- Finding the perfect piano or keyboard sound can be a difficult task
- From upright to full grand to electric pianos and Hammonds, this list has you covered
- 7 piano/MIDI keyboard software to get you inspired
If you’ve ever spent an hour or two (or ten) flicking through a library of snares or kickdrums to find the one perfect sound for your drum rack, the likelihood of you having the same issue with pianos is probably rather high.
Some of the free ‘virtual pianos’ out there are mind-bogglingly incredible (and won’t require an expensive re-tune every year!), but unfortunately, some leave much to be desired.
In this article, we’ll help you navigate past the trash and straight to some of the best and most usable piano VSTs/MIDI keyboard software.
7 Best Free Piano VSTs
Soundpaint’s 1928 Vintage Grand Steinway is our official pick for the best free piano VST. If authenticity and character is what you’re after, then look no further.
The runner-up spot goes to the Spitfire Audio LABS SERIES Soft Piano, which we adored because of its simple UI. This means that you can get to making beautiful piano loops in no time instead of messing about with an unintuitive or cumbersome UI that can plague some free plugins.
Lastly, SampleScience RoomPiano gets an honorable mention for melding so well with sample-based music. If you are a hip-hop or IDM producer on the hunt for a good piano VST, this may be the one for you!
Our complete roundup of the 6 Best Piano VST Plugins includes:
- Soundpaint 1928 Vintage Grand Steinway (Our Pick)
- A73 Piano Station
- Spitfire Audio LABS SERIES Soft Piano (Runner-up)
- SampleScience RoomPiano (Honorable Mention)
- RDG Audio Free Piano
- 99 Sounds Upright Piano
- Versilian Upright No 1
1. Soundpaint 1928 Vintage Grand Steinway (Our Pick)
If you only had to download one free piano VST on this list, let it be this one.
It captures something truly special – a forgotten 1928 Steinway grand piano discovered in the basement of a San Francisco store, preserved with its original strings that have aged like fine wine for nearly a century. Where most sampled pianos focus on technical perfection, this instrument embraces character and soul above all else.
What makes this virtual piano worth adding to your collection is its remarkable expressiveness across the dynamic range. From delicate, silk-like touches to powerful, hammering chords, the 1928 Piano responds with a maturity and richness that’s often missing from more clinically-sampled modern instruments.
The developers auditioned over 400 grand pianos before discovering this dusty brown Steinway that nobody wanted as furniture but musicians will treasure for its sound.
Powered by the free Soundpaint engine with real-time rendering and velocity morphing, this VST delivers nuanced playability that responds beautifully to your performance dynamics.
For zero cost, you’re getting access to a unique piece of piano history with a voice that, as they perfectly describe it, “immediately sweetens the ear and grabs the heart.“
Oh and while you’re at it, go grab some of Soundpaint’s other free libraries too, such as the Pluck & Hammer Grand Piano.
2. A73 Piano Station
Features
- Allows the user to stack up to three different melodic and percussive elements to create a unique composition
- Over 20 user-controlled settings, including Rock, Blues, Jazz, Waltz, and more, with full tempo and swing control.
- This virtual piano works with any General MIDI compatible software and hardware synthesizer, including Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth.
- Customizable user interface with an aesthetically pleasing selection of color palettes.
Review
The A73 Piano Station has 128 instruments built-in. This includes basic sequencer functionality and features bass riffs, instrumental loops, and percussion options – allowing up to 3 layers to be stacked to make a ‘mini performance,’ which can then be exported.
This program utilizes 73 on-screen keys, which can be clicked or controlled via the computer keyboard or a MIDI device, giving you 6 octaves to play with, which is more than enough to play across a dynamic range.
Although sampled completely dry, this piano sounds great when applying some nice room reverb and pre-delay.
Given that this comes with over 128 different instrument sounds built into it, it’s a cheap (FREE) and easy way to add a chunk of extra content to your plugin library.
The A73 Piano Keyboard supports 32-bit and 64-bit systems, which can be controlled in several ways, including external MIDI keyboard devices. This piano also can save internal projects when used in stand-alone mode.
