An ai music generator online is worth choosing by its commercial licence first and its sound second: paid SOUNDRAW tiers, Song AI paid plans, ElevenLabs and Beatoven.ai all allow commercial use, but each limits it differently.
Read the pricing and licence comparison below, then match a tool to your job. For the wider picture on tool choices, see our guide to the best AI tools for creative businesses.
From prompt to finished audio
An AI music generator turns a written description into a track in stages, and each stage affects what you should check before you publish anything.
- Describe the track. MusGen starts from a prompt or lyrics, lets you customise the style, and then creates the music. Specific wording gives the system more to work with than a vague mood.
- Set the musical parameters. ElevenLabs Music lets you set genre, mood, instruments and structure. A tool with these controls suits work where the track must fit a defined slot, such as an intro or a background bed.
- Generate and audition. Song AI says most songs are generated in 15-30 seconds, so trying several variations is quick. MusGen charges 3 credits per generation, so on a credit-based tool every audition has a price and a tight prompt saves money.
- Export. Song AI states 320kbps audio quality with WAV and MP3 export. Other vendors tie file formats to the plan, as the table in the next section shows.
Training data is the other half of the mechanism, because it underpins each vendor’s licensing claim. SOUNDRAW says its AI is trained only on music it creates in-house, and Beatoven.ai describes itself as a Fairly Trained certified AI music generator. Both are vendor statements, so read them alongside the licence terms rather than in place of them.
Pricing and licence compared
A low price means little until you know what the licence covers, so compare the two together. The table sets two vendors side by side, and the tools after it are covered in prose.
| Plan | Price | Licence and output terms | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ElevenLabs Creator | $22 per month (first month $11) | Music is stated as cleared for broad commercial use; rights vary by subscription tier | Check the rights attached to your tier before using tracks in client or advertising work. |
| SOUNDRAW Creator | $5.99/mo | The perpetual commercial licence is stated for the Artist tiers | Lowest entry price; confirm licence scope before using output commercially. |
| SOUNDRAW Artist Starter | $10.49/mo | Up to 10 fully mixed songs per month, mp3 only; perpetual commercial licence and 100% royalty ownership on streaming platforms | Fits steady podcast or video work where mp3 files are enough. |
| SOUNDRAW Artist Pro | $12.59/mo | 20 songs per month in .wav, .mp3 and STEMS; same licence terms as the other Artist tier | Choose it when you need WAV files or separate stems for editing. |
Prices and terms come from the vendors’ own pages: ElevenLabs Music and SOUNDRAW.
Song AI: free plan for testing only
Song AI separates trial from publication. It offers a full commercial licence on any paid plan, while songs made on the free plan are for personal, non-commercial use until you upgrade, according to its own site. Use the free plan to judge whether the sound suits you, and upgrade before a track appears in anything a client or audience will see.
Beatoven.ai: a licence, not ownership
Beatoven.ai keeps ownership of tracks you generate and download. Its terms give you a non-exclusive perpetual licence for each generated and downloaded track, and the listed uses include YouTube video, podcasts, games and short films or trailers. The same page says it does not allow direct distribution of music created with Beatoven.ai on music streaming platforms. That makes it a fit for content that carries music in the background and a poor fit for releasing the tracks as your own singles.
The vendor also reports that more than 2 million creators have generated over 15 million tracks with it, a sign of how established the service is, though not a substitute for reading the licence.
Reading the royalty-free label
Royalty-free is vendor wording, and the licence defines its scope. SOUNDRAW describes its output as royalty free background music for videos, podcasts, apps and games, while ElevenLabs positions its music as licensed for ads, branded content and video. Two tools can both be called royalty-free and still differ on streaming release, ownership and tier-dependent rights, which is why the comparison above matters more than the label.
Matching a generator to the job
The right tool depends on where the music will be used, because the licence limits above apply differently to each job.
Podcast intros and beds
SOUNDRAW markets its generator for unlimited background scores, podcast intros and rap-ready beats, and Beatoven.ai lists podcasts among its permitted uses. Either suits a podcast, so decide on file needs: choose a SOUNDRAW tier with stems if you want to rebalance layers under speech, or the simpler mp3 tier if you only need a finished bed.
Ads and branded content
ElevenLabs is the vendor that explicitly frames its music for ads and branded content. Because rights vary by subscription tier, confirm your plan covers the campaign before committing, and keep a record of the plan you used when you generated each track.
Video and product content
Video makers can pair a licensed track with generated footage, for example clips built following Create Cinematic Clips From Photos: The Best Free AI Photo‑to‑Video Generators (2026 Guide). Makers who sell physical goods can score product videos in the same way, as with the products in 3D Printing Ideas To Sell: 25 Profitable Products And How To Start In 2026. In both cases the track sits behind other content, so a licence that explicitly lists video use is the one to look for.
Starting your first track
Start with a short, low-stakes track on the cheapest option that matches your intended use, and treat the first session as a test of both sound and licence.
- Fix the use first. Decide whether the track is a personal test, a podcast bed, a video score or an advertisement. That decides which plan you need, since free plans such as Song AI’s rule out commercial use.
- Write a specific prompt. Name the genre, mood, instruments and structure you want. If the tool accepts lyrics, as MusGen does, add them at this point.
- Generate several variations. Listen to each one against the picture or speech it will accompany. On a credit-based tool, count the cost per generation before you start.
- Export in the right format. Pick WAV or stems when you plan to edit further and MP3 when the file goes straight into a project.
- Save the licence terms with the file. Note the tool, plan and date so you can show where the track came from if a client or platform asks.
Frequently asked questions
Which languages does ElevenLabs Music v2 support?
ElevenLabs says Music v2 supports a variety of languages, including English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese.
Can I generate music through an API?
For ElevenLabs, yes: the vendor states that Music v1 and v2 are currently available via ElevenAPI, which suits teams that want to automate track creation.
Why might a prompt be rejected?
MusGen requires that lyrics, titles and styles do not contain famous names or sensitive words, so describe the sound you want rather than naming an artist.
How established is Beatoven.ai?
The vendor reports more than 2 million creators and over 15 million generated tracks, and it carries a Fairly Trained certification for its AI music generator.
