Soundraw vs AIVA for Australians 2026: Which AI Music Generator?

Pricing figures updated 6 September 2026: USD prices are converted at the current rate (1 USD ≈ 1.40 AUD, verified 5 September 2026) and shown ex-GST, replacing the retired 1.55 + GST basis. A GST-registered Australian business that supplies its ABN is not charged GST on an imported digital service; other buyers should allow ~10% on top (Methodology).

Archived edition: our verdict as at 25 Jun 2026. Kept unchanged as the record of what we said then. Read the current edition: Soundraw vs AIVA for Australians 2026: Which AI Music Generator? · Why we keep every edition

Winner: Soundraw for most Australian content creators. Its Creator plan is the cheapest royalty-free path (A$9.16 a month billed annually, in Soundraw's own Australian prices), the bar-level editor is the best in class for non-musicians, and the licence is clean and perpetual — tracks stay yours after you cancel. Pick AIVA if you specifically need cinematic, orchestral scoring or music you fully own — but only on its Pro plan, because copyright stays with AIVA on every cheaper tier. Soundraw scores 14/25, AIVA 13/25, and both miss our Australian Fit gate, so neither is a category Top Pick.

Last reviewed: 25 June 2026 by Adam.

If you need AI-generated music for videos, podcasts or client work, these are two of the names you'll keep hitting — and they answer different questions. Soundraw is a Japanese tool built for content creators who want royalty-free background tracks without Content ID headaches. AIVA is a Luxembourg-based composer that has been scoring cinematic music since 2016. Both are instrumental-only, both bill offshore, and both do their core job well. The split is what you're making — a steady supply of brand-safe background music, or a properly composed orchestral cue — and, crucially for commercial use, who ends up owning the track.

At a glance

What both tools actually do

Both turn a few choices into a finished instrumental track in minutes, with no musical knowledge required. Pick a style, set a mood and a length, wait a minute or two, and download. Neither generates vocals, voice-overs or lyrics — if you need a sung hook, both send you to Suno or Udio. And neither has built anything specific to Australia: the music is globally applicable, but the billing, support and data handling all sit offshore.

Soundraw is the background-music workhorse. Built in Tokyo, it covers 30-plus genres, generates fifteen variations at once, then hands you a visual bar-by-bar editor where you toggle instrument layers, reshape sections and adjust energy without ever opening a digital audio workstation. Its two real differentiators are the editor — genuinely the best at this price for non-musicians — and the licence: every paid plan is royalty-free, and the download licence is perpetual, so tracks you grab while subscribed stay licensed forever, even after you cancel.

AIVA is the composer. Built in Luxembourg and running since 2016, it offers 250-plus styles, understands musical structure — pieces build, peak and resolve rather than just loop — and lets you upload a reference track to train a custom style model for a consistent sonic brand. When you want strings, brass and a sense of dramatic arc, nothing else gets as close. The catch is ownership: on Free and Standard, AIVA keeps the copyright. Only the Pro plan transfers it to you.

In short: Soundraw is the cheaper, friendlier choice for everyday content; AIVA is the stronger choice for cinematic scoring and full ownership, if you'll pay for Pro.

Pricing in Australia

Soundraw now quotes Australian dollars to Australian visitors (read 30 September 2026; whether the card is charged in AUD was not tested). AIVA charges in euros, so its AUD figures are estimates that move with the exchange rate, plus any card conversion fee.

Soundraw opens its free account for generating and previewing — you just can't download until you pay. The Creator plan is A$9.16 a month on annual billing (A$15.99 month to month), which buys unlimited MP3 downloads. Step up for WAV files and stems and you reach Artist Pro at A$19.92 a month annual (A$46.99 monthly), with Artist Unlimited at A$27.42 (A$78.99). These are Soundraw's own Australian prices. GST treatment is not stated anywhere on the site, and the terms are governed by Japanese law, so check your first invoice.

AIVA opens at €11/month for Standard on annual billing (about A$18), which buys 15 downloads, five-minute tracks and the right to publish to YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Instagram only. Pro is €33/month annual (about A$53) for 300 downloads, longer tracks, WAV and stems — and, the part that matters most, copyright transferred to you. AIVA does not collect Australian GST at checkout; its terms place local taxes on the buyer, so keep your own records if you're GST-registered.

The honest read: Soundraw's Creator is now cheaper than AIVA's Standard even at face value (A$9.16 against about A$18 a month on annual billing), and they don't buy the same thing. Soundraw's Creator gives you unlimited royalty-free downloads you own; AIVA's Standard gives you 15 downloads AIVA still owns. Compare ownership for ownership and you're looking at Soundraw's Creator (A$9.16) against AIVA's Pro (about A$53) — Soundraw is both cheaper and unlimited.

Where Soundraw wins

• Clean, perpetual licensing on every plan. Every paid tier is royalty-free and the download licence survives cancellation. You're never locked into a subscription just to keep using music you already paid for — and you own usage rights from the entry plan, not the top one.
• The best editor for non-musicians. The bar-level editor lets you reshape structure, swap instruments and adjust energy without any technical skill. A café owner can build a 45-second Lo-Fi track tailored to their brand in ten minutes.
• Cheaper unlimited downloads. Creator at A$9.16 a month (annual) gives unlimited MP3s. AIVA caps downloads on every tier (15 on Standard, 300 on Pro).
• Ethical training, stated plainly. Tracks are trained only on Soundraw's in-house producers' music, not scraped artists — useful reassurance for commercial clients worried about legal exposure.
• Preview before you pay, no card. Generate and edit fifteen tracks fully on a free account before committing — the lowest-friction way to find out whether the tool suits you.

