ElevenLabs' licensed AI song generator, with section editing and a music marketplace
Free plan · paid from $9.99/month
The Best AI music generators in 2026
- 10 apps ranked
- Updated Oct 2026
- Researched from official sources
AI music generators now turn a sentence into a finished song, vocals and all, or into royalty-free background music for videos. They differ most on what you're allowed to do with the result: some let you download and release songs, some keep them inside the app, and licensing deals with the major labels are reshaping the market. We tested the leading ones and ranked them with the same published rubric.
Our top picks
AI song generator that turns a prompt into a full track with vocals and lyrics
Free plan · paid from $8/month
Google's conversational AI music studio powered by Lyria 3, formerly ProducerAI
Free plan · paid from $6/month
The full ranking
10 apps, best first- 1
ElevenMusic
Best forCreators who want polished vocal songs with the clearest commercial licensing
ElevenLabs' licensed AI song generator, with section editing and a music marketplace
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $9.99/month
Pros & cons
- Trained on licensed music, so commercial use is the least legally murky
- Precise editing of individual sections
- Marketplace lets you earn when others use your tracks
- Part of the wider ElevenLabs voice and audio toolkit
- No Android app yet
- Self-serve licences exclude film, TV and studio games
- Credit-based pricing on ElevenLabs plans is hard to compare
8.6/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 2
Suno
Best forAnyone who wants complete, radio-style songs with vocals from a simple prompt
AI song generator that turns a prompt into a full track with vocals and lyrics
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $8/month
Pros & cons
- The most complete song generator: vocals, lyrics, structure and editing in one place
- Strong apps on iOS and Android
- Commercial rights from the cheapest paid plan
- Suno Studio adds a real DAW-style editor on Premier
- Free songs can't be downloaded, and paid plans cap monthly downloads
- v6 retired all older models and early reviews of its sound are mixed
- Universal and Sony copyright disputes were still unresolved in 2026
8.5/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 3
Google Flow Music
Best forPeople who want to shape a song through conversation, especially Google AI subscribers
Google's conversational AI music studio powered by Lyria 3, formerly ProducerAI
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $6/month
Pros & cons
- Very generous free tier with daily credits
- Cheap paid plans, bundled with Google AI subscriptions
- Remix, replace and extend tools work on your own uploads
- Music video generation built in
- Songs are limited to about three minutes
- Reviewers find vocals still sound synthetic
- Commercial rights on the free tier are unclear, and Google has a history of shutting down Labs projects
8.1/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 4
Loudly
Best forContent creators who want cheap, royalty-free tracks they can also release
Royalty-free AI music generator with stem splitting and built-in distribution
Web onlyFree plan · paid from $8/month
Pros & cons
- Low-cost commercial licence
- Fast generation with mood, BPM and key controls
- Distribution to Spotify and other services included
- Stem splitting and remix tools
- Tracks in the same genre can sound similar
- Vocal songs lag well behind Suno
- Loudly keeps the copyright to generated music
7.4/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 5
Stable Audio
Best forProducers and video teams who need licensed instrumentals and sound effects
Stability AI's licensed instrumental and sound-effects generator, with a DAW plugin
Web onlyFree plan · paid from $12/month
Pros & cons
- Trained on licensed data, with Universal and Warner partnerships
- Fast, multi-minute generations
- DAW plugin fits into production workflows
- Open-weight models can run locally
- No vocals or lyrics
- Results usually need finishing in a DAW
- Top plan's price more than doubled in August 2026
7.1/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 6
Soundraw
Best forVideo creators and rappers who need royalty-free beats they can monetise
Copyright-safe AI beat maker trained only on music made by its in-house producers
Web onlyFree plan · paid from £4.99/month
Pros & cons
- Trained only on in-house music, so licensing is clean
- Unlimited downloads on the cheapest plan
- Simple editing without a DAW
- Artist plans allow streaming release
- Instrumentals only, no vocals
- Reviewers report billing and cancellation complaints
6.9/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 7
Udio
Best forHobbyists who want high-quality AI songs to listen to and share inside the app
AI song generator with high-fidelity vocals, now a download-free 'walled garden'
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $8/month
Pros & cons
- Excellent audio quality and natural-sounding vocals
- Detailed editing and style controls
- Licensing deals with Universal, Warner, Merlin and Kobalt
- Low-cost paid plans
- No downloads on any plan since October 2025
- Output can't be used commercially or released elsewhere
- Its promised licensed platform still hadn't fully launched by autumn 2026
6.7/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 8
Beatoven.ai
Best forYouTubers and podcasters who want ethically trained background music
Fairly Trained AI background music and sound effects generator for video and podcasts
Web onlyFree plan · paid from $10/month
Pros & cons
- Fairly Trained certified, with musicians compensated
- Licence emailed with every download
- Easy mood-based editing for video
- Download minutes run out quickly on lower plans
- No vocals, and some genres sound generic
