ACE Music v1: #1 AI Song Model vs Suno, Price & How to Use
ACE Music v1 from ACE Studio tops the AA vocal leaderboard at 1160 Elo, ahead of Suno v6. Features, free and paid plans, and how it compares with Suno and Udio.
Quick answers
- What is ACE Music v1?
- ACE Music v1 is a text-to-song AI model from ACE Studio, launched November 11, 2026. It makes full songs with vocals, or instrumentals, from a prompt, your lyrics, a MIDI file or a hummed melody.
- Is ACE Music v1 better than Suno?
- On the Artificial Analysis vocal leaderboard, ACE Music v1 is #1 at 1160 Elo, 16 points ahead of Suno v6 (1144). Suno v6 still leads the instrumental board.
- Is ACE Music v1 free?
- Yes, there is a free plan with 20 credits a day (about 10 songs), but free songs cannot be downloaded or used commercially. Creator costs $7.90 a month billed yearly.
- Does ACE Music v1 have an API?
- No. ACE Music v1 runs only in the ACE Music web app for now.
ACE Music v1 is the new #1 AI vocal music model, just ahead of Suno v6. ACE Studio launched ACE Music v1 on November 11, 2026, and it went straight to the top of the Artificial Analysis vocal leaderboard with 1160 Elo. Suno v6 sits at 1144, Suno v6-mini at 1132 and Mureka V9.5 at 1101.
Below: what ACE Music v1 does, how ACE Music v1 compares with Suno and Udio, what it costs, and a prompt you can paste in to try ACE Music v1 today.
ACE Music v1 at a glance
Item | ACE Music v1 |
|---|---|
Maker | ACE Studio (AI singing voice company, founded 2018) |
Launched | November 11, 2026 |
Makes | Full songs with vocals, vocals only, or instrumentals |
Inputs | Text prompt, your lyrics, MIDI, in-browser keyboard, hummed melody |
Leaderboard | #1 on AA-Music-Vocal v1.1, 1160 Elo (rank range 1–2) |
Free plan | 20 credits a day, about 10 songs, no downloads |
Paid plans | Creator $7.90/mo, Artist $16.58/mo (billed yearly) |
API / weights | No API, closed weights |
Sibling model | ACE Music v1.1 Preview (writes a score first) |
ACE Music v1 vs Suno v6: the leaderboard
Artificial Analysis runs blind tests: listeners hear two songs made from the same prompt and pick the better one without knowing which model made which. Here is the vocal board on launch day.
Rank | Model | Elo |
|---|---|---|
1 | ACE Music v1 | 1160 |
2 | Suno v6 | 1144 |
3 | Suno v6-mini | 1132 |
4 | Mureka V9.5 | 1101 |
5 | Mureka V9 | 1063 |
6 | Google Lyria 3.5 | 1050 |
8 | ElevenLabs Eleven Music v2.5 | 1016 |
The lead is small. The margin is about plus or minus 20 points and the new model has fewer votes than Suno, so the two can swap places as votes come in. Testers found ACE Music v1 strongest on reggae, dancehall, classical and orchestral prompts. On the instrumental board, Suno v6 still leads at 1148.
What ACE Music v1 can do
- Text to song: describe genre, mood, pace, instruments, voice and subject. Add "instrumental, no vocals" for a track without singing.
- Lyrics to song: paste your own words and pick a style.
- Melody to song: play notes on the browser keyboard, upload MIDI or hum into the mic, and ACE Music v1 builds a full track around it.
- Remix tools: Image to Song, AI Cover, Mashup Maker and stem separation.
- Two takes each time: every request returns two versions that go to your Library.
- v1.1 Preview: writes the melody, rhythm and chords as a score first, then makes audio, so you can edit the chords and regenerate.
ACE Music v1 vs Suno vs Udio
ACE Music v1 | Suno v6 | Udio | |
|---|---|---|---|
Vocal leaderboard | #1 (1160) | #2 (1144) | Not in top 8 |
Start from a melody | Yes: hum, MIDI, keyboard | Yes: MIDI | Audio upload and remix |
Free plan | 20 credits/day, no downloads | Daily credits | Daily credits |
Entry paid plan | $7.90/mo yearly | Paid tiers | Paid tiers |
API | No | No official API | No official API |
Best for | Vocals, melody-first writers | Instrumentals, big library of styles | Remixing and editing |
If you write a tune first and words second, ACE Music v1 is the one to try: hum the hook and let it build the song. If you mostly make instrumentals, Suno still leads that board. Udio remains a remix and edit tool more than a vocal leader.
ACE Music v1 pricing
- Free: 20 credits a day (up to 10 songs), shared queue, no downloads, no commercial use.
- Creator: $7.90 a month billed yearly, 1,000 credits a month (up to 500 songs), downloads, priority queue, stem splitter, commercial rights.
- Artist: $16.58 a month billed yearly, 2,500 credits a month, plus the full ACE Studio DAW with AI vocals, instruments and voice cloning.
- Open option: ACE-Step v1.5 XL, the open model ACE Studio co-built with StepFun, runs in the same app with free MP3 downloads.
How to try ACE Music v1
- Sign in at acemusic.ai and open Create.
- Pick ACE Music v1 in the model menu.
- Paste a prompt like: "Seventies roots reggae, slow and proud. Deep hand drums, thick round bass, offbeat guitar, warm organ. A gruff male voice with three-part harmony on the chorus. A song about rebuilding a seaside town after a storm."
- Compare the two takes, then run the same prompt on ACE-Step v1.5 XL to hear what the closed model adds.
Let an AI Employee run your music tests
Comparing music models takes time: same prompt, many models, notes on each. A Sumus AI Employee can do that legwork for you. It can collect launch facts, build a prompt list for ACE Music v1, Suno and others, track leaderboard changes and post a short report in your team chat. This post was written by a Sumus AI Employee.
What we're watching
- Whether ACE Music v1 holds #1 as votes grow.
- An API or ACE Music Flash release for local use.
- Whether it joins the instrumental leaderboard.
FAQ
Who makes ACE Music v1?
ACE Studio, a company that started in AI singing voice synthesis in 2018 and makes the ACE Studio music workstation.
Can I download songs on the free plan?
No. Free songs stay in the app. Downloads and commercial use start on the Creator plan at $7.90 a month billed yearly.
Is ACE Music v1 open source?
No. The closed model runs in the web app. ACE Studio's open model is ACE-Step v1.5 XL.
What is ACE Music v1.1 Preview?
A sibling model that writes a score in ABC notation first and then makes audio. ACE suggests it when you already have a melody.
Can a Sumus AI Employee compare music models for me?
Yes. It can collect facts, prepare prompt lists and post a comparison report in your team chat.
Update log
- — Nov 12: First version: ACE Music v1 launch, AA vocal leaderboard, features, pricing, vs Suno and Udio.