Suno vs Udio in 2026: Features, Licensing, Pricing

Suno vs Udio in 2026 comes down to files and terms. Suno lets paid subscribers download songs within a monthly allowance, with commercial use on Pro and Premier. Udio has switched off downloads on every plan. Choose by those terms, since neither tool has a published quality test.

This comparison covers plans, credits, downloads, licensing and the lawsuits that are still open, as of October 2026.

Suno vs Udio at a glance

| Feature | Suno | Udio | |---|---|---| | Newest model | v6, v6-wild and v6-mini (announced 2026-09-09) | Models v1, v1.5 and v1.5 Allegro stay available during the transition | | Downloads | None on Free; 20 a month on Pro; 60 a month on Premier | Switched off on every plan | | Commercial use | Not on Free; Pro and Premier outputs assigned to the subscriber | Not confirmed; we could not read Udio's commercial terms | | Licensing deals | Warner Music Group; v6 partners include BMG and Believe | Universal Music Group (October 2025) and Warner Music Group (November 2025) | | Open label claims | Sony Music and UMG filed a new complaint in September 2026 | Sony reportedly still suing, per secondary reports |

What changed after the label settlements

The timeline below shows the order of events. Dates are when each event was announced or reported.

2024-06-24: Major labels sued Suno and Udio in US courts.
2025-10-29 and 30: UMG and Udio settled. UMG said a licensed platform would launch in 2026, and the current product would continue inside a walled garden.
2025-11-19: Warner Music Group and Udio announced a licensing deal that also resolves their litigation.
2025-11-26: Warner Music Group settled with Suno and signed a licensing deal. Free-tier songs can be played and shared but not downloaded, and downloading will require a paid account.
2026-02-17: Udio's help article on the UMG partnership confirms downloads are disabled.
2026-07-31: A Munich court ruled largely for GEMA against Suno. The judgment is not final.
2026-09-09: Suno launched v6, v6-wild and v6-mini, and said it would retire its older models.
2026-09-19: Sony Music and UMG filed a new complaint against Suno, alleging v6 still infringes.

Suno in 2026: v6, downloads and licensing

Suno's v6 launch is the centre of its current position. Suno says v6 was developed with industry partners, including Warner Music Group, BMG and Believe. Suno's editing tools let you change part of a song with plain-language instructions, update one lyric or build a mashup. v6 and v6-wild are for Pro and Premier, while v6-mini is open to everyone.

Plans and credits, from Suno's pricing page, are:

Free: 50 credits a day, no downloads, no commercial use.
Pro: 2,500 credits and 20 downloads a month. Shown as $8 a month billed yearly, or $10 billed monthly.
Premier: 10,000 credits, 60 downloads a month and Suno Studio. Shown as $24 billed yearly, or $30 billed monthly.

Monthly credits do not carry over, but purchased top-up credits do not expire while you have an active subscription.

Suno's help centre says that on Basic (free) "Suno is the owner of the songs," while Pro and Premier users "own the songs." In both cases the help centre warns the material "may not be eligible for copyright protection." Suno's terms describe an assignment to paid users, require an approved download for commercial use, and say remixes are jointly owned and may only be used non-commercially.

Udio in 2026: the walled garden and no downloads

Udio's downloads are off. Its help centre says "downloading of audio, video, and stems has been disabled." Sharing continues through udio.com links. For video work, that means you cannot export a file to edit in your timeline.

Credits are charged per action. Each Create, Extend, Remix, Inpaint or Edit produces two songs. Two 32-second songs cost 2 credits, and two 130-second songs cost 4. The free tier gives 10 daily credits and a 100-credit monthly pool, which covers three 130-second songs a day. Standard plans allow up to 2,400 credits a month and Pro up to 6,000. Subscribers also received a one-time grant of 1,000 credits that do not expire.

Udio's CEO has described control over how songs are distributed as a "fundamental building block." The walled-garden product was described as launching later in 2026, with users unable to export music off the platform. We found no source confirming that launch as of 2026-10-17, so the date should be treated as unconfirmed.

