Suno review: an AI music generator, what it can do, what it costs, and whether you can use it in ads

In September 2026 Suno released a new generation of models called v6, and all new tracks are now created with it. Your older songs are still there in the library. The main v6 model gives steady, predictable results, the v6-wild variant is designed to produce more unexpected sounds, and the lighter v6-mini is available to everyone, including on the free plan.

The most important change concerns rights. The new models were trained on licensed music, and Suno lists Warner Music Group, BMG, and Believe among its partners. This came out of the agreement with Warner that settled the label's lawsuit at the end of 2025. If you use the music in advertising, this lowers the risk noticeably, although disputes with other rights holders are still going on.

In terms of sound, v6 is more polished. A track keeps its structure better from intro to ending and is less likely to change genre or volume halfway through. For background music, this means you find a good take sooner.

Most often Suno is needed for background music in videos, such as property videos, short vertical clips for social media, and presentations shown at events. You can ask for a track in the right mood from the start, for example warm and calm for a family neighborhood, or restrained and modern for a business-class project.

Another handy use is a short musical intro and outro for a brand's videos. You usually have to generate two or three dozen versions to find a couple of good ones, but that is still faster than trying to explain to a composer in words what sound you have in mind. And even when a person ends up writing the music, Suno helps you agree on a direction quickly, because a client finds it easier to choose from a few ready versions than to describe what they want.

Suno also makes songs with vocals, including in Russian. That is good enough for internal tasks, like a greeting for the team. I would not use its vocals in advertising yet, because stress and pronunciation in Russian sometimes come out wrong, and people judge a song they actually listen to much more strictly than background music under a voice.

Background music does not need lyrics, so it is best to switch on instrumental mode right away. The style description is written in English and should mention the genre, mood, main instruments, and tempo, for example 'warm lo-fi, relaxed, soft piano and acoustic guitar, 90 bpm, no vocals'. A tempo of around 80–100 beats per minute sits well under a calm voiceover.

It also helps to list what the track should not have, such as vocals, a 'corporate' sound, an advertising jingle, or sharp electronic transitions. Without these notes the model often drifts into familiar stock piano music that immediately gives away an ad.

Each prompt gives you two versions. For short videos, pick the one that starts at full strength without a long intro. When editing, keep the music clearly quieter than the voice, or the speech will get lost when people watch on a phone.

Suno has three plans. The free one is a good way to get to know the service. It gives you a small number of generations a day on the v6-mini model, but you cannot download tracks or use them commercially.

In practice, the number of downloads is what limits you. You can listen to and compare versions in the service as much as your credits allow, and download only the track you choose. Twenty downloads on the Pro plan are enough if you make a few videos a week. Prices are as of November 2026, so it is worth checking them on the website before you buy.

Russian-issued cards are not accepted, so readers in Russia will need a card issued abroad to pay. There is also another route: third-party services sell access to Suno models through an API for credits. In that case the terms of commercial use are set by your agreement with that service, and it is worth reading before you start.

Under Suno's terms, you can use the music commercially on any paid plan, and the rights cover tracks created while your subscription is active. Music generated on the free plan does not become commercial even if you upgrade to Pro later. That is why it is better to work in a paid account from the start on client projects.

You can comfortably use Suno music as background for ad videos, website videos, presentations, and events. Be more careful about registering tracks with automatic content recognition systems and releasing them on streaming platforms, because different users can end up with similar tracks, and the system sometimes flags your own video. And it is best not to ask the model for a track in the style of a specific artist at all, since it filters such prompts and the risk of claims falls on you.

The legal status of AI-generated music is still unsettled in many countries. In July 2026 a court in Munich ruled against Suno in a case brought by GEMA, the German music rights society, and there will be more disputes like this. For background music in an ad, the risk is small. For a large TV campaign or a melody that will be the sound of your brand for years, it is safer to hire a composer and secure the rights in a contract.

The closest alternative is Udio, which generates music of comparable quality and has also reached agreements with major labels. If you already make voiceovers in ElevenLabs, it is convenient to try their own music generator so that voice and music live in one service. For large campaigns where legal certainty matters, stock music libraries with a clear license are still a reliable choice, and so, of course, is a composer.

In our work Suno has a small but useful place. It handles the music, ElevenLabs handles the voice, and videos with a presenter on screen can be made in HeyGen. With this set of tools the Matveo team can produce series of videos for real estate projects without a separate studio for each one.