run in the browser. Magenta Studio only runs inside Ableton Live Suite.
- How much control do you want? The tools below output MIDI or text you can edit note by note. That keeps you in charge of the song, which matters both creatively and for ownership.
Chord and progression assistants
These are the most useful AI songwriting tools for most writers, because a strong progression gives you the mood and the shape of a song before a single word is written.
Scaler 3
Scaler 3 by Scaler Music is a music theory plugin built around chords. It includes a large library of chord sets organised by mood, genre and artist influence, and a Suggest mode that looks at your current progression and key to offer chords that fit. Its “Motions” feature turns a progression into melodies, basslines and arpeggios you can drag into your DAW. Scaler Music offers a fully functional 14-day trial through its website. If you are still on Scaler 2, the progression tools are similar, but version 3 adds plugin hosting and multitrack features.
Captain Plugins Epic
Captain Plugins Epic from Mixed In Key is a suite of composition plugins covering chords, melodies, basslines and drums. Captain Chords is the heart of it: you pick a key and mood, choose from tens of thousands of progressions, then the other plugins follow your chords automatically. It suits producers who want a whole idea built quickly. There is no free version, but Mixed In Key offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Hookpad with Aria
Hookpad by Hooktheory is a browser-based sketchpad for chords and melody, with a free tier that needs no credit card. Its optional AI add-on, Aria, can suggest chords for a melody you have written, write a melody over your chords, or generate both. Hooktheory says Aria was fine-tuned on its TheoryTab database of pop song analyses, and you can steer suggestions by genre and mood. It is the best choice if you also want to learn why a progression works. For hand-picked options, see our list of the best chord progressions for songwriting.
Melody and MIDI idea generators
Once you have chords, these tools help you find a topline, hook or bassline. Treat their output as raw material: keep the two bars you like and rewrite the rest.
LANDR Composer (formerly Orb Producer Suite)
LANDR bought Orb Plugins and folded the four Orb Producer Suite 3 plugins (chords, melody, bass and arpeggio) into one plugin, LANDR Composer. You build up to four “scenes”, each with chord, melody, arpeggio and bass modules, and regenerate parts until something clicks. The old Orb plugins no longer receive updates, so if you are buying today, Composer is the version to look at. It is sold on its own and included in some LANDR subscription plans.
AudioCipher
AudioCipher takes a different route. You type a word or phrase, pick a key and rhythm, and it converts the letters into a melody or chord progression using a musical cipher. It is less “intelligent” than the other tools here, but it is a handy way to break a blank page, especially if you want a melody tied to a lyric or song title. Version 4 runs as a VST3 and AU plugin on Mac and Windows.
Magenta Studio
Magenta Studio is a free set of AI MIDI tools from Google’s Magenta project. Its Continue tool extends a melody you have started, Generate creates new phrases, and Interpolate blends two ideas. Version 2 runs as a Max for Live device, so you need Ableton Live with Max for Live (included in Live Suite) to use it.
Lyric and structure co-writers
General AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Claude both have free plans and make good co-writers if you use them as a brainstorming partner rather than a ghostwriter. Asking an AI to “write a song for me” usually returns generic lines. You get far better results when you give it your own material and a narrow task. Prompts that work well:
- “Here is my verse. Give me ten alternative last lines that rhyme with ‘door’ but avoid clichés.”
- “Suggest three song structures for a slow breakup ballad and explain where the lift should come.”
- “List concrete images a person might notice at 3am in an empty kitchen.”
- “My chorus says X. Suggest bridge angles that add a new perspective instead of repeating it.”
Pair the chatbot with a free rhyming dictionary such as RhymeZone, which finds perfect rhymes, near rhymes, synonyms and related words. Near rhymes are where most modern lyrics live, and our guide on how to rhyme in songwriting explains how to use them.
