How to make a song with AI

Short answer: use Suno for a complete song with vocals, Udio when you want to refine a track in detail, or ElevenLabs Music when you need clear commercial terms. Write a short style prompt, add your own lyrics with section labels, generate several versions, then extend and fix the best one.

Step 1: choose a tool for the job

• Full songs with vocals: Suno is the fastest way to make a complete song. Its free plan gives 50 credits a day.
• Detailed refinement: Udio produces clean audio with fine control over sections. It gives 10 free credits a day.
• Commercial-safe music: ElevenLabs Music uses licensed training data with clear commercial terms.
• Background tracks for video: Soundraw lets you shape royalty-free tracks.
• Film, game and orchestral scores: AIVA produces scores you can edit.

Compare all seven in our ranking of the best AI music generators.

Step 2: write a style prompt

Describe the genre, mood, tempo, instruments and voice in one or two short lines. Name a genre or era, not a real artist, since many tools block artist names.

Step 3: write or edit the lyrics

Most tools can write lyrics for you, but your own words make the song yours. Use section labels so the AI knows the structure:

Keep chorus lines short and repeatable, and keep syllable counts similar from line to line so the melody fits.

Step 4: generate several versions

Generate at least four versions of the same prompt. Results vary a lot, and the best melody often comes from the third or fourth try. Note which version has the strongest chorus, even if the rest needs work.

Step 5: extend, replace and fix sections

Instead of starting over, work from your best version. Most tools let you extend a song from a chosen point, regenerate a single section, or swap lyrics in one part. Fix the weakest section first, then the transitions.

Step 6: export and finish

Download the highest quality your plan allows. For a more professional result, export stems if your tool supports them and balance the levels in a free audio editor, or ask a mixing engineer to polish it.

Step 7: check rights before you publish

This is the step most people skip. Who can use the song commercially depends on the tool and your plan, and free plans often limit commercial use. Before you put a track on streaming services, in an ad or in a monetized video, read the tool's current terms. If clear commercial rights are a must, ElevenLabs Music is built for that.

Frequently asked questions

Prices and plans were checked in November 2026 and change often. How we research and rank tools.