Developer comparison

AI Music API Comparison 2026: Best Options for Developers

Written by: Sonilo Team
Published: July 17, 2026

For most developer teams, the best AI music API is the one that matches the product workflow. Prompt-first song tools are useful when users want lyrics, vocals, or generic tracks. Sonilo is built for the moment a product already has video and needs a soundtrack that lands on the edit.

Use Sonilo when video input, frame-sync, commercial usage, and an API-first workflow matter more than vocal songwriting. Use ElevenLabs or Google Lyria when the product needs vocals and lyric-led songs. Use Mubert, Stable Audio, or Loudly when the workflow is mostly background music, catalog, or brand audio. Treat Suno and Udio as creator tools unless official API access is part of your account.

TL;DR for developers

Fastest to integrate

Sonilo Sonilo has direct REST endpoints for video-to-music and text-to-music, streams NDJSON, and keeps the integration surface small.

Best vocals

ElevenLabs ElevenLabs is the strongest pick here when the product needs vocal songs, multilingual lyrics, and song-style generation.

Cheapest at scale

Google Lyria Google Lyria publishes low per-output prices, so high-volume teams should model it carefully against output length and quality needs.

Most operations-ready

Loudly Loudly packages generation, catalog, stems, playlist, and commercial licensing into an enterprise-oriented API offer.

Best for video

Sonilo Sonilo is the only provider in this set with native video input and frame-sync around cuts, pacing, and final-frame timing.

AI music API comparison table

This table is based on public provider documentation and pricing pages checked on July 17, 2026. Treat every pricing and licensing cell as a deployment checklist item before shipping a production integration.

API Name	Vocals	Max Length	Video Input	Stems/MIDI	Pricing Entry Point	Free Tier	Commercial Rights
Sonilo	Instrumental soundtrack focus	6 min video input; per-second billing	Yes	No stems or MIDI export	$0.54/min video-to-music; $0.135/min text-to-music	API key and paid usage balance	Commercial use rights on generated output
ElevenLabs	Yes, vocals and instrumentals	Up to 5 min generated music	No	No MIDI; audio formats include MP3/WAV	$0.15/min API music pricing	Free plan exists; Music API requires paid subscribers	Broad commercial use; some rights require higher plans
Google Lyria	Yes, model supports vocals and lyrics	30 sec clips or full songs up to 3 min, depending on model	No	No public stems or MIDI API in listed docs	$0.04/30 sec Lyria 3; $0.08/song Lyria 3 Pro	Google Cloud credits may apply to new accounts	Enterprise cloud terms; review current Google terms
Suno	Yes, strong vocal song generation	Plan-dependent creator app limits	No	Stems and MIDI are product-plan features, not public API guarantees	No self-serve public API pricing	Creator app free plan	Paid-plan commercial rights; API access not public self-serve
Udio	Yes, creator app supports songs with vocals	Creator app workflow, not public API workflow	No	Not exposed through a public API	No public API pricing	Creator app access; no public API tier	Review Udio terms for app output; no public API offered
Mubert	Mostly background music and soundtracks	30 sec to 300 sec generation examples	No	No MIDI; API focuses on generation/streaming	5K, 30K, and unlimited generation tiers	API token/trial path available	Licensed/partner content for commercial workflows
Stable Audio	Primarily music/audio generation; vocals vary by model	Stable Audio 2.5 up to 3 min; Stable Audio 3 pricing mentions 6 min	No	No public MIDI export in listed API docs	Credit-based Stability AI API pricing	Stability account credits vary	Commercial-safe positioning; review current Stability terms
Loudly	Text-to-music and music generation; vocals depend on workflow	Duration configurable by API workflow	No	Instrument stems; no MIDI guarantee	Volume-based pricing by track volume and license type	Developer portal includes a free track allowance	Enterprise commercial coverage and legal guarantees

Video-to-music for platform builders

Video-to-music is different from prompt-only music generation because the video is the timing source. Sonilo reads the runtime, pacing, visual motion, scene changes, and optional timed segment prompts before returning a soundtrack stream.

