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Lyria 3.5 vs. Suno v6: Features, API Access, Pricing, and Rights

Compare Google Lyria 3.5 through the Gemini API with Suno v6’s creator workflow. See the documented differences in generation, revisions, API integration, subscription costs, and commercial-use terms.

Illustration for Lyria 3 vs suno

Short answer

This comparison uses Google Lyria 3.5 through the Gemini API and Suno’s v6 family in its creator product. They offer different routes: Google documents a music-generation API; Suno offers a creator workflow and an account-connected MCP beta. Neither the documentation cited here nor a matched listening test establishes a universal sound-quality winner.

Choose by workflow: Lyria 3.5 is a candidate when you need a documented developer request for a full song. Suno is a candidate when its creator-side editing and personalization tools fit your process. Confirm API access, current prices, and applicable terms before deployment. (ai.google.dev)

Need What the documentation says Practical fit
Short clip Google lists Lyria 3 Clip (lyria-3-clip-preview) for fixed 30-second MP3 clips. It is separate from Lyria 3.5. Consider it for a short preview; don’t treat its duration as the limit for Lyria 3.5. (ai.google.dev)
Full-length song Google lists Lyria 3.5 (lyria-3.5) for structured full-length songs, with duration described as a couple of minutes and prompt-controllable. Consider it when a developer API and structured full-song output are central. (ai.google.dev)
Song revisions Suno documents Extend, including choosing where the continuation starts and joining the selected extension to the original. Its v6 materials also describe editing a section or lyric using plain-language instructions. Suno documents creator-side revision paths. Don’t assume those are equivalent to an in-place editing API. (help.suno.com)
Personalization Suno says Voices supports using a verified voice, with Pro and Premier access and limited Free access; My Taste uses listening and creation habits to personalize style suggestions and is available to all users. Relevant if those specific creator features matter; access conditions vary by feature. (suno.com)
Developer integration Google documents Lyria through the Gemini API. Suno MCP connects an account to compatible assistants; Suno describes it as beta and says it uses the account’s credits. Google is the clearer starting point for a documented model-generation API. MCP is not a general-purpose Suno API specification. (ai.google.dev)

Which versions are being compared?

Google lists Lyria 3.5 (lyria-3.5) for full-length songs and Lyria 3 Clip (lyria-3-clip-preview) for 30-second clips. Its Gemini API guide describes text and image inputs and 44.1 kHz stereo MP3 output. These are separate model options, not interchangeable names. (ai.google.dev)

Suno’s current model materials describe the v6 family: v6 and v6-wild are for Pro and Premier subscribers; v6-mini is available to all users. Suno’s v6 help also describes editing part of a song and updating a lyric in plain language. The help materials do not establish that every editing feature is available identically on every v6 variant or plan. (help.suno.com)

Capability and workflow differences

Clips, full songs, and extensions

For a fixed short output, Google lists Lyria 3 Clip as a 30-second model. For longer structured music, Google lists Lyria 3.5 separately, with a duration of a couple of minutes that can be influenced through the prompt. Google documents vocals, timed lyrics, instrumental arrangements, and text or image inputs for the Lyria 3.5 family. These are documented capabilities, not evidence that its audio is better than Suno’s. (ai.google.dev)

Suno’s help describes an extension workflow: choose where to continue, enter new lyrics or style details, generate an extension, then use Get Whole Song to join it to the original. Suno’s v6 materials describe a separate plain-language route for editing a song section or lyric. Suno’s v6 model options have different plan access, so check which model and editing tools are available to your account. (help.suno.com)

Personalization and revisions

Suno’s Voices feature is for using a verified voice in songs; Suno lists Pro and Premier access and limited access on the Free tier. My Taste learns from listening and creation habits and can influence style suggestions through Style Augmentation; Suno says it is available to all users. These features describe different kinds of personalization, not a comparative quality advantage. (suno.com)

Audio quality

The cited official sources describe features and workflows, not a controlled Lyria-versus-Suno listening test. They do not establish a universal winner for vocal clarity, style match, instrumentation, or arrangement.

If sound quality will decide your choice, compare the exact models and routes you can access using the same prompts. Include the kinds of songs you actually need, such as a vocal track, an instrumental, and a short cue. Record which model and route produced each result, then judge your own criteria. This is a suggested evaluation method, not a test performed for this article.