3. Spitfire Audio ‘LABS SERIES’ Soft Piano (Runner Up)
Features
- Super streamlined GUI makes for easy use and understanding of the plugin without overcomplicating it (it’s a piano, after all)
- Recorded in a premier London studio by an industry professional using the highest quality gear and standards.
- This plugin sits perfectly alongside a selection of other free plugins from the SpitFire LABS range, Spitfire’s version of the infamous Native Instruments Kontakt Player.
Review
The SpitFire Audio SOFT Piano is a brilliant little free plugin from Spitfire Audio’s free range of plugins titled ‘LABS.’ This particular piano was sampled by Nick Taylor using a matched pair of Schoeps MK4 microphones on a ‘Felt’ piano.
The recordings took place in ‘Air Adel Studios’ in London and have been treated and sampled using the highest possible standards, delivering a really truthful and honest-sounding piano with all the delicate and subtle nuances you would expect from a real piano.
Regarding the capability of most MIDI piano keyboards, The ‘LABS’ range of plugins exceeds standard expectations and aims to work in a way similar to NI’s Kontakt Player.
It gives users a really playable experience and provides a platform that can be built upon and used moving forward as a versatile sampler for other instruments like drums, brass, strings, and more.
SpitFire has made the SOFT piano super easy to use, featuring three easy-to-use controls, a simple dynamics control (managing the minimum and maximum velocity of the notes), a volume expression control (used to shift volume within the plugin as opposed to externally), and a nice big fat reverb knob for all that shiny, glittery magic.
Whether you’re looking for something bluesy, jazzy, or modern, this plugin provides only three settings that, when used correctly, can give you many different piano sounds, easily controlled from any USB MIDI keyboard controller.
From the dry, heavy, slamming low end of a big grand piano to the tiny tinkle of the gentle pattering of keys; this piano won’t leave you feeling anything other than glad that you own it. Alongside the other LABS plugins offered by SpitFire, this resource is really hard to beat and should be considered when looking for a piano with a more realistic feeling and emotion.
4. SampleScience Room Piano
Features
- The beautiful and unique interface features full ADSR envelope control and multi-LFO settings.
- Fits perfectly into the Lo-Fi genre and vintage hip-hop niche.
- Designed with ease of use and a narrow purpose in mind; but fits into various moods and genres.
Review
SampleScience has delivered us a wonderful FREE Lo-Fi piano designed for use with USB MIDI keyboards modeled from an upright vintage Kawai room piano. This plugin is not only zero-dollars but gorgeous to look at, exhibiting some unique and underrated (in my opinion) effects that help this piano lend itself to various applications.
The ‘Room Piano’ features a selection of cool tape effects, lo-fi, vinyl, and reverb effects, and a fully controllable ADSR envelope to help shape and craft your sound.
The Room Piano is super easy to use with a ‘front-facing’ display, offering the user everything in one easy place without any menu-diving or scrambling around the interface. The plugin is aesthetically beautiful, with a warm vintage woodgrain and toned layers of paisley.
It is clear that this piano was inspired by a certain period in time, and its dusty sound matches it perfectly.
This is a very good MIDI keyboard plugin for those who are into ‘boom-bap’ style beats or anything sample-based.
This free piano will fit in well with vintage samples and sounds and melds with its surroundings as if it personally knows that it belongs in the sonic landscape of sample-based hip-hop while also offering users a multitude of other purposes, including use as a cleaner-sounding and more classical piano.
5. RDG Audio Free Piano
Features
- Has a distinctly vibrant sound, similar to that of a Steinway stage piano or something much higher caliber than what you’re actually dealing with.
- ‘Round Robin’ sampling ensures a more human and organic feel when playing repeated notes, rather than mechanically playing the same sample of the same note without differentiation.
- The thundering low end is outstanding as one of this list’s loudest and most deeply ranged MIDI pianos.
Review
This multi-sampled piano comes from RDG Audio group, known for its quality free and paid plugins. RDG has been around for a while and offers a selection of amazing snare, string, and other orchestral plugins; but today I want to talk about their Free Piano. This plugin allows you to layer up to three separate tracks and record, edit, and playback your piano parts within your favorite DAW or OS.
The faceplate of the plugin leaves something to be desired, having a faux-futuristic look about it.
