Best AI for Audio & Music Generation
AI models for speech synthesis, music creation, and audio understanding
What to Look For
- Voice naturalness and expressiveness
- Music quality and genre diversity
- Multi-language support
- Real-time and streaming capability
- Audio understanding and transcription
- Pricing structure (per-second, per-character, subscription)
Top Recommended Models
Sora 2
OpenAI
$5.00/M in · $100.00/M out
Veo 3
$5.00/M in · $150.00/M out
Veo 3.1
$3.00/M in · $80.00/M out
| # | Model | Avg Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sora 2 OpenAI | 0.0 |
| 2 | Veo 3 | 0.0 |
| 3 | Veo 3.1 | 0.0 |
| 4 | Kling 2.6 Kuaishou | 0.0 |
| 5 | Kling 3.0 Kuaishou | 0.0 |
| 6 | Seedance 2.0 ByteDance | 0.0 |
| 7 | LTX-2 Lightricks | 0.0 |
| 8 | Whisper Large V3 OpenAI | 0.0 |
| 9 | Whisper Large V3 Turbo OpenAI | 0.0 |
| 10 | Canary-1B-Flash NVIDIA | 0.0 |
| 11 | Amazon Nova 2 Sonic Amazon | 0.0 |
How We Ranked These
Models are ranked by their average benchmark score across all available benchmarks in the relevant categories. For “Audio & Music”, we filter models that match specific criteria (such as modality, tier, or benchmark category) and then sort by aggregate performance.
Benchmark data comes from official sources and is updated regularly. Pricing reflects the latest published API rates. We do not accept payment for rankings — placement is determined entirely by benchmark performance.
Why It Matters
AI audio generation encompasses a broad range of capabilities, from text-to-speech synthesis and voice cloning to full music composition and sound effect creation. The best speech synthesis models produce voices that are virtually indistinguishable from human recordings, with natural intonation, appropriate pacing, and emotional expressiveness. They support dozens of languages and accents, making them ideal for global content creation, audiobook production, podcast generation, and accessibility applications.
Music generation AI has evolved from producing simple melodies to creating full, multi-instrument compositions across genres. Leading models can generate production-ready tracks from text descriptions, extend existing musical ideas, and even remix or rearrange audio. Voice cloning technology allows you to create custom voices from short reference samples, enabling personalized content at scale. Audio understanding models complement generation by transcribing speech, identifying speakers, detecting emotions, classifying sounds, and extracting musical elements from recordings.
When evaluating audio AI models, prioritize voice naturalness for speech applications and musical quality for composition tasks. Multi-language support is critical for global deployments, while real-time capability matters for interactive applications like virtual assistants and live translation. Consider whether the model supports streaming output for low-latency use cases, and review licensing terms carefully, especially for music generation where copyright and usage rights can be complex. Pricing models vary from per-character or per-second fees to flat monthly subscriptions.
Compare the top audio & music models side by side
See how Sora 2, Veo 3, Veo 3.1 stack up against each other across benchmarks, pricing, and capabilities.
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What is the best AI for audio & music?
Based on our benchmark analysis, Sora 2 by OpenAI is currently the top-ranked AI model for audio & music, with an average benchmark score of 0.0. Veo 3 and Veo 3.1 are also strong contenders.
How do you rank AI models for audio & music?
We rank models using a combination of benchmark scores, pricing data, and capability analysis. For audio & music, we prioritize voice naturalness and expressiveness and music quality and genre diversity. Models are sorted by their average benchmark score across relevant categories.
Are open-source models good for audio & music?
Open-source models have improved significantly and can be excellent for audio & music, especially when budget or data privacy are concerns. Among our ranked models, LTX-2 and Whisper Large V3 are strong open-source options.