Idea capture and song starters
Sometimes the problem is not a missing chord but a blank screen. BandLab SongStarter generates short song ideas with a beat, melody and chord progression, and you can optionally feed it a few words of lyrics or emojis to steer it. It gives you several ideas at a time, lets you try different moods, and opens your chosen idea in BandLab’s free browser studio so you can keep building. It is free to use.
For capturing a hummed melody, do not overlook the simplest tool: your phone’s voice memo app. Record the hum first, then work out the notes in Hookpad or your DAW.
Comparison table
| Tool | Helps with | Free option? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scaler 3 | Chords, progressions, melodies from chords | 14-day free trial | Harmony-first writers in a DAW |
| Captain Plugins Epic | Chords, melody, bass, drums | No (30-day money-back guarantee) | Producers building full ideas fast |
| Hookpad + Aria | Chords and melody, theory learning | Yes, Hookpad free tier (Aria is paid) | Browser-based sketching and learning |
| LANDR Composer | Chords, melody, bass, arpeggios | No free version confirmed | Generating MIDI variations quickly |
| AudioCipher | Melodies and chords from words | No | Breaking a blank page |
| Magenta Studio | Continuing and generating MIDI phrases | Yes, free | Ableton Live Suite users |
| ChatGPT / Claude | Lyrics, rhymes, structure, brainstorming | Yes, free plans | Lyric co-writing |
| RhymeZone | Rhymes, near rhymes, synonyms | Yes, free | Finishing lines |
| BandLab SongStarter | Beat, melody and chord starters | Yes, free | Beginners and quick sketches |
A practical AI co-writing workflow
Here is a simple way to use an AI song writer as a collaborator while keeping the song yours. For the full songwriting process without AI, see how to write a song from scratch.
- Idea. Start with a title, a feeling or a line of your own. If nothing comes, generate a few SongStarter ideas or type a phrase into AudioCipher and listen for a spark.
- Chords. Load Scaler, Captain Chords or Hookpad, pick a key and mood, and audition progressions. Keep one for the verse and a contrasting one for the chorus.
- Melody. Hum over the chords first. Only then ask Aria, LANDR Composer or Magenta Studio for alternatives, and borrow the best fragment.
- Lyrics. Write a rough draft yourself, then use a chatbot for alternative lines, fresh images and structure feedback. Check rhymes in RhymeZone.
- Your edits. Rewrite anything that sounds generic, change notes so the melody fits your voice, and make sure every section says something only you would say. This step is what turns AI output into a song.
Copyright and ownership
Ownership of AI-assisted songs depends on how much of the work is yours. In the US, the Copyright Office’s position is that purely AI-generated material is not protected, while human-authored parts of a work can be. Using AI to suggest a chord or a rhyme that you then shape is very different from releasing a track an AI made on its own. Keep your drafts and project files as a record of your contribution, and read each tool’s terms, since licences for generated output vary. Our guide to AI music copyright covers this in more detail.
When you want a full song instead
If you need a complete track with vocals from a prompt, for a demo, a reference or a video, a full-song generator is the better fit. Compare the options in our guide to the best AI song generators, or try Solmi as another AI music option.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI song writer?
It depends on where you get stuck. Scaler 3 is the strongest all-round chord assistant, Hookpad is the best free starting point for chords and melody, and a chatbot such as ChatGPT or Claude is the most flexible lyric co-writer.
Can AI write a song for me?
Yes, full-song generators can produce a complete track from a prompt. But if you want a song you can call your own, perform and develop, you will get better results using AI songwriting tools to suggest parts while you make the final decisions.
Are there free AI songwriting tools?
Yes. Hookpad has a free tier, Magenta Studio is free for Ableton Live Suite users, BandLab SongStarter is free, RhymeZone is free, and ChatGPT and Claude both offer free plans.
Do I own a song I wrote with AI help?
Generally, the parts you wrote and meaningfully shaped are yours, while material generated entirely by AI may not be protected by copyright. Rules differ by country and by each tool’s terms, so keep records of your own contributions.
