Soundful is the best-priced AI tool for beat making: its Plus plan is $4.99 a month with 100 downloads, and paid plans include 150+ styles. ElevenLabs Music is #2 at $6 a month, and Suno is #3 at $8 with a built-in DAW on Premier.
Not published; the page offers a download of the plugin, built on Magenta’s open source tools
Ableton Live users who want machine learning for MIDI drums and melodies
Pick by what you want
Best price
Soundful
Best full song
Suno
Best for stems
SOUNDRAW
Best for MIDI
LANDR Composer
Best free
BandLab SongStarter
The ranking
1
Soundful
Answrs VerdictThe lowest listed paid price here, with stems and MIDI.
Price: Plus $4.99 a month billed monthly; Pro $9.99; Business $45.99; a Free plan at $0Styles: 25+ free styles on the Free plan and 150+ styles on paid plans, with unlimited track generationsDownloads: Plus includes 100 MP3 and WAV downloads a month; Pro includes 400 and 20 STEM packs a monthSTEM packs: A STEM pack includes individual STEMs, MIDI and a .WAV of the mixed and mastered version
Soundful generates tracks from 25+ free styles or 150+ styles on paid plans, with unlimited track generations. Plus is $4.99 a month billed monthly and includes 100 MP3 and WAV downloads; Pro is $9.99 with 400 downloads and 20 STEM packs a month. A STEM pack includes individual STEMs, MIDI and a .WAV of the mixed and mastered version.
Go ifProducers who want a cheap monthly plan with stems and MIDI to drop into a DAW
Skip ifYou want a single prompt box that writes vocals and lyrics
Why #1 over #2: Its paid plan costs less than ElevenLabs Music’s $6 Starter, and its stem packs include MIDI.
2
ElevenLabs Music
Answrs VerdictA cheap credit plan with section-level inpainting and stems.
Price: Free $0 with 10k credits a month; Starter $6 a month with 30k credits; Creator $22; Pro $99Stems: Starter and Creator include 2 and 4 stems; Pro includes up to 6 stemsEditing: Inpainting lets you select any section and regenerate just that partCommercial use: Music commercial use is listed from the Starter plan up
ElevenLabs Music makes songs, rap beats and instrumentals from a prompt. Starter is $6 a month with 30k credits and music commercial use; Creator is $22 and Pro $99. Inpainting lets you select any section and regenerate just that part, and stems come in 2 and 4 on Starter and Creator, up to 6 on Pro.
Go ifBeat makers who want to regenerate one section of a track and export stems
Skip ifYou need a plan with no credit limits
Why #2 over #3: It costs less than Suno’s $8 Pro plan and can regenerate a single section.
3
Suno
Answrs VerdictThe biggest name, with a built-in DAW on the top plan.
Price: Free $0 with 50 credits a day; Pro $8 a month; Premier $24 a monthCredits: Pro gives 2,500 credits and 20 song downloads a month; Premier gives 10,000 credits and 60 downloadsModel: v6 is its newest model, with fuller vocals and tighter arrangementsSuno Studio: A browser-based DAW for arranging, editing and mixing every part of a song, included with Premier
Suno’s newest model is v6. Pro is $8 a month with 2,500 credits and 20 song downloads; Premier is $24 with 10,000 credits, 60 downloads and Suno Studio, a browser-based DAW for arranging, editing and mixing. The free plan gives 50 credits a day.
Go ifAnyone who wants a full song from a text prompt, then a DAW to finish it
Skip ifYou only want a drum loop or a MIDI pattern
Why #3 over #4: It matches Udio’s $8 entry price and adds a DAW on Premier.
4
Udio
Answrs VerdictStrong editing tools around a prompt-to-song generator.
Price: Free $0 with 100 credits a month; Standard $8 a month, $96 billed annually; Pro $24 a month, $288 billed annuallyCredits: Standard gives 2400 credits a month; Pro gives 6000Tools: Extend, Inpaint, Remix and Upload Song are listed as its creation toolsStandard unlocks: Voice Control, editing music and lyrics, songs from uploaded audio and style references
Udio’s Standard plan is $8 a month, billed annually at $96, with 2400 credits; Pro is $24 a month with 6000 credits. Its creation tools include Extend, Inpaint, Remix and Upload Song, and Standard unlocks Voice Control, lyric editing and uploaded-audio songs. The free plan has 100 credits a month.
