Udio

What it is

Udio is an AI music generator that competes directly with Suno. It is favored by music producers for offering more granular control over the generation process and expressive vocals. It is the pick when you want to shape a track rather than just get a finished result.

Best for

• Produce tracks with section-level control
• Expressive vocal performances
• Iterate on stems and arrangements

Quick start

1. Sign up at udio.com with Google or Discord — free tier includes 10 credits/day (~1–2 short tracks).
2. Standard $10/mo (annual) or $14 month-to-month: 1,500 credits/month, commercial use, up to 4-min tracks.
3. Pro $30/mo: 6,000 credits + advanced stem separation + DAW-style inpainting.
4. Click "Create" → pick mode (Custom = style prompt + lyrics; Audio = extend an uploaded clip).
5. Add a style prompt with tags ("synth-pop", "female vocal, breathy, R&B") and optional lyrics; choose length (15s up to 4 min).
6. Generate, then use "Remix" / "Edit" tools to refine specific sections; "Stems" to split vocals / drums / bass.

Sample input / output

Mode: Custom
Style prompt: "soul ballad, female vocal, aching, Chet Baker trumpet undertone, 78 rpm vinyl crackle, sparse piano + double bass"
Lyrics (excerpt):
  "I keep your letters in a drawer
   the ink is fading — like my certainty
   you said forever like a fairy tale
   forever ended, oh, so quietly"
Length: 2:30
Output: 4 candidates, mono master → pick 1

Generated 4 candidates in ~62 seconds on Udio 1.5.

Picked candidate #3 — vocal phrasing on the 2nd verse is cleaner; double-bass swell timed correctly with the chorus resolution.

Edit pass: replaced the bridge's final line ("quietly" → "oh so quietly") — kept the breath pause.
Stems split (Pro feature): vocals, bass, piano, "other" — 4 WAVs.
Master: stereo mix, 2:31, -14 LUFS.
Cost: ~250 credits (Standard plan still has 1,250 left in the month).

Benchmarks

Pricing

Free credits; Standard from $10/mo

Underlying models