- Tracks can't be released on Spotify or other streaming services
6.7/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 9
Mubert
Best forStreamers and video creators who need long royalty-free background tracks
Royalty-free AI background music from text, images or moods, plus an API
Mobile appFree plan · paid from $11.69/month
Pros & cons
- Long tracks up to 25 minutes
- Apps on iOS and Android plus an API
- Simple mood and genre controls
- Commercial use needs the $32.49 Pro plan
- Can't release tracks on streaming services or use Content ID
- Instrumental only, with some repetitive output
6.7/10★★★★★Visit ↗ - 10
AIVA
Best forFilm, game and video makers who want editable orchestral and cinematic scores
AI composer for cinematic and orchestral music, with MIDI editing and style models
Web onlyFree plan · paid from €11/month
Pros & cons
- Exceptional MIDI output for further editing
- Fine control over key, tempo and instruments
- Pro plan gives full copyright ownership
- No vocals or modern pop production
- Melodies can repeat and the editor takes time to learn
- Full commercial rights need the €33 Pro plan
6.6/10★★★★★Visit ↗
Compare at a glance
Scroll sideways on mobile| # | App | Free plan | Paid from | iOS | Android | Web | Music quality | Ease of use | Features | Value for money | Platforms | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  ElevenMusic | Yes | $9.99/month | ✓ | — | ✓ | 8.5 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 8 | 8 | 8.6 |
| 2 |  Suno | Yes | $8/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 8.5 | 9 | 8 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| 3 |  Google Flow Music | Yes | $6/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 8 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 8 | 8.1 |
| 4 |  Loudly | Yes | $8/month | — | — | ✓ | 6.5 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 | 5 | 7.4 |
| 5 |  Stable Audio | Yes | $12/month | — | — | ✓ | 7.5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6.5 | 7.1 |
| 6 |  Soundraw | Yes | £4.99/month | — | — | ✓ | 6.5 | 8 | 7 | 7.5 | 4.5 | 6.9 |
| 7 |  Udio | Yes | $8/month | ✓ | — | ✓ | 8.5 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 6 | 6.7 |
| 8 |  Beatoven.ai | Yes | $10/month | — | — | ✓ | 6 | 8 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 5 | 6.7 |
| 9 |  Mubert | Yes | $11.69/month | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 6 | 8 | 6.5 | 6 | 8 | 6.7 |
| 10 |  AIVA | Yes | €11/month | — | — | ✓ | 7 | 6.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 5 | 6.6 |
Head to head
12 comparisons
For developers
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People compare AI music tools on this page before they choose. Paste your website after checkout and we'll research, score and publish your listing.
- Full profile page
- Scored with the same rubric
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- Included in comparisons
How we rank AI music generators
Every tool was checked on 7 October 2026 against its own website, pricing and app-store listings, plus independent 2025–2026 reviews and news on label licensing deals. Each gets five scores out of 10, weighted into an overall score.
Ties are broken by the music quality score. To be listed, a tool has to generate original music with AI from a prompt or settings, and be available to the public on the web or as an app. The list is open: developers can submit an app, and we review it with the same rubric.
Features are scored half by our editors and half by this published checklist, ticked only where the app's own pages or app-store listing confirm it:
- Songs with vocals and lyrics
- Commercial use allowed on paid plans
- Download stems
- Generate or remix from your own audio
- Edit or regenerate parts of a track
- Direct tempo, key or mood controls
- Release tracks on streaming services
- Trained on licensed or consented music
- API for developers
Rankings are editorial. Companies can't pay to change a score or a position, and any paid placement is labelled Featured.
Reviewed by Tech Arcade editors · Updated Oct 7, 2026
- Music quality30%
- Ease of use20%
- Features20%
- Value for money20%
- Platforms10%
Quick answers
What is the best AI music generator?
In our October 2026 tests, ElevenMusic scored highest overall (8.6/10), just ahead of Suno (8.5): ElevenMusic ticks every item on our feature checklist and has the cleanest licensing, while Suno makes the most complete songs with vocals and has strong mobile apps. Google Flow Music (8.1) has the most generous free tier.
Can I use AI-generated music commercially?
Usually only on a paid plan. Suno, ElevenMusic, Stable Audio, Loudly and Soundraw include commercial rights from their cheapest paid tiers, while Mubert and AIVA reserve full commercial use for pricier plans. Udio currently doesn't allow downloads at all. Free plans almost never include commercial rights, and AI-generated music may not be protected by copyright, so check each tool's terms before releasing a track.
What is the best free AI music generator?
Google Flow Music has the most generous free tier, with daily credits and all core features. Suno gives 50 credits a day and ElevenMusic up to seven songs a day, but Suno's free songs can't be downloaded.
Which AI music generator is best for background music for videos?
Loudly, Soundraw and Stable Audio scored best for instrumentals: Loudly and Soundraw are cheap with simple controls and commercial licences, and Stable Audio suits producers who want licensed tracks and a DAW plugin. AIVA is the pick for orchestral and cinematic scores.
Do companies pay to be on this list?
No. Rankings come from the published rubric and can't be bought. Developers can pay for a Featured spot above the ranking; it's always marked Sponsored and never changes scores or positions.
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