Production API and Suno integration

Google’s Gemini API guide documents Lyria 3.5 with the generateContent method. The basic Python pattern below shows the model identifier, text input, and audio extraction. Google’s SDK documentation says the client can use the GEMINI_API_KEY environment variable; keep credentials out of client-side code. Confirm model access and current API terms before deploying. (ai.google.dev)

# Install: pip install -U google-genai
# Set GEMINI_API_KEY in the server environment.
from google import genai

client = genai.Client()
response = client.models.generate_content(
    model="lyria-3.5",
    contents="A warm acoustic folk song with guitar, gentle strings, and vocals.",
)

for part in response.parts:
    if part.inline_data is not None:
        with open("song.mp3", "wb") as f:
            f.write(part.inline_data.data)

Google describes the Gemini API as requiring an API key. Its current key guidance distinguishes standard and authorization keys and recommends managing keys securely; use the current API-key instructions for the project and environment you deploy. The guide’s song-duration description is approximate, so validate output duration and operational behavior for your use case rather than treating the example as a service-level guarantee. (ai.google.dev)

Suno’s official MCP beta connects a Suno account to supported AI assistants. Suno says it works with all Suno plans, including Free, and that music generation uses the account’s credits. It supports creator actions such as conversational creation, starting from uploaded audio, and making covers, extensions, or mashups from library songs. This is an account-connected creator integration—not a published general-purpose API specification with application schemas and deployment guarantees. (suno.com)

Developer takeaway: Evaluate Google first if your requirement is a documented model-generation API. Consider Suno MCP if an assistant-connected workflow using a Suno account fits. Do not treat either this short example or Suno MCP as a complete production specification; confirm access, quotas, operational limits, and terms for your account and deployment.

Pricing and commercial-use rights

These costs use different billing units, so they are not a like-for-like per-song comparison:

  • Lyria 3.5 API: Current pricing references report $0.08 per generated full song. Treat that as a per-generation API figure and confirm the current Gemini API tariff before budgeting. (mlq.ai)
  • Suno creator plans: Recent pricing summaries list Free at $0, Pro at $10 per month or $96 per year (equivalent to $8/month when billed annually), and Premier at $30 per month or $288 per year (equivalent to $24/month when billed annually). These are subscription prices, not a guaranteed cost per finished or downloaded song; plan credits and features differ. Check Suno’s pricing page for current terms and any applicable taxes. (comparedge.com)

For Suno, the relevant timing condition is important: Suno says songs made while subscribed to a paid plan are granted commercial-use rights; Free-plan songs are for personal, non-commercial use. A later subscription does not grant retroactive commercial-use rights by default, though Suno says it may offer retroactive rights in specific cases. Suno also says commercial-use permission is not a guarantee of copyright protection. (help.suno.com)

Google’s Gemini API terms say Google does not claim ownership of generated content. That statement alone does not settle every permission, restriction, or legal question for a commercial product. Review the terms that apply to your API route and deployment; treat commercial release as pending that review rather than assuming non-ownership is a complete license. (ai.google.dev)

Which should you choose?

  • Choose Lyria 3 Clip if you need the specifically documented fixed 30-second option; consider Lyria 3.5 for the separate full-song model and documented Gemini API flow. Verify access, current price, and applicable terms first. (ai.google.dev)
  • Choose Suno’s creator workflow if its documented extensions, v6 editing, or personalization features fit your process. Check which model and features your plan includes. (help.suno.com)
  • For assistant-connected creation, Suno MCP is a beta option tied to a Suno account and its credits; it is not a substitute for a general-purpose generation API. (help.suno.com)
  • Don’t choose on an unsupported quality ranking or a misleading cost-per-song comparison. Compare outputs with matched prompts, then verify the relevant billing unit and usage terms before production.

Bottom line

The documented distinction is Google’s Gemini API route for Lyria 3.5 versus Suno’s v6 creator tools and account-connected MCP beta. That supports a workflow-based choice, not a blanket claim that one sounds better. Confirm current API prices and plan costs, and resolve song-specific commercial-use conditions before committing.

Sources

Generate music with Lyria 3.5 — Gemini API

Using Gemini API keys

Migrate to the Google GenAI SDK

Gemini API Additional Terms of Service

What’s new in v6?

v6 FAQ

How do I make my song longer?

Suno Voices

My Taste

Suno MCP (beta)

Suno MCP (Beta): FAQ

Suno Pricing

Suno Pricing 2026: Free, Pro & Premier Plans

Suno Pricing 2026: Free vs Pro vs Premier

What is commercial use?

If I subscribe, do I get rights for songs I made before subscribing?

What are copyrights?

Lyria API Pricing: Cost per Song and per Clip

Google releases Lyria 3.5 music generation in Gemini and its API

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