A piano instrument is software that plays the sound of a grand piano and others on a computer. It is often used to arrange the backing track of a cover song or to make the accompaniment of a ballad. There are types that play recorded sound (sampling) and types that make sound by calculation (modeling), and whether they have functions that help with composing also differs a lot by product.
This list compares 10 piano instrument plug-ins on 3 criteria: realism and depth, help with composing, variety of pianos. Scores are decided by how well each product serves its purpose, using the conditions for each criterion, and the basis is official manufacturer information. Price is not part of the score.
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Picks by purpose
- If you want to make accompaniment without being able to play piano: EZkeys 2 (rank B). Suggestions for chord progressions and accompaniment help you write songs.
- If you want a realistic grand piano sound: Noire (rank A). A 16 GB Yamaha CFX, fine adjustment, and Particles for creating atmosphere.
- If you want to use many kinds of piano: Piano V (rank A). Switch between 12 pianos by modeling, and size is no concern.
Tier list by rank
Ranks are based on the manufacturer's official features and specifications, not on sound quality. Within a row, products are ordered by score. The basis is explained in How we rate specifications.
Tier table by criterion
Products with the same overall rank can have different strengths. Click a column heading to sort by the rank on that criterion, and use it when you choose by the feature you want.
| Product | Overall | Realism and depthScale of the recordings, and fine adjustment of resonance, noise and so on | Help with composingFeatures that help you make accompaniments and chords | Variety of pianosNumber of pianos you can switch between |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Native InstrumentsNoire | A4.0 | S16 GB + fine adjustment | BParticles | BPure / Felt |
 SpectrasonicsKeyscape | A4.0 | S80 GB + noise behavior | CNone | S36 instruments |
 ArturiaPiano V | A3.5 | AModeling | CNone | S12 types |
 ModarttPianoteq 9 | A3.5 | AModeling | CNone | S20+ packs |
 Native InstrumentsUna Corda | A3.5 | S10 GB + noise adjustment | CNone | BPure / Felt / Cotton |
 ToontrackEZkeys 2 | B3.3 | BAbout 4 GB | SAccompaniment + chord suggestions | C1 grand |
 Native InstrumentsThe Grandeur | B3.3 | S13.7 GB + fine adjustment | CNone | C1 grand |
 XLN AudioAddictive Keys | B3.0 | BMic combinations | BMIDI phrase library | B4 instruments |
 SynthogyIvory 3 American Concert D | B2.8 | ARGB engine + 4 microphones | CNone | C1 grand |
 Native InstrumentsAlicia's Keys | B2.8 | A17 GB + resonance and release | CNone | C1 grand |
Click a column heading to sort by that criterion (click again to reverse). Each cell shows the score (1 to 5) on that criterion as 5 = S, 4 = A, 3 = B, 2 or lower = C. A dash means the criterion is not scored. This is a rating of the manufacturer's official features and specifications, not of sound quality. See How we rate specifications.
Top-scoring products
Up to 9 products in order of score. Images are the manufacturers’ official press images or Plugin Boutique images. The overall order and the basis for each rank are in the tier tables above and on each product’s page.
How to choose a piano instrument plug-in
Figure: SoundBounty
What kind of piano sound do you want?
The character of the pianos included differs by product: a concert grand, a bright sound that suits pop, a soft, moist sound and so on. Choose one that suits the mood of the song you want to make.
Is there help with composing?
With a product that suggests chord progressions and accompaniment patterns, you can make accompaniment even if you cannot play the piano.
How easy it is to adjust the sound
If you can adjust microphone positions, ambience and pedal sounds, it is easier to get a sound that blends into the song.
A word on each product
Prices in the headings are regular prices in US dollars shown on Plugin Boutique on October 10, 2026. They are not part of the score.
Noire (rank A, $139)
Native Instruments’ Noire is a piano instrument plug-in with a Yamaha CFX grand piano (16 GB), and it comes in two versions: Pure, with a clear sound, and Felt, with a soft sound. Its feature is the Particles engine, which automatically makes shimmering grains of sound from the notes you play. It runs on the free KONTAKT PLAYER (7.6 or later).
