Udio Review 2026: Pricing, Features and Verdict
The AI song generator that settled with Universal and Warner, judged on its published plans, terms of service, download policy, lawsuits and ratings.
By , research by the BestBots team · Updated Oct 18, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Skip Udio for any song you want to keep, release or monetize. Since October 29, 2025 it has no downloads, and its terms say Udio owns all output and ban commercial use. It is still a capable song generator with plans from $10 a month, but until its label licensed app launches it works as a paid sandbox.
Skip it for any song you want to keep, release or monetize: since October 29, 2025 Udio has no downloads, and its terms say Udio owns all output and bans commercial use. It is a paid sandbox for now while its label licensed app (reported as Starstruck) is still pending.
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- Starting price
- $10 per month
- Pricing model
- monthly or annual subscription with credits; credit packs
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Free trial of Standard
- Free plan
- 10 credits a day, 100 a month, 3 full length songs a day
- Paid from
- $10 per month (Standard), $8 billed yearly
- Credits or minutes per month
- 2,400 (Standard) or 6,000 (Pro) credits; packs at $3 per 100 or $25 per 1,000
- Max length
- 130 second song generations, extendable inside Udio
- Commercial use
- Not allowed on any plan; downloads disabled; Udio owns output under its terms
- API
- No public developer API listed
What it is
Udio is an AI music generator from Uncharted Labs, founded by former Google DeepMind researchers. It launched in April 2024 and quickly earned a reputation for realistic vocals and genre range. You prompt a style and lyrics, Udio generates a song, and you can extend, remix, edit sections, use your voice and add style references.
Everything changed in late 2025. Udio settled with Universal Music Group on October 29, 2025 and with Warner Music Group on November 19, 2025, and announced a new licensed platform built with the labels. On the same day as the UMG deal it turned off downloads. It has since licensed Merlin and Kobalt, and Music Business Worldwide reported in May 2026 that the new app will be called Starstruck. As of October 2026 the current Udio is a walled garden: you create and listen inside it and share links.
Pricing explained
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Credits | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 10 a day, 100 a month | Up to 3 full length (2:10) songs a day |
| Standard | $10 | $96 a year ($8 a month) | 2,400 a month | 2 minute songs, voice control, editing, audio uploads, style references |
| Pro | $30 | $288 a year ($24 a month) | 6,000 a month | 10 songs at once, every feature |
Credit packs are 100 for $3.00 or 1,000 for $25.00, so extra credits cost $0.025 to $0.03 each. Standard comes with a free trial.
The math. Standard's 2,400 credits for $10 is about $0.004 per credit, and a pack credit costs about 6 times that. But the real cost is what you cannot do: no downloads and no commercial rights on any plan. Compared with Suno Pro at $8 with 20 downloads and commercial rights, Udio's $10 buys listening, not assets.
Key features
Song generation
Udio generates 130 second songs that you can extend inside the app. Reviewers praised its vocal realism and genre range at launch, which is still the reason people try it.
Editing and remixing
Edit sections, inpaint lyrics, remix tracks and extend from any point. Standard and Pro add audio uploads and style references.
Voice control
Paid plans add voice controls to shape the vocal performance.
Sharing
Since downloads were removed, sharing is limited to udio.com links to approved social sites. Music Business Worldwide reported in July 2026 that Udio hired content security firm BuyDRM to protect what it calls its walled garden.
API
Udio lists no public developer API.
Commercial rights and licensing
Ownership. Udio's terms, last revised November 12, 2025, say Udio owns all output. Users get a limited license to use songs inside the service.
Commercial use. Banned on every plan. If you made songs on Udio before October 29, 2025 under the older terms, keep your records and the files you downloaded at the time, and get legal advice before releasing them.
The lawsuits and settlements:
- June 2024: major labels sued Udio in the Southern District of New York alongside the parallel case against Suno in Massachusetts.
- October 29, 2025: Universal Music Group settled and partnered with Udio.
- November 19, 2025: Warner Music Group settled and partnered with Udio.
- April 2026: Udio signed a licensing deal with Kobalt, after an earlier deal with Merlin.
- May 4, 2026: in its answer to Sony's suit, Udio admitted scraping YouTube audio for training, per Music Business Worldwide.
- July 20, 2026: Sony Music filed a second suit against Uncharted Labs (S.D.N.Y. 1:26-cv-06120).
Sony is the one major label still litigating as of October 2026.
What users say
| Site | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 1.5 | 59 |
Trustpilot reviews are dominated by the download removal. Paying users describe losing the ability to export songs they had already made and feeling misled by the change in terms.
Privacy and security
Udio does not publish SOC 2 or ISO certifications or offer an enterprise plan with a DPA. Its terms let it use your prompts, lyrics and uploads to run and improve the service. Do not upload unreleased material you care about.
