The Best Free Sound and Music Libraries for Editing Your Podcast

Take your podcast to the next level with these 13 royalty-free music and sound effects apps

Up there with the script and actual recording, the way you edit your podcast is key. During this process, your choices regarding music and sound effects have the power to make the final result shine, and will help you connect more with your audience.

If you've already created your own podcast or are about to record an episode, this list of free and pay-for resources and apps will help you uncover a vast source of royalty-free music and sound effects, presenting you with a range of options when it comes to editing your work and making it sound its best.

YouTube Audio Library

When you visit the Audio Library via YouTube Studio, you will discover a extensive catalog that includes over ten music genres–such as Funky, Cinematic, and Children's–so you can decide according to the theme of your podcast. There is also the option to apply a “Mood” filter when browsing. To access this library, you will need to be logged into a Google account.

What will you find? Songs and sound effects
Price: free

Pixabay

We expect that you have used this platform to find royalty-free images and videos, but another of its options is its music catalog, completely free. With a very simple user interface, it is easy to navigate and move through its genre, rhythm, or mood filters.

What will you find? Songs
Price: free

99Sounds

This is an indie sound design label created exclusively to offer you free sound packs. All resources are royalty free and can be used in any creative project. Because there is so much variety, it's easy to find several effects to combine in an episode of your podcast. This will make it more enjoyable.

What will you find? Sound effects
Price: free

Musopen

If you’re looking for a particular type of music, such as classical, Musopen is a great option. Founded in 2012, their music library is organized by composer, performer, instrument, period, and style. You will find works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, and Verdi. The free version allows you to download five songs a day.

What will you find? Songs
Price: free and subscription-based

Free Music Archive

With a community of more than 34,000 independent artists, its curators’ section is a stand-out feature: an independent team selects the best tracks from around the world. Most of the music has a Creative Commons license and therefore has different requirements. For example, some songs can only be used with a non-commercial license, others cannot be remixed, and in some cases, the rights holder must be cited whenever the work is used.

What will you find? Songs
Price: free

Purple Planet

Geoff Harvey and Chris Martyn compose, perform, record, produce, and mix all the material that you’ll uncover in this nature-inspired library. Using guitars, bass, and percussion instruments, they create music that is very pleasing to the ear. It's a resource that will be a good fit for particular styles, such as if you want your podcast to have an ambient and atmospheric feel.

What will you find? Songs
Price: free

Freebeats.io

Specializing in modern rap, hip-hop, and EDM, you will find professional quality beats and instrumentals that can be used for any creative project, including your podcast. The vast majority of the beats on this website have been created by the musician White Hot.

What will you find? Rhythms and instrumentals
Price: free

Envato Elements

This platform’s wide range of sound effects makes it a go-to option, with more than 80 thousand categories: nature, urban, children... A free account permits you to download up to 12 files per month, but if you like and need more content, you can subscribe to their plan.

What will you find? Songs and sound effects
Price: free / subscription

Epidemic Sound

After trying out the 30-day free trial, you'll know whether this platform is what you’re looking for. You can then choose between a personal or a commercial subscription plan. There's also the option to pay for just one song. Their library gives you access to over 30,000 tracks and over 60,000 sound effects. You can browse their albums filled with tracks that have been selected by their team of curators.

What will you find? Songs and sound effects
Price: paid

Musicbed

Founded in 2011, this is a must-have tool in the premium music market thanks to its large catalog of musicians. It is one of the largest pay-for libraries out there. Boasting a very neat interface, there are constant new releases and the filter function is very specific, so you can really seek out whatever you have your heart set on.

What will you find? Songs
Price: paid

Storyblocks

Storyblocks offers up to 70,000 songs that you can filter by mood, instrument, genre, voices, time, and duration. It also includes a wide variety of sound effects, which can be downloaded as MP3 or WAV files. The unlimited subscription allows you to use as many sound clips as you want without restrictions.

What will you find? Songs and sound effects
Price: paid

Soundstripe

With new music every week, it lets you choose just a part of the song you're interested in. You can browse up to 14 different genres and they have an exclusive category for podcasts. It has three subscription plans: music, music plus sound effects and music, sound effects, and video.

What will you find? Songs and sound effects
Price: paid

PremiumBeat

Managed by Shutterstock, this library offers more than 17,000 songs across 26 main genres, all of which are 100% exclusive and royalty-free. You can buy songs a la carte or activate a monthly subscription.

What will you find? Songs
Price: paid

English version by @eloiseedgington.

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