Suno and Stable Audio serve different purposes and offer different commercial licensing models. Suno excels at generating complete songs with vocals, making it ideal for streaming distribution. Stable Audio focuses on instrumental music, loops, and sound effects, making it better suited for content creation and production. Both offer commercial rights on paid plans, but the licensing structures differ significantly.

This comparison helps you choose the right tool based on your commercial use case.

Quick comparison table

Factor	Suno	Stable Audio
Primary use	Complete songs with vocals	Instrumentals, loops, sound effects
Commercial pricing	Pro: $10/month	Creator: Free under $1M revenue
Best for	Streaming distribution	Content creation, production
Song length	Up to 4 minutes	Variable (loop to full length)
Vocals	Yes, included	Limited/experimental

Commercial licensing comparison

Suno licensing tiers

According to Suno's pricing page:

Tier	Cost	Commercial Rights
Free	$0	Non-commercial only
Pro	$10/month	Commercial use granted
Premier	$30/month	Commercial use granted

Key terms:

Songs made on free tier cannot be monetized retroactively
Commercial rights are assigned to you, not transferred
No copyright guarantee on output
Rights retained after cancellation for songs made while subscribed

Stable Audio licensing tiers

According to Stable Audio's pricing and Stability AI's license terms:

Tier	Cost	Commercial Rights
Personal	Free	Non-commercial only
Creator	Free (under $1M revenue)	Commercial use for individuals
Enterprise	Custom pricing	Commercial use for organizations over $1M

Key terms from the Community License:

Free for commercial use if annual revenue under $1 million
Enterprise license required above that threshold
Full ownership of generated music claimed
Custom training available at enterprise tier

Note Stable Audio's revenue-based licensing is unusual. If you earn under $1 million annually, you can use the Creator tier for free commercial use. This makes it very cost-effective for smaller creators.

Generation capabilities

Suno strengths

Complete songs: Generates full tracks with intro, verse, chorus, bridge
Vocals: Strong vocal generation in multiple styles
Speed: 90+ second songs in under 60 seconds
Genres: Broad coverage from pop to metal to lo-fi
Lyrics: Custom lyrics or AI-generated

Stable Audio strengths

Instrumental quality: Clean, professional instrumental output
Sound design: Sound effects and ambient textures
Production elements: Loops and stems for DAW integration
Customization: More control over specific audio characteristics
No vocal concerns: Avoids voice cloning issues entirely

Quality comparison

Quality Factor	Suno	Stable Audio
Instrumental quality	Good	Excellent
Vocal quality	Good (sometimes digital)	Limited
Sound design	Basic	Excellent
Genre flexibility	Very broad	Instrumental-focused

Use case recommendations

Choose Suno for:

Streaming distribution

Complete songs ready for Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube
Vocals included in generation
Full song structure
Quick turnaround for testing ideas

Social media content

Full tracks for TikTok and Reels
Vocal hooks for viral potential
Complete productions without additional editing

Artist projects

Building a catalog of full songs
Creating an AI artist brand
Rapid iteration on ideas

Choose Stable Audio for:

Content creation

Background music for videos
Podcast intros and outros
YouTube background audio
Livestream music

Music production

Loops and stems for DAW projects
Inspiration and starting points
Sound effects
Layering elements

Sync licensing potential

Instrumental tracks for media
No vocal clearance concerns
Professional audio quality
Customizable lengths

Distribution viability

Suno for distribution

Suno tracks are distribution-ready with standard workflow:

Generate track on Pro or Premier tier
Download WAV file
Upload to distributor (DistroKid, RouteNote, etc.)
Distribute to streaming platforms

Advantages:

Complete songs with structure
Vocals ready for vocal-forward genres
Fast iteration to find hits
Established creator workflow

Limitations:

No copyright guarantee
Ongoing lawsuit uncertainty
Free tier tracks cannot be distributed commercially

Stable Audio for distribution

Stable Audio can work for distribution but with different considerations:

Generate instrumental track
Potentially combine multiple generations
Process in DAW if needed
Distribute as instrumental release

Advantages:

Free commercial use under $1M revenue
Clean instrumental quality
No voice cloning legal concerns
Good for ambient/instrumental genres

Limitations:

No vocals (limits distribution genres)
May need additional production work
Better suited for sync than streaming

Cost comparison for commercial use

For a creator earning under $1 million annually:

Use Case	Suno Cost	Stable Audio Cost
Commercial streaming	$10/month (Pro)	Free (Creator)
Commercial sync	$10/month (Pro)	Free (Creator)
High volume	$30/month (Premier)	Free (Creator)

For organizations over $1M revenue:

Use Case	Suno Cost	Stable Audio Cost
Commercial use	$30/month (Premier)	Custom Enterprise

Tip If you only need instrumental music and earn under $1 million annually, Stable Audio's Creator tier offers free commercial licensing, making it the more economical choice.

Combining both platforms

Many creators use both tools for different purposes:

Workflow example:

Use Suno for complete songs with vocals for distribution
Use Stable Audio for instrumental tracks for content
Use Stable Audio for sound design and loops
Keep commercial licensing clear by platform

This approach uses each platform's strengths while maintaining clear rights for each use case.

Legal and rights considerations

Suno

Active lawsuits from major labels
Training data includes copyrighted music
Company argues fair use
Raised $250M to continue fighting
Rights are assigned, not guaranteed

Stable Audio

Stability AI has faced its own legal challenges
Training data approach differs from Suno
Community License explicitly free for commercial use
Enterprise licensing provides additional protections
Less controversy around music specifically

Recommendation summary

Your Goal	Recommended Platform
Complete songs with vocals	Suno
Streaming distribution focus	Suno
Background/instrumental music	Stable Audio
Free commercial licensing (under $1M)	Stable Audio
Sound design and loops	Stable Audio
Sync licensing instrumentals	Stable Audio
Maximum genre flexibility	Suno
Avoiding voice cloning issues	Stable Audio

Both platforms offer legitimate commercial licensing paths. The choice depends on whether you need complete songs with vocals (Suno) or high-quality instrumentals with potentially free commercial licensing (Stable Audio).