What to expect next
Udio has said its next platform will run on licensed music from Universal and Warner, plus Merlin and Kobalt for independent labels and publishers. Based on what Udio and the labels have announced, expect three things.
A fan creation app, not a producer tool. The Starstruck report describes four creation modes built for fans to remix and play with licensed artists' music, which suggests creation inside the app rather than exports you can take elsewhere.
Artist opt in and payouts. Label deals in this market have centered on artists choosing to take part and getting paid when their work is used. That points to a smaller but cleaner catalog of styles and voices.
Tight content controls. The BuyDRM deal and the walled garden language suggest downloads, if they return, will be limited and protected.
If you need music you can own today, none of that helps. If you mainly want to play with famous artists' styles in a licensed setting, it may be worth the wait.
How to evaluate Udio before paying
- Start on Free. 10 credits a day is enough to hear whether the vocals suit your style.
- Read the current terms. Udio has changed ownership and download rules once; check the date at the top of its terms before you subscribe.
- Decide what you need the song for. Listening and sharing a link is fine on Udio. Anything that ends up in a video, podcast, game or release needs a tool with commercial rights, such as Suno or ElevenLabs.
- Pay monthly, not yearly. With a new app on the way, the $96 yearly Standard plan locks you in to a product that may change.
Who it is for
- Listeners who enjoy making AI songs, covers and remixes to play inside Udio.
- Fans waiting for the licensed artist app and willing to pay to experiment now.
- Hobbyists who only share udio.com links with friends.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who wants an MP3 or WAV file. There are no downloads.
- Creators who need music for videos, podcasts or ads. Commercial use is banned.
- Songwriters who want to own their output. Udio owns it.
- Budget buyers. Suno is cheaper and lets you keep songs.
Alternatives
- Suno: $8 Pro with 20 downloads a month, ownership and commercial use. See Suno vs Udio.
- ElevenLabs: Eleven Music under a UMG licensing deal, with commercial use from $6.
- Descript and CapCut: built in music for video edits.
See Suno alternatives and the best AI music generators.
Verdict
Udio made some of the best sounding AI songs of 2024, and its settlements with Universal and Warner may make its next product the most label friendly AI music app. Today, though, you cannot download, own or commercially use anything you make. Unless you only want to listen inside the app, pay for Suno instead and check back when Starstruck launches.
How Udio scores
- Value
- 2.4
- Features
- 3.2
- Ease of setup
- 3.8
- Integrations
- 1.8
- Trust
- 2.6
Pros and cons
Pros
- Settled with Universal (October 2025) and Warner (November 2025), and licensed Merlin and Kobalt, so its next product runs on licensed music
- Strong vocal realism was praised by reviewers at launch
- Cheap entry at $10 a month, with a free daily quota
Cons
- No downloads since October 29, 2025; you can only share udio.com links
- Terms assign ownership of all output to Udio and ban commercial use
- Sony Music is still suing in New York, including a second suit filed July 20, 2026
- Trustpilot score of 1.5 from 59 reviews, dominated by the download removal
Udio plans and pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 per month | 10 credits a day, 100 a month, up to 3 full length songs a day |
| Standard | $10 per month | 2,400 credits a month, 2 minute songs, voices, editing, audio uploads, style references |
| Pro | $30 per month | 6,000 credits a month, 10 songs at once, every feature |
What users say
Udio reviews from users
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Can you still download songs from Udio?
No. Udio disabled downloads on October 29, 2025, the day it announced its settlement and partnership with Universal Music Group. You can listen inside Udio and share udio.com links to approved social sites, but you cannot export audio files on any plan.
How much does Udio cost?
Standard is $10 per month or $96 a year ($8 a month) with 2,400 credits. Pro is $30 per month or $288 a year ($24 a month) with 6,000 credits. Credit packs are 100 for $3 or 1,000 for $25. The Free plan has 10 credits a day.
Can I use Udio songs commercially?
No. Udio's terms, last revised November 12, 2025, ban commercial use of output on every plan and say Udio owns all output. That is a reversal from its 2024 terms, which let paid users use songs commercially.
Who owns songs made on Udio?
Udio does, under its current terms. Users get a limited license to listen and share inside the service.
Is Udio being sued?
Universal and Warner settled with Udio in late 2025. Sony Music is still suing Udio's parent, Uncharted Labs, in the Southern District of New York, including a second suit filed July 20, 2026. In May 2026 Udio admitted in that case to scraping YouTube audio for training, per Music Business Worldwide.
What is Starstruck?
Music Business Worldwide reported in May 2026 that Udio's licensed fan app built with the labels will be called Starstruck, with four creation modes. As of October 2026 it had not replaced the current Udio app.
Suno or Udio?
Suno, if you want to keep, download or release songs. Udio is listen and share only. See [Suno vs Udio](/suno-vs-udio).