Pricing and credits

The table below compares the entry and top paid tiers. Udio's prices come from its App Store listing, which may be out of date, and they are listed as of October 2026.

| Tier | Suno | Udio | |---|---|---| | Free | $0; 50 credits a day; no downloads | $0; 10 daily credits plus 100 a month | | Entry paid | Pro: $10 monthly, $8 billed yearly; 2,500 credits; 20 downloads | Standard: $10 monthly, $96 yearly; up to 2,400 credits; no downloads | | Top paid | Premier: $30 monthly, $24 billed yearly; 10,000 credits; 60 downloads | Pro: $30 monthly, $289 yearly; up to 6,000 credits; no downloads |

Udio's credit packs were listed at $3 per 100 credits and $25 per 1,000 on the same App Store page.

Who owns the songs? Licensing and copyright

This is general information, not legal advice. Ownership depends on the tool's terms and on copyright law, which is separate. The US Copyright Office says purely AI-generated material is not protected by copyright, so a contract that assigns rights to you does not create copyright on its own. Our copyright guide covers how that works.

We could not read Udio's commercial-use or ownership terms, so this post does not state them. If you plan to use Udio output commercially, read its current terms before you publish, and do not assume the answer matches Suno's.

The lawsuits still open

Sony Music and UMG vs Suno: A new complaint was filed in the District of Massachusetts in September 2026, covering 60,202 recordings. The labels argue that training a new model on an infringing model's outputs "launders" the infringement. Suno says the claims are "fundamentally flawed on both the facts and the law."
GEMA vs Suno: The Munich Regional Court I ruled on 2026-07-31 for GEMA on six works. The court found that storing songs in the model infringes the reproduction right. The judgment is not final, and an appeal is possible.
Udio: Udio settled with UMG and Warner Music Group. Reports say Sony is still suing Udio, but we treat that as reported, not confirmed.

No hearing or ruling dates are given here, because the sources disagree on them.

Which should you pick?

You need a downloadable song for a commercial project: Suno Pro or Premier fits, provided you download within your allowance and follow the terms.
You want to explore ideas in-app and share links: Udio's free or paid tier works, but you cannot take the file out.
You need a file for a video edit: Udio does not give you one. Suno does on paid plans.
You also need voiceover: OndaLabs offers music on the Creator plan and above, with text to speech in the same account. The music studio and pricing page list the current costs.

For a wider view of the market, read our AI music generators guide. For video-specific rules, see royalty-free music for videos.

Frequently asked questions

Is Suno or Udio better in 2026?

Neither has a published controlled quality test, so we do not rank them on sound. Choose by what matters to your project: downloads, commercial terms and cost. On those points, Suno allows downloads on paid plans, and Udio currently does not.

Can you still download songs from Udio?

Not on any plan. Udio's help centre says downloads of audio, video and stems have been disabled. Sharing is possible through udio.com links, but you cannot take the file out of the platform.

Can I use Suno songs commercially?

On Pro and Premier, commercial use is covered by Suno's terms, but you must download through an approved channel within your monthly allowance. Free-tier songs are non-commercial. Suno also does not promise that copyright will protect every output, so check the terms for your plan.

How much do Suno and Udio cost?

As of October 2026, Suno's Pro plan is $10 a month billed monthly, or $8 billed yearly, and Premier is $30 or $24. Udio's Standard and Pro plans are listed at $10 and $30 a month on its App Store page, which may be out of date. Confirm current prices before you subscribe.

Why did Udio turn off downloads?

Udio's help centre links the change to its partnership with Universal Music Group, announced in October 2025. The help article says the product is moving toward a licensed walled garden. The sources we read do not give further reasons, so we do not add any.

Is Suno still being sued?

Yes. Sony Music and UMG filed a new complaint in September 2026 alleging that v6 still infringes. A Munich court also ruled for GEMA in July 2026, but that judgment is not final.