Side by side
| Lyro | Gemini | |
|---|---|---|
| Music model | Two third-party models, chosen by the job: Google Lyria 3 Pro for sung lyrics, ACE-Step 1.5 for vocal chops, tempo-locked beats and work on your own audio. The rule follows one small internal blind test (one rater, seven Turkish-language briefs, 21 Sep 2026) | Lyria 3.5, in the Gemini app since 4 Sep 2026 Google blog, 4 Sep 2026 |
| Price | Starter: $9 a month for 20 credits. Creator: $19 to $99 a month for 300 to 1,560 credits | Part of the Gemini app, with limits on how many tracks you can create. You are told when you reach the limit Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026 |
| Free plan | None. Plans start at $9 a month. A new account can buy one first song for $1, once | Music generation is in the Gemini app with usage limits. We have not verified the number of tracks Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026 |
| Track length | Up to 3 minutes, set by you | Short (about 1 minute) or full (about 2 to 3 minutes) Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026 |
| Who can use it | Anyone aged 16 or over, with a Lyro account | Aged 18 or over, signed in with a personal Google Account or a supported work or school account, with Keep Activity on Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026 |
| Controls | Genre, mood, voice, language, tempo and key, and your own lyrics or lyrics drafted in the lyrics studio | Select or describe a genre, choose vocal or instrumental, and start from templates Google blog, 4 Sep 2026 |
| Downloads | Not counted or capped. MP3 and FLAC on every plan. WAV export and a four-way stem splitter on Creator | A video with cover art (MP4) or the audio file alone (MP3) Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026 |
| Start from your own vocal or beat | Yes, on Creator: a beat written around your vocal, or a vocal added to your beat at its tempo and key. A new account can try it once for $1, without a subscription, on the first 60 seconds of its own file. | The help page mentions adding files for context. We have not verified whether a vocal or a beat can be used as part of the track Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026 |
| Mixing, mastering and stems | Multitrack mixer and mastering to a loudness target in the browser, on Creator, using no credits | See their current plans page |
| Commercial use | Commercial licence on every paid plan, subject to our terms and our model providers’ terms. No promise of copyright protection | See their current plans page |
| AI labelling | AI-generated tag in every download. Lyria 3 Pro output carries Google’s SynthID watermark | Every track has an embedded digital watermark to help identify it as AI-generated Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026 |
Where Gemini is stronger
- A newer model. Gemini uses Lyria 3.5 (Google blog, 4 Sep 2026). Lyro’s sung songs use Lyria 3 Pro, the model before it.
- Included in an app you may already have. Song generation is part of the Gemini app, with usage limits (Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026). Lyro has no free plan; a new account’s first song costs $1.
- A video to share. Gemini lets you download the song as a video with cover art or as an MP3 (Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026).
- Google’s scale. Lyro is a small new product that rents its models from other companies, Google among them.
Where Lyro is different
Lyro is built for the steps before and after a song is generated.
- Your own vocal or beat. Lyro detects the tempo and key of your upload in the browser, then writes a beat around your vocal or adds a vocal to your beat.
- Lyrics you shape line by line. The lyrics studio counts syllables per line and marks rhymes, so a verse fits its melody. The same counter is free on its own at the syllable counter.
- Stems, mixer and mastering. Split a track into vocals, drums, bass and other, rebalance it in a multitrack mixer and master it to a loudness target, all in the browser.
- Files for elsewhere. MP3 and FLAC on every plan, WAV and stems on Creator, and downloads are never counted. Every paid plan includes a commercial licence under our terms.
- Two models, chosen by the job. Sung lyrics go to Lyria 3 Pro, work on your own audio and tempo-locked beats go to ACE-Step 1.5.
Which should you pick
| If you want | Consider |
|---|---|
| A quick song from a description, to listen to or share | Gemini, within its usage limits |
| Google’s newest music model | Gemini (Lyria 3.5). Lyro uses Lyria 3 Pro |
| A vocal on your own beat, or a beat around your own vocal | Lyro |
| Stems, a mixer and mastering in one place | Lyro, on Creator |
| Lyrics that fit a melody, counted line by line | Lyro’s lyrics studio, or the free syllable counter with either product |
| A commercial licence stated in the plan | Lyro. We have not verified Google’s terms for generated music, so read them before you release a Gemini track |
What this page does not claim
We make no claim about which sounds better: Lyria 3.5 is newer than the Lyria 3 Pro that Lyro uses, and our small blind test did not include it. We also make no claim that Gemini lacks a feature. Where Google’s two pages do not say, the table says “See their current plans page”. Everything about Gemini here was read on Google blog, 4 Sep 2026 and Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026.