Where AIVA wins

• Best-in-class orchestral and cinematic output. AIVA understands compositional arc, and for strings, brass and dramatic scoring nothing comparable gets as close. For filmmakers, game developers and launch-video producers, that quality gap is the whole point.
• Custom style models. Upload a reference track and AIVA orients future generations toward that character — a genuine way to build a consistent sonic identity across a project.
• Far more styles. 250-plus styles against Soundraw's 30-plus genres, and the breadth is real, not a marketing number.
• Longevity. Operating since 2016, AIVA is not a venture product that might vanish in eighteen months — reassurance if you're building a library of owned compositions on Pro.
• MIDI and a real score editor. MIDI export on all plans and a notation-based score editor give music-literate users deeper control than Soundraw offers — though non-musicians won't get much from it.

Which to pick — decision framework

• You make YouTube videos, podcasts or social content and want brand-safe background music → Soundraw. Creator gives you unlimited, owned, royalty-free tracks and the best editor for the money.
• You need cinematic or orchestral scoring for a film, game or launch video → AIVA Pro. Nothing else composes a dramatic arc this well.
• You need to fully own the music for client work or ads → both can, but Soundraw owns-you from Creator (A$9.16) while AIVA only owns-you from Pro (A$53). Soundraw is cheaper for ownership.
• You want unlimited downloads → Soundraw. AIVA caps every tier.
• You want a consistent custom sound across a whole project → AIVA, for its custom style models.
• You need vocals or a sung jingle → neither — both are instrumental-only. Look at Suno or Udio, or commission a local producer.
• Your business has data-sensitivity requirements → take stock first. Neither offers Australian data residency; AIVA confirms European hosting, Soundraw doesn't disclose its server location at all.

The verdict

Winner: Soundraw, for the typical Australian content creator. It scores 14/25 to AIVA's 13/25, but the decision is really about the job. Most Australian small businesses making videos, social content or podcasts need a steady, brand-safe supply of background music they can use without thinking about it — and for that, Soundraw is hard to beat: about A$24/month for unlimited downloads, the best editor at the price, ethical training, and a perpetual royalty-free licence that means you own your usage rights from the entry tier and keep them after you cancel.

AIVA is the better tool for one specific buyer — the filmmaker, game developer or producer who needs genuine orchestral and cinematic composition, and who'll pay for Pro to own the result. On that brief, AIVA's quality and its custom style models put it ahead of anything else. But read the copyright trap first: on Free and Standard, AIVA keeps the rights, so any commercial use below Pro is on shaky ground, and Pro at about A$53/month is dearer than Soundraw's unlimited Creator. The honest framing: pick Soundraw for everyday royalty-free content and clean ownership from the start; pick AIVA Pro when cinematic quality is the whole point and the budget is there. Two good tools doing different jobs — separated less by quality than by what you're trying to make, and by who owns it when you're done.

Frequently asked questions

Are Soundraw and AIVA available in Australia?

Yes — both are web tools you can sign up for and use from Australia (AIVA also has a desktop app). Neither has an Australian office, data region or local support: Soundraw's team is in Tokyo, AIVA's in Luxembourg, and support runs on their home time zones.

Do they charge in AUD?

Soundraw now quotes Australian dollars (Creator A$9.16 a month billed annually, A$15.99 monthly; checked 30 September 2026, checkout currency untested); AIVA bills in euros, so its figures are estimates: AIVA's Standard from about A$18/month and Pro from about A$53/month (€11 and €33 annual). Soundraw doesn't state GST treatment; AIVA doesn't collect GST and places local taxes on the buyer. Check your invoice.

Which one lets me actually own the music for commercial use?

Both can, but at different prices. Soundraw gives every paid plan a royalty-free commercial licence that's perpetual — yours from the Creator tier (A$9.16 a month billed annually) and surviving cancellation. AIVA only transfers copyright on its Pro plan (about A$53/month); on Free and Standard, AIVA keeps the copyright, and Standard only lets you publish to YouTube, Twitch, TikTok and Instagram.

Which sounds better — Soundraw or AIVA?

It depends on the job. AIVA produces the stronger cinematic and orchestral compositions, with real musical structure — the better choice for film, game or launch-video scoring. Soundraw produces consistent, reliable background music and gives you a far better editor to tailor it. For everyday content, Soundraw; for dramatic scoring, AIVA.

Can either make songs with vocals?

No. Both are instrumental-only — no vocals, voice-overs or lyrics. For sung tracks or jingles with a hook, look at Suno or Udio, or commission a local producer.

Read next

• Full reviews: Soundraw (14/25) and AIVA (13/25)
• Category guide: Best AI music tools in Australia 2026
• How we score: Methodology

Sources

This comparison draws on The AI Directory Australia's underlying reviews of Soundraw (14/25, AU Fit 2/5) and AIVA (13/25, AU Fit 1/5), each scored against our five-criteria framework and verified against the vendors' own pricing, licensing and terms pages on 20 June 2026. Soundraw's USD figures and AIVA's euro figures are carried from those verified reviews; both vendors price offshore and neither bills in AUD. Soundraw does not state GST treatment in its Japanese-law terms; AIVA's terms (Section 8) place local taxes on the buyer and do not collect Australian GST at checkout — confirm both in-account before purchase. Star ratings and Top Pick eligibility follow our Australian Fit gate. USD-to-AUD estimates use ~1.40; AIVA's euro figures carry the underlying review's ~1.70 conversion. Wayback Machine snapshots queued.

The AI Directory Australia is an independent editorial publication. Read our Methodology and Affiliate Disclosure.

Synthesised from The AI Directory's verified Soundraw and AIVA reviews (20 June 2026). Both vendors bill offshore — confirm live pricing, GST and copyright terms before purchase.