BandLab vs Soundtrap: What Can You Make for Free?

Photo: Alina Vilchenko / Pexels.

A piano part, a drum loop and a second take of the melody are enough to begin making an arrangement. BandLab and Soundtrap both let you do that in a browser, with free accounts alongside paid subscriptions. We would start with BandLab for a small recording project that needs a WAV file at the end; Soundtrap is worth trying when you like its sound library or already have a collaborator working there.

What the free plans actually include

Both are digital audio workstations, usually shortened to DAWs: places to record separate parts, arrange them along a timeline and mix them into a song. Neither requires you to buy a piano-learning course. They also won't tell you whether your fingering or practice routine makes sense.

BandLab's current getting-started guide describes Studio as free, with audio recording, virtual instruments and audio/MIDI imports. Soundtrap's pricing page lists a separate Free plan with unlimited projects and a selection of loops, instruments and effects. Scroll beyond its paid-plan comparison to find it.

The important limits sit in different places. Here is the short comparison; the recording and export consequences follow below.

Browser versions and advertised plan details checked 8 September 2026.

A free account and a trial of a paid plan give different access. BandLab now calls its paid tiers Pro and Max; its membership FAQ lists a three-day Pro trial on the monthly option. Soundtrap advertises seven-day trials alongside its Free tier. If a screen asks you to activate a subscription, check the renewal terms before continuing. A test made entirely with premium sounds may tell you very little about what you can keep doing for free.

BandLab: enough room for a small arrangement

The 16-track, 15-minute limit is generous for a short song sketch. Imagine one piano track, bass, drums, a lead vocal and two backing vocals. That leaves ten tracks for other parts or alternatives. Long rehearsal recordings are a different matter: a continuous half-hour session will exceed the project duration.

Layering also teaches something useful about an accompaniment. Record a chord pattern, then add the melody on another track. You can hear whether the chords leave space for the phrase, and lower them without asking your hands to rebalance the whole performance. This is a manageable way to begin arranging if you can already play a few chord changes. For help working out the harmony itself, our chord and songwriting tools comparison covers a different part of that process.

BandLab's own Studio walkthrough shows how those separate tracks fit together. The recording section starts at 2:32. It is a 2023 tour, so some menus and subscription features have changed since it was made.

The sample library needs a closer look than older “everything is free” recommendations suggest. BandLab now documents 20 weekly Sounds claims on the Free tier. Its download instructions explain that adding membership-exclusive samples in Studio or downloading sounds directly can use claims. Check the label and allowance before collecting a large set of samples for a project.

That restriction matters more to someone auditioning dozens of new loops than to a pianist recording their own parts. Start with a rhythm you can work over and a sound you can hear clearly. You can change the arrangement before deciding it needs a larger library.

Soundtrap: loops and shared projects

Soundtrap's Free plan can support complete songs using its included sounds. The company explicitly confirms this in its explanation of free and paid loops and instruments. It is worth hearing that selection before assuming the subscription is necessary.

A useful way to explore it is to make three versions of the same eight bars. Keep the chords fixed and change the drum part, then try a different bass sound. Save each version as a separate project if that makes comparison easier. Unlimited projects gives that experiment room without requiring a complicated naming scheme inside one crowded timeline.

The March 2026 official tour below introduces the arrangement window before moving through the tools. Listen to the sounds, but check their access labels in your own account: the video also demonstrates paid features.

Its collaboration instructions describe invitations by link or email, with a Soundtrap account required to join. That makes it practical to leave the piano part in a project and ask someone else to add a vocal or edit the drums. Agree on the task before sending the link so both people know which part is still open to change.

Some useful editing conveniences sit behind subscriptions. Sound Starter includes automation and Time Restore; the higher music-production and vocal plans add other features. Automation lets a setting change during playback, such as a track gradually becoming louder. You can make a first arrangement without it, but someone already drawing detailed volume changes may notice its absence quickly.

Keyboard recording: audio or MIDI?

An audio recording captures the sound. A MIDI recording stores performance instructions, such as which notes you played and when, for an instrument sound to play back. MIDI is useful when you want to adjust a note's length or try the same phrase with a different virtual instrument. Audio is the route when you want the actual sound of your piano, guitar or voice.

A USB connection does not guarantee that a digital piano sends audio. Some instruments send MIDI only; others support both. Check your model's manual before expecting its built-in piano tone to appear in a browser recording. Our MIDI keyboard guide explains the controller side of the setup. There is no reason to replace a compatible keyboard simply to try either studio.

Make a ten-second recording before arranging a whole song. Can you hear it back? Is the correct microphone or interface selected? Does a played note arrive in time with the click? Use wired headphones for this check. Bluetooth can introduce enough delay to make overdubbing uncomfortable.

Soundtrap's latency guide recommends a wired connection and describes calibration when recorded parts land out of time. It also explains Low Latency Mode, which temporarily disables effects that add delay. Soundtrap now offers desktop apps too, but their performance should not be assumed for the browser version covered here.

For an acoustic piano, microphone position and room sound still matter. Moving a microphone away from a rattling surface can improve a recording before you touch an effect. Our guide to recording piano practice is a useful starting point if your immediate goal is to hear your playing more clearly.

Getting your music out

A collaborator may need the separate parts; a friend listening on a phone probably wants one audio file. Keep those destinations distinct. This is what leaves the studio in each case.

Your editable projectPiano, drums, voice and their settings

Project invitationSomeone joins you in the same service to work on the arrangement.

Stereo mixOne audio file for listening. The separate parts have been combined.

Track exportsSeparate audio or MIDI files for further work. App-specific settings may need rebuilding.

BandLab supports project invitations by username or email, so Soundtrap is not the only collaborative choice here. Shared editing also does not tell you whether a pair of remote musicians can play tightly in time together. For a first collaboration, record one part, let the other person add theirs, then listen together.

On the web, BandLab's format table lists M4A and 16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV mixdowns, plus MIDI and WAV individual-track exports. Its download guide gives separate routes for the whole mix and individual tracks. The mobile export options differ, so use the web instructions when following this comparison.

Soundtrap lists 320 kbps MP3 among its formats. That is a sensible listening copy for sharing a demo. Its project-download guide reserves WAV for Music Production, Vocals & Songwriting, and Production & Vocals. Sound Starter is absent from that list. If WAV is the reason you are considering paying, check the actual tier before subscribing.

WAV keeps an uncompressed audio copy; it does not fix clipping, an uneven performance or a noisy room. Nor does exporting a mix preserve the ability to turn down just the piano later. When you want to continue elsewhere, keep separate tracks and note the tempo and starting position as well as saving a listening copy.

Finally, check visibility before publishing anything. BandLab distinguishes private, public and forkable content. Making a project forkable lets other users adapt it under BandLab's terms; that is a different choice from inviting one friend to help finish a demo.

Try one complete, small project

You will learn more from a saved, reopened and exported minute of music than from browsing every effect. Give the studio you are considering one ordinary task, using sounds available on your intended plan.

1. Record a short part. Eight bars of chords or a melody is plenty. Set the tempo before adding other material.
2. Add one supporting track. Try a drum loop, a bass line or a second recorded part. Adjust their levels so you can hear both.
3. Save and reopen. Confirm that the recording and chosen sounds return as expected. For shared work, check that your partner can enter the project.
4. Export and listen elsewhere. Play the file outside the studio. Check the opening, ending and balance at an ordinary listening volume.

If that process is straightforward and the exported file suits your purpose, you have a workable starting setup. Keep the project small for another session or two. By then, any upgrade you are considering should have a name: more tracks, a particular editing feature, or the file format somebody needs you to deliver.