Keyscape (rank A)
Spectrasonics’ Keyscape is a keyboard instrument plug-in with 36 restored rare pianos and keyboards, sampled in detail. It captures even the pedal and mechanical noises and the harmonics of the release, and it has hundreds of patches and “Duo” sounds that combine two instruments.
Piano V (rank A)
Arturia’s Piano V is a piano instrument plug-in that makes sound by physical modeling (Phi) instead of recordings, and you can switch between 12 piano models. You can also adjust the microphone position, the ambience of the room, how far the lid is open and the resonance.
Pianoteq 9 (rank A)
Modartt’s Pianoteq 9 is software that makes piano sound in real time by physical modeling (calculating how the piano works) instead of samples. It has more than 20 instrument packs besides pianos, and the manufacturer explains that because the size is small, it loads quickly.
Una Corda (rank A)
Native Instruments’ Una Corda is a piano instrument plug-in that contains a custom upright piano with only one string per key. It has three sound banks, including two tones with felt or cotton placed between the hammers and strings, and you can adjust noises and pedal sounds.
EZkeys 2 (rank B)
Toontrack’s EZkeys 2 is a piano instrument plug-in with a grand piano recorded with various microphones and ambiences (about 4 GB) and a MIDI library sorted by playing style. It is rich in features that help you compose: “Bandmate”, which finds accompaniments that fit audio or MIDI (MIDI: performance data that says which note was played and how hard), and “Suggest Chords”, which suggests chord progressions.
The Grandeur (rank B)
Native Instruments’ The Grandeur is a piano instrument plug-in with a concert grand piano recorded in more than 2,500 samples and 18 velocity layers (13.7 GB after unpacking). You can adjust the volume of the pedal, damper, string and hammer sounds. It runs on the free KONTAKT PLAYER.
Addictive Keys (rank B)
XLN Audio’s Addictive Keys is a piano instrument plug-in in which you choose from four keyboards: Studio Grand, Modern Upright, Electric Grand (CP-80) and Mark One. You can mix combinations of microphones to make the sound, and there are also MIDI phrase collections (MIDIpaks).
Ivory 3 American Concert D (rank B)
Synthogy’s Ivory 3 American Concert D is a piano instrument plug-in that contains a New York Steinway D made in 1951. It has the RGB engine, which combines samples and modeling, four microphone positions with a mixer, and adjustment of hammer strength.
Alicia’s Keys (rank B)
Native Instruments’ Alicia’s Keys is a grand piano instrument plug-in recorded from the Yamaha C3 Neo in Alicia Keys’ own studio. It has 17 GB of samples with 12 velocity levels per key, and a resonance and release system.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Can I use one if I cannot play the piano?
Yes. You can make a piano part by programming with the mouse or using accompaniment patterns.
Q. Are they large?
Types recorded from real pianos tend to be large. Check the free space on your computer.
Q. Do I need a MIDI keyboard?
You can program without one. It is handy if you want to play to enter notes.
How we score
How we score (Piano instrument plug-ins)
| Criterion | Basis | 5 pt | 4 pt | 3 pt | 2 pt | 1 pt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realism and depth | Scale of the recordings, and fine adjustment of resonance, noise and so on | Recordings of 10 GB or more, plus fine adjustment of resonance, pedal, hammers and so on | Modeling that lets you adjust resonance and ambience, or recordings of 10 GB or more | A few GB of recordings, plus microphone and ambience adjustment | A small library | — |
| Help with composing | Features that help you make accompaniments and chords | Accompaniment suggestions, chord suggestions and a MIDI phrase library, all together | Two of those | One, such as creating new sounds from what you play | — | No feature that helps with composing |
| Variety of pianos | Number of pianos you can switch between | 10 or more | 5 or more | 2 to 3 (including different tones of the same piano) | One | — |
Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: making piano accompaniments for cover-song arrangements and your own songs. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Realism and depth" counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information. Sound quality and CPU load are not measured, so they are not scored; reviews from trade magazines are introduced in the articles for reference. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent.
The thinking behind scores and ranks is summarized in How we rate specifications. We add products in order.
More comparisons
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