For sound effects you will ship, the question is rights before sound. ElevenLabs' own site says it plainly: "As long as you have a paid account, you can use our sound effects royalty-free in commercial projects", while its free plan is personal use only. The same ElevenLabs model runs on 8frame, where one effect costs 1 to 6 credits depending on its length, next to the clip it belongs to. Meta's AudioGen is open and free to run, but its weights are licensed for non-commercial use only.
TL;DR
| Need | Pick | Rights | Length | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effects for commercial work, on their own | ElevenLabs Sound Effects, paid plan | Royalty-free commercial on paid plans | Up to 30 s | Per plan |
| Effects placed on a video you are making | ElevenLabs Sound Effects on 8frame | Commercial use on paid 8frame plans | 0.5 to 22 s | 1 to 6 credits by length |
| Research and personal projects, run locally | Meta AudioGen | Weights CC-BY-NC 4.0, non-commercial | Your setup | Free, your GPU |
The picks
ElevenLabs Sound Effects: the reference tool
ElevenLabs' sound effects page, checked 2026-09-29, lists a maximum clip length of 30 seconds on paid plans, seamless looping on the Creator and Pro plans, and commercial, royalty-free use for paid accounts. Free accounts are "Personal use only". If you need loops for a game or an app, or effects you will keep in a library, this is the tool to pay for.
ElevenLabs Sound Effects on 8frame: effects next to the picture
On 8frame the same model generates effects from a text prompt of 3 to 500 characters, from half a second to 22 seconds long. The price follows length:
| Effect length | Credits |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 s | 1 |
| Up to 8 s | 2 |
| Up to 12 s | 3 |
| Up to 17 s | 5 |
| Up to 22 s, or length left on automatic | 6 |
A whoosh, a door or a single impact costs 1 credit, about a cent at pack rate. The reason to do it here rather than in a separate tool is timing: the effect generates on the canvas beside the shot, so you judge it against the picture straight away. Leaving the length on automatic bills the 22-second tier, so set a length for short sounds.
Meta AudioGen: open, but not for client work
AudioGen is Meta's text-to-sound model in the AudioCraft repository. The code is MIT-licensed; the model weights are "released under the CC-BY-NC 4.0 license" (github.com/facebookresearch/audiocraft, checked 2026-09-29). Non-commercial means no ads, no client work and no monetized video. It is a good way to learn how text-to-sound behaves at zero cost if you have a GPU.
Writing prompts that work
Sound effect prompts reward the same specificity as image prompts:
- Name the source and the material: "wooden door creaking open slowly", not "door sound".
- Say the space: "in a small tiled bathroom" changes the reverb.
- Give the length you need, and on 8frame set it, since automatic length bills the top tier.
- One event per effect. Layer a footstep and a door as two effects rather than asking for both at once.
FAQ
What is the best AI sound effects generator in 2026? ElevenLabs Sound Effects on a paid plan, for royalty-free commercial use, clips up to 30 seconds and looping on higher plans. On 8frame the same model costs 1 to 6 credits per effect, next to your video.
Can I use AI sound effects commercially? With ElevenLabs, only on a paid account; the free plan is personal use only. Meta's AudioGen weights are non-commercial. On 8frame, paid plans clear commercial use.
How much does an AI sound effect cost on 8frame? 1 credit up to 4 seconds, 2 up to 8, 3 up to 12, 5 up to 17 and 6 up to 22 seconds.
How long can an AI sound effect be? Up to 30 seconds on ElevenLabs' paid plans, and up to 22 seconds on 8frame.
Sources
- ElevenLabs: "Max clip length" 30 sec on paid tiers, "Seamless looping" on Creator and Pro, "Personal use only" on free, "As long as you have a paid account, you can use our sound effects royalty-free in commercial projects": elevenlabs.io/sound-effects, fetched 2026-09-29
- AudioGen: code "released under the MIT license", weights "released under the CC-BY-NC 4.0 license": github.com/facebookresearch/audiocraft, fetched 2026-09-29
- 8frame prompt limits, length range and price steps: the 8frame tool registry, 2026-09-29
Generate the whoosh where the cut is. The 8frame canvas is free and unlimited, and generation is paid from $19/month.