Best AI Music Generators 2026: 4 Tools Tested
Best AI music generators for 2026: ElevenLabs, Suno, Soundraw, AIVA tested with one prompt. ElevenLabs wins on quality; Suno's free plan no longer downloads.
Read Article →Lyria 3.5 in Gemini: Free 3-Minute AI Songs for Everyone
Lyria 3.5 reached the Gemini app and the Gemini API on September 4, 2026, free for every Gemini user, with tracks that now run two to three minutes instead of the 30-second clips free users had since February. Google calls it its best-sounding music generation model, with more expressive vocals and richer arrangements. The same model is in Google Flow Music, Google AI Studio and Google Vids, and the Gemini rollout covers the web and the mobile app in every country where Gemini is available.
The app also gets new controls: a genre menu, a vocals or instrumental switch, a Short or Standard length setting and 24 templates. Below is what a free account gets, with the tracks I made on one.
Key Takeaways
- Free for every Gemini user globally on web and mobile, no paid plan required
- Standard tracks run 2 to 3 minutes, 2:43 and 2:49 in this test; Short runs about 1 minute, 1:02 in this test
- 24 templates plus Genre, Vocals and Length menus shape a track before you generate
- Every track downloads free as MP3 or MP4 with cover art and a SynthID watermark
- The Gemini API prices Lyria 3.5 at $0.08 per song, with no free tier
Need Commercial Rights? Try ElevenLabs Music
ElevenLabs Music makes studio-quality songs with vocals, gives 10,000 free credits a month, and clears commercial use starting at $6 a month on the web.
Try ElevenLabs Music Free → 2:43 Standard track in my test
1:02 Short track
24 Templates
$0.08 Per song via the API
What Changed in Gemini’s Music Generator
Before September 4 the Gemini app offered one text box for music. It now has a Genre menu, a Vocals menu, a Length menu and a grid of 24 templates, and the same Lyria 3.5 model runs in Google Flow Music, Google AI Studio and Google Vids.
Genre offers 17 presets or Custom, which follows your prompt. Vocals has three settings: Custom, Vocals on and Instrumental. Picking a template drops a question into the prompt box. Background music asks what the music is for.
Genre Presets
17 presets including Pop, K-pop, Lo-fi and Cinematic, plus Custom based on your prompt
Vocals or Instrumental
Custom (follows your prompt), Vocals on, or Instrumental
Short or Standard Length
Short came out at about a minute in my test, Standard at almost three
24 Templates
Soundscape, Brand jingle, Ringtone, Rap battle, Birthday roast, Weather report and 18 more, each loading a guiding question
Photo Prompts and Cover Art
Upload a photo as part of the prompt, and every finished track gets cover art made by Nano Banana
On features, that puts a free Gemini account close to paid tools such as ElevenLabs Music and Soundraw, both covered in our AI music generator roundup. On licensing it does not, as the comparison further down shows.
What a Free Account Made in Three Tries
I made three tracks on a free Gemini account on September 6, 2026. The Create music screen said “Create with Lyria 3.5” under its heading, and the Upgrade button was still sitting in the top corner, so no paid plan was involved.
The first prompt asked for an upbeat indie pop song with a female lead vocal about a Sunday morning coffee run in a small town, with jangly guitars, handclaps, warm bass and a sing-along chorus, Length set to Standard. Gemini named it Sunlight Through the Door. It took about two minutes, and the MP3 runs 2 minutes 43 seconds at 44.1 kHz stereo.
Lyria 3.5 Standard length, indie pop with vocals: Sunlight Through the Door (2:43)
0:00 --:--
A free account gets two Length settings, Short and Standard, with no exact times shown next to either.
For the second track I used the Background music template and answered its question with a cozy coffee shop vlog on YouTube, lo-fi, instrumental only, soft piano and a laid-back drum loop, Length set to Short. Gemini named it Paperback Tuesday and returned it in under a minute. It runs 1 minute 2 seconds and came with cover art of a coffee mug next to an open paperback.
Lyria 3.5 Short length, Background music template, lo-fi instrumental: Paperback Tuesday (1:02)
0:00 --:--
The third prompt asked for a Standard-length K-pop dance track with a confident female vocal about a first day in a new city, with an English chorus and a few Korean lines. The first attempt came back with Gemini’s reply but no player. The same prompt run again worked. Gemini named the track 나의 시간, Korean for My Time, and it runs 2 minutes 49 seconds.