Go ifProducers who want to upload audio and remix or extend it with AI
Skip ifYou want a plan that is not billed annually at its lowest price
Why #4 over #5: It is built around editing and remixing uploaded audio, while LANDR Composer outputs MIDI.
5
LANDR Composer
Answrs VerdictThe MIDI idea generator, bundled with a wider LANDR plan.
Price: Included with LANDR Studio, which starts at USD $8.25 a monthGenerates: Chord, bass, melody and arpeggio performances with modifiers such as polyphony and humanizationWorkflow: Scenes and Song Mode arrange ideas into a full composition; MIDI patterns drag into your DAWFormats: VST3, AU and AAX on macOS; VST3 and AAX on Windows 10 (64 bit) or higher
LANDR Composer generates chord progressions plus chord, bass, melody and arpeggio performances, with modifiers like polyphony and humanization, and you drag the MIDI into your DAW. It is included with LANDR Studio, which starts at USD $8.25 a month, and runs as VST3, AU and AAX.
Go ifBeat makers who want AI chords, basslines and melodies as MIDI inside their DAW
Skip ifYou want finished audio, not MIDI
Why #5 over #6: It gives you editable MIDI parts, which SOUNDRAW’s audio and stems do not.
6
SOUNDRAW
Answrs VerdictA beat-maker with in-house training data and a bar-by-bar editor.
Price: Creator $11.04 a month on annual billing ($16.99 monthly); Artist Starter $19.49 ($29.99 monthly)Producer plans: Artist Pro is $23.39 a month on annual billing with 20 downloads a month as mp3, wav and stemsGenres: Unlimited downloads across 30+ genres, with bar-level mute, solo and intensity editingTraining data: Its AI is trained only on music made in-house by SOUNDRAW producers
SOUNDRAW generates beats across 30+ genres and says its AI is trained only on music made in-house. Creator is $11.04 a month on annual billing; Artist Starter is $19.49 and Artist Pro $23.39, which adds 20 downloads a month as mp3, wav and stems. You can mute, solo and set intensity bar by bar.
Go ifArtists who want a copyright-safe AI beat with an in-app editor and stem export
Skip ifYou want unlimited stem downloads on a low plan
Why #6 over #7: It offers stems and bar-level editing, while Stable Audio’s plans are sold by credits.
7
Stable Audio
Answrs VerdictPrompt-to-loop generation with a DAW plugin on every plan.
Price: Free $0 with 50 credits; Solo $12 a month; Session $30; Producer $90; Studio $199Credits: Solo gives 660 credits a month, about 165 full-mix generations of any length up to 6 minutesPlugin: All plans include the Stable Audio web app and its DAW pluginWorks in: Logic, Ableton and Pro Tools, per the plugin banner on its site
Stable Audio from Stability AI has a Free plan with 50 credits and paid plans from Solo at $12 a month (660 credits, about 165 full-mix generations up to 6 minutes) to Studio at $199. Every plan includes the web app and the DAW plugin, which its site says works in Logic, Ableton and Pro Tools.
Go ifProducers who want loops and textures from a prompt, inside their DAW
Skip ifYou need vocals or a finished song
Why #7 over #8: Its plugin runs inside your DAW, unlike BandLab’s browser tool.
8
BandLab SongStarter
Answrs VerdictThe free way to start a beat.
Price: Free; the page is titled "Your Free AI Music Idea Generator"Genres: 11 genres, including Hip Hop, Trap, Lofi and Drift PhonkIdeas: 3 unique compositions per song idea, with Bright, Chill and Moody vibes plus pitch and tempoStudio: Opens ideas as editable MIDI tracks in Studio with 385+ Virtual Instruments
BandLab SongStarter is a free AI music idea generator with 11 genres including Hip Hop, Trap, Lofi and Drift Phonk. Each idea gives 3 compositions, with Bright, Chill and Moody vibes and pitch and tempo controls, and opens as editable MIDI tracks in BandLab Studio with 385+ Virtual Instruments.
