Help center · Licensing and rights
Sonilo licensing FAQ
Straight answers about who owns generated music and sound effects, which plans allow commercial use, YouTube monetization, client work, streaming release, and what happens when you cancel. Each answer is drawn from the current Terms of Service and pricing; last reviewed 2026-09-12.
Which Sonilo plans include commercial use?
Commercial use is included on Pro ($14.99 per month), Premium ($29.99 per month), and Enterprise. Output generated on Free or Creator ($5.99 per month) is for personal, non-commercial use only. The rule is tied to the plan that was active when the track or sound effect was generated, not the plan you hold when you publish.
Do I own the music and sound effects I generate with Sonilo?
Yes, as between you and Sonilo. Section 6.1 of the Terms assigns to you any rights Sonilo may have in the outputs generated for your account, subject to the plan-based limits on commercial use. Sonilo does not keep a royalty and does not claim ownership of what you make.
Can I use Sonilo music and sound effects in monetized YouTube videos?
Yes, if the audio was generated on Pro, Premium, or Enterprise. Monetized channels are named explicitly in the commercial scope of those plans. Free and Creator output may be posted to a personal, non-monetized channel but not to one that runs ads, memberships, or sponsorships.
Can I use Sonilo output in client work and paid ads?
Yes, on Pro ($14.99/mo), Premium ($29.99/mo), or Enterprise. Client videos, agency deliverables, paid social, pre-roll, and TV spots are all commercial use under the Terms. The license belongs to the account that generated the audio, so the freelancer or agency generates on a commercial plan and delivers the file plus its license certificate to the client.
What is a Sonilo license certificate and how do I get one?
A license certificate is a document Sonilo issues for audio generated on Pro, Premium, or Enterprise. It records what was generated, under which plan, what you may do with it, and where the training data came from, and it carries a code that anyone can verify at sonilo.com/verify-license. To get one, open the track in your library and choose Download commercial license.
What happens to my rights if I cancel or downgrade my Sonilo plan?
Rights are decided by the plan that was active when the output was generated, so audio you generated and exported on Pro or Premium keeps its commercial scope after you cancel. What you lose is access: projects are kept in your library only while you are subscribed, so export the audio and download each license certificate before the plan ends.
Can I distribute Sonilo music to Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services?
Releasing a track through a distributor is commercial use, so it requires audio generated on Pro, Premium, or Enterprise. Nothing in Sonilo's Terms prohibits it. In practice the limiting factor is the distributor and the store: most now require you to declare AI-generated content, some restrict fully AI-generated releases, and copyright registration for AI output is not available in every country. Sonilo is designed for music that sits under video; treat streaming release as possible but secondary.
Is Sonilo music royalty-free?
Yes. Sonilo charges by generation through plan credits and takes nothing afterwards: no per-use fees, no royalties on views, sales, or broadcasts, and no attribution requirement. The license is worldwide.
Do Sonilo sound effects have the same license as the music?
Yes. Text-to-SFX and video-to-SFX output is licensed exactly like the music: personal use on Free and Creator, commercial use on Pro, Premium, and Enterprise, with a downloadable certificate on Pro and above. The one exception is the free sound-effects library, which is cleared for commercial use on every plan, without an account, under its own license.
What was Sonilo trained on, and why does it matter for my license?
Sonilo's music model is trained on professionally licensed catalogs, including content authorized through its Shutterstock partnership, rather than on scraped music. That is why each license certificate carries a "Training data" line reading "Licensed catalogs only, incl. content authorized via Shutterstock." For you it means a documented provenance story to give a brand, broadcaster, or procurement reviewer who asks where the music came from.
Can I edit, remix, loop, or use Sonilo output in games, apps, and broadcast?
Yes. You are free to trim, loop, pitch, layer, and combine generated music and sound effects with your own material, and to use the result in games, mobile apps, websites, TV, and broadcast productions. Commercial products of any of those kinds need output generated on Pro, Premium, or Enterprise; personal, non-commercial projects can use Free or Creator output.
Can I post Free or Creator plan output publicly, and do I need to credit Sonilo?
You can post Free or Creator output to a personal account that is not monetized, sponsored, or used for a business, and you never need to credit Sonilo on any plan. What you cannot do on those plans is use the output commercially: ads, sponsorships, monetized channels, client work, or products you sell. Free plan exports are also preview quality.
Still unsure?
The licensing overview explains the licensed-catalog training and the certificate in more depth. For enterprise terms, exclusivity, or an indemnity requirement, talk to sales.