Tuneliq or MelodyBolt: a preview clip versus the whole song

You may have several custom-song tabs open right now, all saying "hear it before you pay." This piece is about one thing: the same phrase can mean very different amounts of listening.

MelodyBolt is a UK custom song service with its share of users. Its published terms: £9.99 unlocks the full song, with a free preview before payment, songs ready in about 5 minutes, free lyric editing, and two versions per song. It offers plenty of extras too: lyric videos, photo videos, Spotify release, lyric wall art, and a keepsake CD (US only).

Here's how the two compare, question by question.

Can 45 seconds tell you if a song is good?

MelodyBolt's preview is a clip. Its own pages describe it as 45 seconds in some places and 60 in others.

A clip usually captures the best-sounding stretch. But songs fail elsewhere: the chorus that doesn't lift, the vocal that strains on the high notes, a second verse that circles the first, an ending that doesn't land. You only find those by hearing the whole song, and the £9.99 is precisely for the part you haven't heard.

Tuneliq plays you the whole thing: your first 4 songs are free, no card required, complete from intro to ending. Then you decide. Each finished song is downloadable and yours.

One song, or many songs?

MelodyBolt charges per song, £9.99 each. If you'll only ever make one, that's the cheaper path.

Tuneliq's first 4 are free; after that, membership starts at $8.99/month for 30 songs a month, all on the pricing page. If you're the kind of person who, once started, wants one for mom, one for dad, one for the wedding, and another round at Christmas, membership costs far less per song.

Pick by how you'll actually use it. There's no wrong answer on this one.

Does it know the song is a gift?

This is where we differ from most song makers.

Tuneliq's first step isn't "describe the music you want." It's "who is this song for?" — pick the relationship, write what you actually call them. Step two is "what do you want to say to them," in plain words. The lyrics come back editable line by line, free and unlimited; if the melody isn't right, keep the words and remake the music in another style.

When it's done, you send a link. They tap it and listen, no app, no account. The interface speaks 8 languages, so a song for someone who reads another language opens in their language.

We bring the orchestra. You bring the heart.

Anyone can buy a gift. A song, you make. If you want to hear yours today, make your first one free and see how it lands.

Turn your love into a song.

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Competitor details verified on August 3, 2026. Their current terms on their own site take precedence.