Song Cage is the songwriting tool for everything that happens before you hit record. Start anywhere — a chord progression, a melody, a line of lyrics — and the rest follows. Experiment freely, learn music theory as you go, and get the song idea down before it fades.
Free tier available · No credit card required
See it in action
No install needed. Try the actual app — chord palette, timeline canvas, word tools, all working live.
Song Cage is a full desktop songwriting DAW — chord palette, timeline canvas, guitar voicings, and word tools all in one place. Open songcage.com on your computer for the complete experience.
You're using three tools to do one job — and losing ideas in the gaps
You figure out the chords
Built for recording or scoring — not songwriting. No lyric tools, no chord theory suggestions, no way to understand why a progression works or where it could go next.
You capture the idea
The words land in one place, the melody in another, the chords somewhere else. You come back two days later and the magic is gone — because nothing was connected.
You search for the right word
Switching apps mid-session kills flow. By the time you find the rhyme and get back, you've lost the thread of where the song was going.
Song Cage is the songwriting tool that replaces all three — a chord palette with guitar and piano voicings, a lyric workspace with built-in rhyme finder, and music theory that connects them — on a single DAW-style canvas built to capture song ideas fast.
Capture your song idea. Then give it everything.
Song Cage has two moves — capture the idea before it fades, then develop it with tools that understand your song.
Capture it
Start anywhere — a chord progression, a melody, a line of lyrics. No setup, no required order. Just get the idea into the canvas before it disappears.
Chords and melody, wired together
Start with chords and lock your melody to the progression — notes snap to chord tones as you write. Start with a melody and the chord palette reshapes around it, surfacing the chords that fit what you've already played. Change either one and the other responds.
Lyrics wired to rhythm and meaning
Write lyrics first and build the rhythm and melody around them — syllables sit on beat positions, each one carrying its own pitch. Or lay down chords and a melody first and write words that land exactly where they need to. Click any word for rhymes, slant rhymes, and synonyms grouped by syllable count.
Theory that shows you where to go
Every chord available in your key — diatonic, borrowed, secondary dominants — with extensions that improve voice leading. A modulation panel that maps pivot chord routes between any two keys. You don't need to know the theory to use it — and you'll learn it just by writing.
Everything a songwriter needs.
Nothing they don't.
How Song Cage compares to other songwriting tools
Every other tool handles a piece of the songwriting process. Song Cage handles all of it — chord progressions, music theory, lyrics, and a rhyme finder — on one connected canvas. See how it stacks up.
| Song Cage | DAWs (Logic, GarageBand) | Hookpad | Guitar Pro | Notes App | RhymeZone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-key chord palette | ✓ | Chord Track (Logic) | ✓ | Library only | — | — |
| Context-aware chord suggestions | ✓ | — | Basic | — | — | — |
| Guitar & piano voicings | ✓ | — | — | ✓ | — | — |
| Melody input & snap to chords | ✓ | MIDI / audio (Logic) | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Modulation panel & pivot chords | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Learn why chords work | ✓ | — | Separate book | — | — | — |
| DAW-style drag & drop canvas | ✓ | ✓ | Limited | — | — | — |
| Lyric writing workspace | ✓ | — | Basic | — | ✓ | — |
| Rhyme finder & word tools | ✓ | — | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Speed-first idea capture | ✓ | Heavy UI | Moderate | Heavy UI | Text only | — |
| Price | $12/mo all-in | Free–$200 | $7.99 + $14.99 AI | ~$70 one-time | Free | Free |
What songwriters are saying
“I used to keep Guitar Pro, a notes app, and RhymeZone open simultaneously. Song Cage replaced all three. The modulation panel alone saved my last EP — I had no idea how to get from Dm to F# until it just showed me the pivot chords.”
“The Word Tools are genuinely better than anything I've used. Slant rhymes grouped by syllable count means I'm never forcing a lyric to fit the rhythm — it just flows. This is the first songwriting tool that understands how lyrics actually work.”
“As a guitarist who's terrible at notation, this is everything. I can see the actual chord shapes, drag the blocks around like a DAW, and the borrowed chord library showed me colour I didn't know I had access to. Subscribed in 20 minutes.”
Frequently asked questions
How do I write chord progressions for beginners?
Song Cage makes it easy — even if you don't know music theory yet. Pick a key, and the app shows you every chord that fits. Start with the I, IV, and V chords, then experiment with borrowed chords to add color. You learn music theory naturally just by using it.
Is there an app to write songs with chords and lyrics together?
Yes — Song Cage is built exactly for this. Most songwriting tools separate chord work from lyric writing. Song Cage puts them on the same canvas so your chords and lyrics stay in sync as you create.
What’s the best app to capture song ideas fast?
Song Cage is built for exactly that moment — guitar in hand, idea in your head. Open the app, pick a key, and you’re writing in seconds. No setup, no learning curve. You can also record audio directly in-app so the melody doesn’t disappear.
Do I need to know music theory to use Song Cage?
Not at all. Song Cage is designed to be a learning tool as much as a creative one. Beginners discover music theory naturally through use — you don’t need to read music or memorize scales. The app gives you the right harmonic options for your key and lets you explore from there.
Simple, honest pricing
Full features on Free. No feature paywalls hidden three menus deep. Upgrade when you're ready.
Cancel anytime. No hidden fees, ever.
Start writing your next song — for free
Song Cage is free to start. No credit card, no setup, no friction. Join 400+ songwriters already capturing ideas faster with chords, lyrics, and music theory in one place.
Free tier available forever · Cancel any time