Lyria 3.5 Standard length, K-pop with vocals: 나의 시간 (2:49)
0:00 --:--
That is four generations on one free account in one sitting, three of them usable, and no limit notice. Google publishes no number. Its help page only says a notification appears once you cross the limit, and that you can wait or upgrade. Each finished track offers the same two downloads: Video (audio with cover art) and Audio only (MP3).
From 30-Second Clips to Full Songs: The Lyria Timeline
- February 18, 2026 - Lyria 3 launches free in the Gemini app for users 18+, generating 30-second clips.
- March 25, 2026 - Lyria 3 Pro brings tracks up to 3 minutes, for paid Gemini subscribers plus Google Vids, AI Studio and Vertex AI.
- April 9, 2026 - Google extends 3-minute tracks to Google AI Plus and more Workspace editions; free accounts stay capped at 30 seconds.
- July 29, 2026 - Lyria 3.5 debuts in Google Flow Music, with gains in melody, lyrics, vocals and tempo control.
- September 4, 2026 - Lyria 3.5 reaches the Gemini app for everyone and the Gemini API, Standard tracks now 2 to 3 minutes free.
Info: Same model name, two rollouts
Lyria 3.5 is not brand new on September 4. It first shipped in Google Flow Music on July 29, 2026, for artists. September 4 is the separate rollout into the free Gemini app and the Gemini API.
Lyria 3.5 vs Suno, ElevenLabs Music and Soundraw
The table below lines up what a free Gemini account gets from Lyria 3.5 against three paid-first music generators.
Prices verified September 2026.
| Feature | Lyria 3.5 (Gemini) | Suno | ElevenLabs Music | Soundraw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Free, no paid tier needed | 50 credits/day | 10,000 credits a month | Unlimited previews, no downloads |
| Max track length | 2 to 3 min (2:43 and 2:49 in my test) | Up to 8 minutes | 5+ minutes | Adjustable |
| Vocals and lyrics | Yes | Yes | Yes | Instrumental only |
| Downloads on the free plan | Free MP3 and MP4 | None, listen only | None, listen only | None, preview only |
| Commercial use | Not stated by Google | No on free, yes on paid | From Starter ($6/mo) | From Creator ($12.99/mo) |
| Paid entry price | No paid tier | $10/mo ($8/mo annual) | $6/mo web ($5/mo annual) | $12.99/mo ($11.04/mo annual) |
| AI watermark | SynthID | None stated | None stated | None stated |
| Stems | No | Yes, on paid plans | No | Yes, on Artist plans |
Free full songs with vocals and free downloads are more than any of the other three give away. What Google leaves out is a commercial-use statement, stem export and any way to edit a track other than writing a new prompt. All three paid tools sell commercial licenses, and Suno and Soundraw add stems on paid plans.
Developers: What the Lyria 3.5 API Offers
The Gemini API gives developers direct access under the model id lyria-3.5. Output is 44.1 kHz stereo, delivered as MP3 by default or WAV. Custom lyrics use section tags like [Verse] and [Chorus], and a prompt can include up to 10 images to steer the sound. Length can be steered by prompt or timestamps, though generation is single-turn: no iterative editing across follow-up prompts, and identical prompts can return different results.
Every output carries a SynthID watermark, same as the app. Safety filters block requests naming specific artists’ voices or copyrighted lyrics. The price is $0.08 per song, with no free tier. The Lyria 3 Pro preview costs the same, and the older Lyria 3 Clip preview costs $0.04 for a 30-second clip.
Where This Leaves Paid Music Generators
The casual market goes to Google
Free full-length songs with vocals, inside an app people already have open, put pressure on the free tiers of Suno and everyone else. Suno’s free plan gives 50 credits a day, listen only, no downloads. A free Gemini account gets you the download. Suno’s paid plans still go longer, up to 8 minutes.
What paid tools still sell
Commercial licenses are the clearest reason to keep paying. Suno, ElevenLabs Music and Soundraw sell explicit commercial rights. Google has said nothing about Lyria 3.5 output. Stems, the separated vocal and instrument tracks, are another gap. Suno and Soundraw export them on paid plans, Gemini does not. Soundraw also trains on in-house recordings, which settles the question of whose music the model learned from before a client asks it. Of the four, only Google documents a watermark on every track.
