Seven AI sound effect generators for video, games, and podcasts, ranked: Mirelo SFX 2.0, Sonilo, SFX Engine, Envato SoundGen, Suno Sounds, HunyuanVideo-Foley, and MyEdit, with clip lengths, licenses, and prices.
Mirelo SFX 2.0 is the best AI sound effect generator for video: it watches an edit up to 10 minutes long and adds synced Foley, impacts, and ambience while keeping the dialogue.
Sonilo does both video-to-sound and text-to-sound, with WAV downloads and a commercial license from $11.99 a month billed yearly.
SFX Engine is the quickest way to type a description and get usable sounds, with clips up to 47 seconds and four takes per prompt.
HunyuanVideo-Foley is the strongest free, open-source option for adding sound to video, if you have a GPU with at least 8GB of memory to run its smaller model.
Most free tiers here don't allow commercial use, so check the license before you publish.
AI sound effect tools work in one of two ways. Text-to-sound generates an effect from a description, like "heavy wooden door creaking open in a stone hall," and it's a good fit for game assets, podcast stings, and building a library. Video-to-sound watches your footage and generates effects timed to what happens on screen, from footsteps to car passes, which saves hours of manual Foley work on a finished edit. Some tools do both, so you don't need two subscriptions. Whatever you use, the license matters as much as the sound, since several free plans are for personal use only.
We looked at sound quality and realism, whether each tool handles text, video, or both, timing accuracy against picture, clip length, variations per prompt, export formats, commercial licensing, and price.
Tool | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
Mirelo SFX 2.0 | Sound for finished video | Free (non-commercial), Creator €20/mo |
Sonilo | Video and text in one app | Free (non-commercial), Pro $11.99/mo billed yearly |
SFX Engine | Fast text-to-sound | Starter $10/mo |
Envato SoundGen | Envato subscribers | Included with Envato plans |
Suno Sounds | Loops and one-shots for music | Pro $8/mo billed yearly |
HunyuanVideo-Foley | Free, open-source video-to-sound | Free (open source) |
MyEdit | Casual browser use | Free daily credits |
Mirelo is a Berlin-based audio startup, and SFX 2.0, released October 14, 2026, is its newest video-to-sound model.
What works: Upload a video up to 10 minutes long and Mirelo generates Foley, impacts, and ambience synced to the picture, keeps existing dialogue, and removes music that was baked into the clip. You can also generate from text alone, and developers get an API. The free plan includes about eight minutes of SFX 2.0 sound a month, and the Creator plan costs €20 a month for about 40 minutes, both at a launch rate that runs until December 12, 2026, after which the same credits cover roughly a third less.
What doesn't: Free exports are watermarked, non-commercial, and must credit Mirelo, and free users can't opt out of Mirelo training on their uploads.
Best for: Editors and YouTubers who want a whole cut sound-designed in one pass.
Sonilo is an AI audio company, and Sonilo Sound Effects 1.0, released July 25, 2026, handles both video-to-sound and text-to-sound.
What works: It generates effects from a description or from uploaded video, and exports WAV, MP3, or M4A. Pro costs $11.99 a month billed yearly, or $20 monthly, covers videos up to eight minutes, and includes commercial use for ads, client work, monetized channels, and indie games, with a license certificate. Premium adds 30-minute videos and film, TV, and broadcast rights. There's also an API.
What doesn't: The free plan exports at preview quality for non-commercial use only, and every generation is billed at least 15 seconds.
Best for: Creators who want clear commercial terms and both ways of generating sound.
SFX Engine is a web app built for turning a text description into sound effects.
What works: It generates clips up to 47 seconds and returns up to four variations side by side, so you can pick the best take. Each sound costs three credits, and the Starter plan is $10 a month, or $8 billed yearly, for 500 credits, about 166 sounds. Every paid plan includes royalty-free commercial use, and it also has an API.
What doesn't: The free trial covers only a few sounds, and you need a paid plan to download them.
Best for: Game developers and video creators who need lots of one-off effects quickly.
SoundGen is the AI sound effect generator inside Envato, the stock asset marketplace.
What works: It generates clips from 1 to 22 seconds and up to five versions per prompt, with a loop option for ambience like rain or room tone. Downloads come with a lifetime commercial license for client and personal projects, and it sits next to Envato's library of stock music and recorded effects. Sound generations draw on the AI credits included in Envato plans.
What doesn't: Clips top out at 22 seconds, exports are MP3, and lower plans include few AI credits.
Best for: Video editors who already use Envato for stock footage and music.
Sounds is a beta feature in Suno, the AI music generator, for making short samples.
What works: You can generate a one-shot or a seamless loop and set the tempo and key, so the result fits a track you're already producing. Each prompt returns two samples. Commercial use comes with Suno's Pro plan, from $8 a month billed yearly, and its Premier plan.
What doesn't: It's still labeled experimental, and a loop can come back as a full musical arrangement instead of one clean sound.
Best for: Musicians and producers who need sounds that match their track.
HunyuanVideo-Foley is Tencent's open-source model that generates sound effects matched to video.
What works: It outputs 48kHz audio synced to on-screen action and runs on your own computer. Its license allows commercial use, and Tencent claims no rights over what you generate.
What doesn't: It needs a GPU with 16GB to 20GB of memory, or 8GB to 12GB in its slower offload mode, the license doesn't apply in the EU, the UK, or South Korea, and it hasn't been updated since 2025.
Best for: Technical creators who want private, free video-to-sound on their own hardware.
MyEdit is CyberLink's online editing suite, with a video sound generator among its AI tools.
What works: Upload a short video, and it generates matching sound, with no software to install. Free users get daily credits, and MyEdit's FAQ says you can use the generated sound commercially.
What doesn't: It offers fewer controls than the dedicated tools here, and it's built for quick clips rather than long edits.
Best for: Beginners who want to add sound to a short clip for free.
Some popular tools use AI to find and place real recordings instead of generating new audio. Krotos Studio's Video to Sound plug-in for DaVinci Resolve Studio analyzes a clip and places ambiences, whooshes, and impacts from a library of more than 100,000 recordings. It's a good fit if you prefer recorded sound, but it doesn't generate new effects.
Usually, on a paid plan. Mirelo and Sonilo limit their free tiers to non-commercial use and require credit, SFX Engine and Envato include commercial rights with paid plans, and Suno requires Pro or Premier. Open-source models vary: HunyuanVideo-Foley allows commercial use outside the EU, the UK, and South Korea, while many other open models, including Sony's Woosh, release their weights for non-commercial use only.
Mirelo SFX 2.0, for adding sound to video: it syncs Foley, impacts, and ambience to an edit up to 10 minutes long. For generating sounds from text, SFX Engine and Sonilo are the strongest picks.
Yes. Mirelo, Sonilo, and MyEdit generate effects timed to uploaded video, and HunyuanVideo-Foley does the same locally for free.
Mirelo and Sonilo have free plans for non-commercial use, MyEdit gives free daily credits, and HunyuanVideo-Foley is free and open source if you have a powerful GPU.
Yes. Envato SoundGen has a loop option for ambience, and Suno Sounds makes seamless loops at a set tempo and key.
On some free plans, yes. Mirelo's and Sonilo's free tiers require credit when you share, while paid plans on the tools here don't.
