Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
Google Flow Music vs LALAL.AI vs Riverside
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Creators and small businesses who want custom songs, jingles or background music, and hobbyists who just want to make music.
Pick it if: Musicians, DJs, video editors and content creators who need clean vocals, instrumentals or voice tracks.
Pick it if: Businesses running a podcast, interview series or webinar who want guests to sound and look professional without a studio.
Overview
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | LALAL.AI | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Google's AI music studio: chat to make full songs, edit them, and make a music video. | Split any song or video into vocals, instruments and clean voice tracks. | Records podcasts and video interviews remotely in studio quality, with AI editing. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $0 | $7.50/mo | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | LALAL.AI | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | LALAL.AI | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | No | Yes | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | No | No | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | No | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | No | No | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | – | – |
| Makes images | Yes | No | No |
| Makes video | Yes | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 7/ 17 | 7/ 17 | 8/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | LALAL.AI | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free $0 Trying it and making the odd song. | Starter Free Checking the quality. | Free Free Trying it with a test episode. |
StarterOur pick $6/mo Creators who need music every week. | LiteOur pick $7.50/mo billed yearly ($90/yr) Regular everyday use. | ProOur pick $29/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly A business running a regular podcast or interview series. | |
Plus $18/mo Heavy users and music videos. | Pro $15/mo billed yearly ($180/yr) Producers and heavy users. | Grow $39/mo, or $34/mo billed yearly Teams recording several shows or long interviews. | |
Member $48/mo Musicians who live in it. | Webinar $99/mo, or $79/mo billed yearly Businesses that run webinars and live events. | ||
Business Custom Larger teams with several producers. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Free, since the daily credits go a long way for background music. Starter is cheap enough to take once you're making music every week. Yearly billing saves about 25%. | Run one track through the free preview to check quality, then take Lite. Pro is for producers who want the plug-in, local processing or the API. Monthly billing is also offered at a higher price, and one-off minute top-ups start at $50. | Pro on yearly billing covers most company podcasts. Move to Grow only if you record more than about five hours a month, and to Webinar only if you host live events. |
Key features
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | LALAL.AI | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standout features |
|
|
|
Pros and cons
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | LALAL.AI | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pros |
|
|
|
| Cons |
|
|
|
Who each one is for
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | LALAL.AI | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for |
|
|
|
| You'll find it used by |
|
|
|
Questions people ask
Which is better, Google Flow Music, LALAL.AI or Riverside?
They tie on our overall rating (Google Flow Music 4.3/5, LALAL.AI 4.2/5 and Riverside 4.3/5). Google Flow Music is best for custom background music for videos and jingles and short brand songs. LALAL.AI is best for making instrumental or karaoke tracks and isolating vocals for remixes. Riverside is best for company podcasts with remote guests and recording client or customer interviews.
Which is cheaper, Google Flow Music, LALAL.AI or Riverside?
Google Flow Music: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. LALAL.AI: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $7.50/mo. Riverside: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
Swap in another tool
More tools from Video & Audio in the library.