The labeling question
Every Lyria 3.5 track carries a SynthID watermark, whether it came from the Gemini app, Google Flow Music or the API. Apple Music plans visible Made With AI labels on AI songs later this year, its own layer on top of whatever a generator embeds. Suno’s answer is licensing: Suno Studio 2.0 launched alongside a BMG deal in August. ElevenLabs sells its music on the web and in the ElevenMusic app, with commercial rights from the Starter plan. Free Gemini tracks sit outside all of that: watermarked, downloadable, and without a license anyone can point to.
Copyright-Safe Background Music with Soundraw
Soundraw makes unlimited copyright-safe instrumental tracks, free to preview, with downloads and a perpetual license starting at $11.04 a month.
Start Creating with Soundraw →FAQ
Is Lyria 3.5 free to use?
Yes. Lyria 3.5 is free for every Gemini user on web and mobile. Standard tracks run 2 to 3 minutes and Short about 1 minute, both downloadable as MP3 or MP4. The Gemini API is separate and paid, $0.08 per song with no free tier.
How long can Gemini songs be now?
Free Gemini accounts can now make Standard tracks of about 2 to 3 minutes, up from the 30-second clips free users had since February 2026. Two Standard tracks ran 2 minutes 43 seconds and 2 minutes 49 seconds in testing, and a Short track ran 1 minute 2 seconds.
Lyria 3.5 vs Suno: which one should you use?
It depends on what you need. Lyria 3.5 is free, makes full songs with vocals, and gives free downloads, but Google has not stated whether the output can be used commercially. Suno's free plan is listen-only now, but paid plans add commercial rights and tracks up to 8 minutes, better suited to release-ready music.
Can I use Lyria 3.5 music commercially or on YouTube?
Google does not say. There is no published commercial-use statement for Lyria 3.5 tracks made in the Gemini app, and every track carries a SynthID watermark identifying it as AI-generated. Tools built for paid production, like ElevenLabs Music and Soundraw, sell explicit commercial licenses instead.
What is the Gemini music generation limit?
Google has not published a number. Its support documentation only says there are limits on how many tracks a free account can create, with a notification once you cross it and the choice to wait or upgrade. In testing, four generations in a row on one free account, mixing Standard and Short, went through with no limit notice.
How much does the Lyria 3.5 API cost?
The Gemini API prices lyria-3.5 at $0.08 per song, with no free tier for developers. The older Lyria 3 Clip preview is cheaper, at $0.04 for a 30-second clip. Output is 44.1 kHz stereo, delivered as MP3 by default or WAV.
Does Lyria 3.5 watermark its music?
Yes. Every track Lyria 3.5 generates, in the Gemini app, Google Flow Music or the API, carries an embedded SynthID audio watermark. You can check any file by uploading it to Gemini and asking whether it was made with Google AI, since the watermark survives normal edits.
Sources
- Create your best tracks yet with Lyria 3.5 in Gemini - Google, September 4, 2026
- Lyria 3.5 in Flow Music - Google, July 29, 2026
- Generate music with Gemini Apps - Gemini Apps Help
- Generate music with Lyria 3.5 - Google AI for Developers
- Gemini API pricing - Google AI for Developers
- Expanding access to longer musical tracks in the Gemini app - Google Workspace Updates, April 9, 2026
- Lyria 3 Pro - Google, March 25, 2026
- Lyria model page - Google DeepMind
- Latest Lyria model comes to Gemini app - Android Authority, September 4, 2026
Related Articles
Featured 23 min read Comparison
17 min read Review
ElevenCreative Review 2026: 10 Free Minutes, Then $6/Mo
ElevenCreative gives you 10,000 free credits a month, then $6 to $99. Studio, Flows, Music v2 and Dubbing v2 reviewed, plus where the credit system bites.
Read Article →
16 min read Review
Soundraw Review 2026: Free to Try, $11.04/Mo to Download
Soundraw's free plan makes unlimited tracks but downloads nothing. What $11.04/mo buys, how the Mixer works, the new Grid app, and a real audio sample.
Read Article →