# Lyro vs Gemini for making songs: an honest comparison (2026) | Lyro Music

> Gemini now makes songs with Google’s Lyria 3.5, included with usage limits. When that is enough, and when Lyro’s own-vocal, own-beat, stems and mastering tools are worth paying for.

Source: https://lyromusic.com/compare/lyro-vs-gemini

# Lyro vs Gemini for making songs: an honest comparison (2026)

Updated 24 September 2026

If you want a quick song from a description and you already use Gemini, start there. Since 4 Sep 2026 the Gemini app makes songs with Lyria 3.5, which Google calls its best-sounding music model ([Google blog, 4 Sep 2026](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/better-tracks-lyria-gemini/)), in short (about 1 minute) or full (about 2 to 3 minutes) lengths, with limits on how many tracks you can make ([Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16901237)). Lyro is a paid studio for the work around a song: it builds on your own vocal or beat, writes lyrics line by line with syllable counts, separates stems, and mixes and masters in the browser. It uses Google’s Lyria 3 Pro for sung lyrics and ACE-Step 1.5 for work on your own audio.

## 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](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/better-tracks-lyria-gemini/)). 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](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16901237)). 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](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16901237)).

- **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](https://lyromusic.com/features/add-beat-to-vocals) or adds a [vocal to your beat](https://lyromusic.com/features/add-vocals-to-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](https://lyromusic.com/tools/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](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/better-tracks-lyria-gemini/) and [Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16901237).

## Sources

- [Google blog, 4 Sep 2026](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/better-tracks-lyria-gemini/)
- [Gemini Apps Help, checked 24 Sep 2026](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16901237)

## Hear it for yourself.

[Make a song](https://lyromusic.com/start)[Generate a prompt](https://lyromusic.com/ai-music-prompt-generator)