That matters for products where users already have a rendered clip: AI video tools, ad creative systems, social editors, template engines, game capture workflows, and enterprise media operations. The soundtrack can build into the cut, leave room for speech, and resolve on the final frame instead of forcing an editor to trim a stock track after export.

Sonilo is also positioned around licensed training catalogs and commercial usage. Teams should still keep their own output records, account records, and release approvals, but the integration starts from a rights-aware soundtrack workflow rather than a generic creator app download.

Sonilo API examples

Sonilo generation endpoints stream NDJSON events. In production, parse each line, collect audio chunks by stream index, and store the resulting track with the video version that produced it.

cURL

curl -N -X POST https://api.sonilo.com/v1/video-to-music \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SONILO_API_KEY" \
  -F "video=@/path/to/video.mp4"

curl -N -X POST https://api.sonilo.com/v1/text-to-music \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SONILO_API_KEY" \
  -F "prompt=cinematic electronic bed for a product launch video" \
  -F "duration=60"

Python

import json
import requests

headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer sk_your_api_key"}

with requests.post(
    "https://api.sonilo.com/v1/video-to-music",
    headers=headers,
    files={"video": open("/path/to/video.mp4", "rb")},
    stream=True,
    timeout=300,
) as response:
    response.raise_for_status()
    for line in response.iter_lines(decode_unicode=True):
        if line:
            print(json.loads(line))

with requests.post(
    "https://api.sonilo.com/v1/text-to-music",
    headers=headers,
    files={
        "prompt": (None, "lofi brand loop with warm synths"),
        "duration": (None, "45"),
    },
    stream=True,
    timeout=300,
) as response:
    response.raise_for_status()
    for line in response.iter_lines(decode_unicode=True):
        if line:
            print(json.loads(line))

JavaScript

import fs from "node:fs";

async function streamSonilo(form) {
  const response = await fetch("https://api.sonilo.com/v1/video-to-music", {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SONILO_API_KEY}` },
    body: form,
  });
  if (!response.ok) throw new Error(await response.text());

  const reader = response.body.getReader();
  const decoder = new TextDecoder();
  let buffer = "";
  while (true) {
    const { value, done } = await reader.read();
    if (done) break;
    buffer += decoder.decode(value, { stream: true });
    let newline;
    while ((newline = buffer.indexOf("\n")) !== -1) {
      const line = buffer.slice(0, newline);
      buffer = buffer.slice(newline + 1);
      if (line) console.log(JSON.parse(line));
    }
  }
}

const videoForm = new FormData();
videoForm.append("video", await fs.openAsBlob("/path/to/video.mp4"), "video.mp4");
await streamSonilo(videoForm);

const textForm = new FormData();
textForm.append("prompt", "upbeat future bass intro with no vocals");
textForm.append("duration", "30");
await fetch("https://api.sonilo.com/v1/text-to-music", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.SONILO_API_KEY}` },
  body: textForm,
});

FAQ

Does Sonilo have a public API?

Yes. Sonilo documents public REST endpoints for video-to-music and text-to-music generation at api.sonilo.com, with Bearer-token authentication and streaming NDJSON responses.

Which AI music API supports video input?

In this comparison, Sonilo is the provider with native video input. Its video-to-music endpoint accepts a video file or video URL and generates music around the edit.

What is the cheapest AI music API?

The cheapest option depends on output duration, retry rate, licensing, and volume discounts. Google Lyria publishes low per-output prices, while Sonilo prices video-to-music and text-to-music by seconds generated.

How does Sonilo commercial licensing work?

Sonilo API pricing states commercial use rights for generated output. Teams should still keep records of the account, generation date, plan, output file, and release channel for production usage.

Sources

Build video-native music into your product

Start with a video file, not a library search.

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