Go ifBeginners who want free beat and song starters to edit in a browser DAW
Skip ifYou need long or finished tracks
Why #8 over #9: It is free, while Algonaut Atlas 2 costs $99 USD.
9
Algonaut Atlas 2
Answrs VerdictAn AI sample organizer and drum sequencer, not a generator.
Price: $99 USD; upgrade from Atlas 1 is $19AI: Its page says artificial intelligence sorts your samples and organizes all your drum sounds on a mapTrial: The 14-day trial has all features unlockedFormats: Runs as a Standalone app or as VST, VST3, AU and AAX plugins
Algonaut Atlas 2 is a drum sampler and sequencer whose page says artificial intelligence sorts your samples and organizes all your drum sounds on a map. It costs $99 USD, with a $19 upgrade from Atlas 1 and a 14-day trial with all features unlocked, and runs as a Standalone app or VST, VST3, AU and AAX plugin.
Go ifBeat makers with big drum sample folders who want AI sorting plus a drum sequencer
Skip ifYou want AI to generate new sounds or songs
Why #9 over #10: It organizes your own samples, while Magenta Studio generates new MIDI drum patterns.
10
Magenta Studio
Answrs VerdictResearch-grade drum and groove tools for Ableton.
Price: Not published; the page offers a download of the plugin, built on Magenta’s open source toolsTools: 5 MIDI tools: Continue, Generate, Interpolate, Groove and DrumifyDrumify: Creates a drum accompaniment to a bassline or melody, or a drum track from a tapped rhythmRequires: Ableton Live 10.1 Suite or greater
Magenta Studio is a plugin for Ableton Live built on Google Magenta’s open source tools. It has 5 MIDI tools: Continue, Generate, Interpolate, Groove and Drumify. Drumify makes a drum accompaniment to a bassline or melody. It requires Ableton Live 10.1 Suite or greater; no price is published.
Go ifAbleton Live users who want machine learning for MIDI drums and melodies
Skip ifYou use another DAW or want audio output
How we ranked these
We ranked by the lowest monthly price of a paid plan on each maker’s own pricing page, cheapest first: Soundful, ElevenLabs Music, Suno, Udio, LANDR Composer, SOUNDRAW and Stable Audio. Suno goes ahead of Udio on their $8 tie because its page lists stem separation. Tools with no monthly plan follow: BandLab SongStarter (free), Algonaut Atlas 2 (a $99 USD price) and Magenta Studio (no published price). Billing terms differ, so each pick states whether its price is monthly or annual. Replaced from the old list: Splice (its site says its catalog is human-made and it will not train AI on your work), XLN Audio XO (its page describes sorting by sonic similarity, not AI), Audialab Emergent Drums 2 (its site would not load) and Orb Producer Suite 3 (reported as discontinued in favor of LANDR Composer). Facts are taken from each maker's own published information; check the official site before you buy.
Questions people ask
What is the best AI tool for beat making?
On price, Soundful: Plus is $4.99 a month with 100 downloads, and stems come on Pro. Suno is the pick if you want a full song and a DAW, with Pro at $8 a month.
Is there a free AI beat maker?
Yes. BandLab SongStarter is a free AI music idea generator with 11 genres, and Suno, Udio, Soundful, ElevenLabs Music and Stable Audio all have a $0 plan.
Which AI beat tools export stems?
SOUNDRAW Artist Pro includes stems, Soundful Pro includes 20 STEM packs a month, and ElevenLabs Music offers up to 6 stems on Pro.
Can AI make MIDI beats for my DAW?
LANDR Composer generates chord, bass, melody and arpeggio MIDI, Magenta Studio has 5 MIDI tools for Ableton Live, and BandLab opens ideas as editable MIDI tracks in Studio.
Lowest paid plan per month, as listed on each maker’s page at a glance
Soundful4.99 USD per month
ElevenLabs Music6 USD per month
Suno8 USD per month
Udio8 USD per month
LANDR Composer8.25 USD per month
SOUNDRAW11.04 USD per month
Stable Audio12 USD per month
Lowest paid plan per month, as listed on each maker’s page, as published by each maker. Picks without a published figure are left off.
