AIVA — AI composer that writes emotional soundtrack music for videos and games
What it is
AIVA composes orchestral and cinematic tracks from style presets or an uploaded melody, and its editor lets you tweak individual notes before export. It has been used for game soundtracks and background scores where licensing clarity matters. Tracks can sound formulaic within a style, and full commercial ownership requires the top plan.
Editor's review
Long-form introduction by the BetterPicker editors · checked against the official site · Oct 14, 2026
AIVA sits in an odd, useful place between a preset generator and a real music tool. You pick a style, a key, a length and an instrumentation set, it returns several candidate tracks in seconds, and then - the part that separates it from novelty generators - you can open any track in a DAW-like editor and fix it: change tempo, swap an instrument for another, rewrite individual notes, add dynamics and effects. For game developers, film makers and video editors who need a usable underscore without reading music, that combination is the product. The company has been at this long enough that studios like NVIDIA and Vodafone appear on its customer wall, and the workflow has clearly been shaped by people who ship soundtracks rather than demos. The friction is licensing, and it is stacked in tiers that decide whether you can ship commercially at all.
What it does well
Generation to edit in one browser session: reviewers walk from a fantasy-orchestra preset to a re-instrumented, tempo-changed version without leaving the tab, with no install required beyond an optional desktop client. Generating a batch of candidates at once means picking the best take rather than rerolling one slot at a time.
The editor is the differentiator: swapping a drum kit, replacing three trumpets with nine horns, changing the key and re-rendering means a rough AI sketch can become a usable cue rather than a starting point you throw away. Note-level editing and per-track instrument swaps cover the fixes that matter most in underscoring.
MIDI influences actually steer it: the clearest evaluation finding is that MIDI references produce music that genuinely resembles the source, while raw MP3 influences drift into something unrecognizable. A track you like can itself become the influence for the next round, so strong directions compound instead of resetting.
Who it's for
Game developers and small studio teams who need loops and short cues on a deadline, video editors building explainer or podcast backgrounds, and hobbyists who want to hand a track to a composer as a starting theme. It also works as a sketchpad for trained musicians - generate a theme, export the MIDI, and finish it in a real workstation. Anyone who needs full ownership of the master - games, film, client work - should plan for the top tier from the start rather than upgrading later.
Where it falls short
Ownership arrives only at the top tier: the free tier is non-commercial with copyright retained by AIVA, credit required and three downloads a month; the EUR 11 plan allows monetization limited to YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Instagram; only the EUR 33 plan transfers copyright to you with unrestricted monetization and 300 downloads a month.
MP3 influences mostly fail: reviewers report that uploading songs as audio references produced results with little in common with the source, and recommend supplying MIDI instead. If your reference exists only as audio, the influence path is effectively closed.
Downloads are rationed, not unlimited: even paid plans cap monthly downloads and track length, which matters for a game with a soundtrack of any size, and long or dense cues still need manual arrangement work before they sit right under picture.
Specs at a glance
Facts from the official site · not editorial opinion
| What it is | AI music generator with 250+ styles: generate from style presets, custom style models, or an uploaded audio or MIDI influence |
|---|---|
| Editor | Browser-based DAW-like studio: tempo control, per-track instrument swaps, individual note editing, dynamics, effects |
| Free plan | No cost, no card; non-commercial use only, copyright owned by AIVA, credit required; 3 downloads/mo, tracks up to 3 minutes, MP3 and MIDI export |
| Standard | EUR 11/mo billed annually: copyright owned by AIVA, monetization limited to YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Instagram; no credit needed; 15 downloads/mo, tracks up to 5 minutes |
| Pro | EUR 33/mo billed annually: copyright owned by you, unrestricted monetization; 300 downloads/mo, tracks up to 5:30, all formats incl. high-quality WAV |
| Styles | Orchestral, cinematic, electronic, hip-hop and more; key, duration and instrumentation controls plus optional templates as a starting point |
| Platforms | Runs entirely in the browser, with local clients for Windows and Mac; site-listed customers incl. NVIDIA, Vodafone and TED |
Frequently asked questions
▸Can I use AIVA music commercially?
Yes on paid plans, with different limits per tier. The EUR 11 plan restricts monetization to YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Instagram; the EUR 33 plan allows unrestricted commercial use.
▸Who owns the copyright of the music I create?
On the free and EUR 11 plans AIVA retains copyright, and the free plan requires credit. Buy the EUR 33 plan if you need to own the composition outright.
▸Can I upload an existing song as a reference?
Uploads are accepted as audio or MIDI, and reviewers find MIDI files work far better - raw MP3 references tend to produce results with little resemblance to the source.
▸How many tracks can I download?
The free plan allows 3 downloads per month, the EUR 11 plan 15, and the EUR 33 plan 300, with track length capped between 3 minutes and 5:30 depending on tier.
Video reviews
2 review videos aggregated · praise and criticism included alike · click through to the original video
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