Before you subscribe to one, there are a few things worth checking. Can you download the song? Can you use it in a video? Does the free plan actually give you what you need?
Suno
Suno is a reasonable place to start if you want to create complete songs and have tools to edit them afterward.
Pro costs $10 a month, with 2,500 credits. Premier costs $30, with 10,000 credits and access to Suno Studio. Annual subscriptions bring those monthly equivalents down to $8 and $24. Suno’s pricing guide
However, credits aren’t the only limit. Suno’s current plans list 20 song downloads a month for Pro and 60 for Premier. The free plan includes neither downloads nor commercial rights. So if you’re planning to make a lot of songs, pay attention to how many you can actually take with you. Current plans
Songs created while you’re on a paid subscription receive commercial-use rights. Suno’s rights explanation
Can you use in commercial projects or on YouTube
FREE ACCOUNT: Personal, noncommercial videos only; no monetization. Its updated FAQ allows up to 7 lifetime trial downloads.
PAID ACCOUNT: Yes, including monetized videos, for eligible music downloaded through Suno’s authorized download feature. Pro includes 20 song downloads/month; Premier includes 60.
Udio
Udio has a free tier with daily and monthly credit limits, so you can try it without subscribing. Udio’s credit limits
But there’s a pretty significant catch. Udio’s help center still says downloads of audio, video, and stems are disabled following its Universal Music Group partnership. You can make music on the platform, but you can’t download the finished files. Udio’s download notice
For experimenting, that may be fine. For a podcast intro or a video you’re editing somewhere else, it’s a problem.
FREE ACCOUNT: Not practical for new YouTube projects: audio downloads are disabled.
PAID ACCOUNT: Same limitation. Paying doesn’t restore downloads, so you can’t export new tracks to your video editor.
ElevenLabs Music
ElevenLabs is worth a look if you want music for a video or podcast. Its Starter plan costs $6 a month and lets you create and download music, with commercial-use rights and no requirement to credit ElevenLabs.
The published allowance is 17 minutes of music generation and 30 minutes of downloads per month. There are some restrictions: Starter doesn’t include releasing songs on Spotify or Apple Music, and uses like film, television, and radio require different licensing. But for adding music to your own online content, it’s an affordable option.
FREE ACCOUNT: no free downloads
PAID ACCOUNT: The $6 Starter plan allows downloads and commercial use without attribution. Published limits: 17 minutes generated and 30 minutes downloaded per month.
NOTE - ElevenMusic — the separate music app. The free account you can use the music in commercial projects including monetized videos, with credit to ElevenMusic. Its latest announcement includes 5 lossless downloads/day. Pro account includes 400 lossless downloads/month. Tracks referencing another artist’s song are excluded from downloads.
A quick word about the lawsuits
A quick word about the lawsuits. Record labels sued Suno and Udio over the copyrighted music allegedly used to train their AI. Some labels have since settled and signed licensing deals, but other cases are still going.
The practical thing to check is what your plan allows. Being able to generate a song, download it, and use it commercially are separate things. Don’t assume a subscription includes all three.
Conclusion
So where should you start? Suno for making and editing full songs. Udio for experimenting within the platform. However, I believe ElevenMusic gives you the best value for the price you pay.
As for which sounds best, give them the same prompt and listen for yourself. Try the kind of music you actually want to make. Then check the download limits and usage rights before you spend money.
I hope you found that helpful.
Disclosure: AI was used to assist with editing and refining this article. The ideas and final content are my own.