This Piano features many features, including staccato, auto-sustain, and was recorded in a round-robin format (achieved by recording several different iterations of the same notes and arranging the software so that no two notes play one after the other). This helps bring a real human feeling to the RDG FreePiano and gives it a much more interesting appeal beneath the covers, as it were.
These samples were collected using a four-microphone setup, meaning the overall result is a very rich and authentic-sounding piano. With front-facing features like a fully functional ADSR envelope, panning, tuning, low pass filtering, and a nice sounding reverb, this piano delivers a genuine thundering low end that you’d expect from a typical grand while maintaining all the subtleties that might be expected from a higher level piano player when using a properly weighted MIDI keyboard.
If you don’t mind the dated ‘early 2000s’ look of this MIDI keyboard plugin, you’ll be pretty happy with this one, considering it’s FREE.
This plugin has everything required to get a huge grand piano sound and would be highly recommended for use when scoring or writing musical parts, particularly accompanying dramatic visual content.
Along with its great sound comes a lack of menu-diving (this is a good thing) and a healthy dose of attention to detail, making this a must-have for those interested in immersing themselves in one of the richest low-end frequencies on this list.
6. 99Sounds Upright Piano
Features
- Tremolo function gives an alternative to typical LFO-type movement and introduces a more melodic and rhythmic motion to the sound of the keys.
- Created in conjunction with well-known pianist Rudi Fiasco, the original, untreated samples are also available for download on Rudi’s website.
- Made for simple tasks and functions as a basic piano utility while brilliantly maintaining the original sound source’s full integrity.
Review
Made in collaboration with 99Sounds and Italian pianist Rudi Fiasco, The 99Sounds Upright Piano is modeled after the classic wooden tallboys of yesteryear.
This ‘digital’ upright piano has a beautiful resonance and features a snazzy and unique set of effects. Featuring 6 recorded layers per note, this piano gives a rich and timbral sound and embodies the resonance of an upright wood-body piano.
The 99Sounds Upright Piano uses often overlooked features such as tremolo, key dampening, reverb, and Attack/Release envelope control to give you an authentic-sounding experience from the comfort of your home or office.
This simple yet powerful plugin creates an authentic vibe that sits neatly amongst most mixes and tends to use subtlety in favor of power.
The Upright Piano from 99Sounds pulls you out of your studio and into an intimate setting. With its charming natural-sounding reverb and true-to-life dampening effect, this plugin gives anyone with a MIDI keyboard and a sustain pedal a license to jam.
With a simple interface and no unnecessary bells and whistles, the piano purists will most likely enjoy this little freebie.
It is also worth mentioning that 99Sounds also has a plethora of other cool free stuff to give away, including their drum machine and clap machine, both of which are really great additions to anyone’s percussive repertoire. This is a great free MIDI keyboard plugin.
7. Versilian Upright No. 1
Features
- Simple, easy to use, sounds great with no bells and whistles needed, recorded using a wide stereo configuration, using multiple microphones.
- Has a bright and clear tone, which can be played softly and savagely with appropriate realism.
- Sampled in ‘Round Robin’ format so that repeated notes have slightly different sounds or timbres, giving the sound a more realistic feeling when a key is pressed repeatedly, rather than playing the same static note, which is very noticeable.
Review
This classically recorded upright piano from Versilian Studios was designed to be used as a ‘sketching piano’ – namely, it was created for quick jams, recordings, or notations, should inspiration strike. This classic upright is designed to be playable and reminiscent of the standard upright pianos found in bars, clubs, and homes worldwide.
The Upright No. 1 comes with everything you’d expect from a basic upright piano model. Sticking to the simplicity of the essence of the upright piano, this plugin has full ADSR envelope control functionality, a reverb dial, and a panning dial, all easily and conveniently located on the front-facing design of the plugin itself.
A great little on-the-go style plugin, this one is really for those true piano purists who want something that will cheaply and cheerfully fit the bill at a moment’s notice. Versilian Upright No. 1 faithfully recreates the sound of the more common ‘everyman’ upright piano.
With a pretty acceptable file size and more than enough attention to detail, this plugin is a great little option for those looking for a simple and effective virtual piano.
Good read