Note (September 2026): Two sites on this list have changed since 2020: music-for-video.com now redirects to Orla Music, and stockmusicsite.com returned a ‘Not Found’ error in September 2026. Artlist has also renamed its plans; the details are updated below.
The best stock music sites for royalty-free music include Artlist and Storyblocks for unlimited subscriptions, AudioJungle, PremiumBeat and Foximusic for pay-per-track licenses, and HookSounds, Music Vine and Audiio for curated catalogs. Royalty-free means you pay once (or subscribe) instead of paying royalties per use; it does not mean free, and every license has limits.
Key Takeaways
- Royalty-free music is licensed, not copyright-free: the license decides where and how a track can be used.
- Subscription libraries (Artlist, Storyblocks, Envato Elements) suit frequent creators; pay-per-track stores (AudioJungle, PremiumBeat, Foximusic) suit occasional projects.
- As of September 2026, two sites from the original 2020 list, music-for-video and StockMusic Site, are no longer available at their old addresses.
- Prices change often. Every figure below is dated September 2026; confirm on the official pricing page before buying.
- Free options such as the YouTube Audio Library and Pixabay Music exist, but each has its own license rules.
A 2020 industry forecast expected the U.S. music industry to produce $11.69 billion in the United States.
While this may produce a lot of music, you may not be able to use all of them for your projects due to copyright music. That’s where royalty-free music comes in.
Best Royalty-Free Music and Stock Music Sites
Are you looking for some music for your next commercial or tribute video? Do you have a small project that needs some epic background instrumentals?
Discover here the top best stock music sites for royalty-free music. Here we will list a few of the best stock music sites, but there are many more out there. It is worth having a look at how you can Buy stock music from Shockwave-Sound, which sells curated, human-made stock music and sound effects under a one-time lifetime license and, as of September 2026, also offers subscriptions (prices vary by license).
Audiio
Audiio is a royalty-free music-licensing platform aimed at filmmakers and video creators, and it was still operating as of September 2026. Audiio says it licenses music from top independent artists, bands and composers.
Audiio sells subscription access to music and sound effects; check its current license terms to see which uses, such as YouTube monetization or broadcast television, each plan covers.
Artlist
If you’re looking for high-quality music, you should check out Artlist.
This site has a huge selection of music of all different genres if you don’t want to have any royalty-free music subscriptions with Artlist. These music tracks from all kinds of indie music artists around the world.
The site is also easy to use, and you’ll be able to find whatever music you need for your project.
One of the best things about this site is that there is one universal license for all the music tracks. That means you can use them anywhere, anytime.
However, you won’t be able to download music for free forever.
In 2020, Artlist offered three subscription plans – Personal, Unlimited and Enterprise. It has since renamed and expanded its line-up: according to a September 2026 pricing breakdown by Photutorial, its music plans are now Music & SFX Social, Music Pro and Music & SFX Pro, alongside footage, AI and business plans.
Let’s compare all the three options.
1) Artlist Personal
Unlimited music & SFX for:
- YouTube
- Twitch
- Podcasts
- TikTok.
2) Artlist Unlimited
Unlimited music & SFX for:
- Unlimited social platforms.
- Paid ads
- Client work
- Commercial work.
- Podcasts Websites & all online platforms.
- Broadcast & TV.
3) Artlist Enterprise
Unlimited music & SFX including:
- Customized terms.
- Customized licenses.
- Dedicated curation services.
- Premium customer success.
Pricing Plans (2020 figures – Artlist has since changed its plans, and prices change)
Artlist Personal Plan
- 2 extra free month.
- $9.99 /monthly ($119.88 billed annually).
- $14.99 month Billed monthly.
- Saving: Personal Plan yearly ( $119.88 + Extra 2 free month)= $99.9 Saving $19.98.
Artlist Unlimited Plan
- 2 extra free month.
- $16.6 month billed annually($199.2 billed annually).
- Saving: Unlimited plan ( $199.2 + Extra 2 free month) = $166 Saving $33.2.
Artlist Enterprise
Tailored licensing & plans for organizations.
Music for video
In 2020, music-for-video licensed its music catalog on a lifetime membership basis. As of September 2026, the music-for-video.com address redirects to Orla Music, a music-search and cue-sheet platform powered by Harvest Music, so the lifetime offer described here could not be confirmed. When you decide to buy their license you will never have to pay every month/year again.
The license has no expiration period and has no hidden, monthly, or yearly recurring payments.
This license is unique in the royalty-free music market and can be compared to a swiss army knife, always at your disposal.
Maybe you won’t use it every day, but when you need it, it will always be there at your disposal.
With thousands of tracks spanning many genres, from Epic to Corporate to Cinematic, whether you’re looking for music for a sports movie, wedding, event, or corporate film, with a catalog of about 150 albums in 2020 you’re sure to find the right music for your production.
And you can use the music tracks on BROADCAST, TV, OTT, FILM, ADVERTISING, SOCIAL CHANNELS, and more.
Former address (now redirects to Orla Music): https://music-for-video.com/music-for-video-en.
Depositphotos Music
Browse royalty free sound effects and music on Depositphotos to find and download background music for your videos, sound effects for games and other commercial projects. As of September 2026, Depositphotos lists 3,982,272 royalty-free music tracks, audio files and sound effects, with music and sound effects “starting from $12.99”; prices change, so check the current rate.
AudioJungle
AudioJungle is not free. As of September 2026 it advertises tracks “from $1”, although the featured items on its homepage cost more (about $5 to $39 when checked), and it lists 2,424,982 tracks and sounds. AudioJungle is part of Envato Market, and Envato has been owned by Shutterstock since July 2024.
There are all genres of royalty-free music to choose from. You could find heavy metal, pop, vocals, or instrumental music.
If you don’t find anything you like, you could also get a music and sound effect kit and make your own song.
In addition to music, AudioJungle sells music packs, music kits, sound effects and logo idents, while Envato Elements, Envato’s subscription service, bundles royalty-free music with stock video and video templates.
HookSounds
HookSounds is an exclusive music site that offers you all kinds of original music. The songs are from hand-picked artists that live all over the world.
You’ll find a lot of content that has trendy, unique, and modern music on its site.
As of September 2026, HookSounds lists more than 25,000 human-made tracks (48,000+ versions), sells both single-track licenses and an unlimited subscription, and has a free-music section.
PremiumBeat
PremiumBeat has been part of Shutterstock since January 2015, when Shutterstock bought it for $32 million, and its website is easy to use.
You can easily and quickly find what you’re looking for. Their music library was created by music experts, so you can know that you’re finding the best songs out there.
While it’s royalty-free music, the production quality is still high.
Prices depend on the license tier you choose, and PremiumBeat also sells subscriptions; check its license page for current rates, because prices change.
StoryBlocks Audio
StoryBlocks partners with some of the best artists out there to help make original tracks that you can use for your projects. They help some of the best companies out there, like Discovery Channel, MTV, and National Geographic.
They have flexible pricing plans, and they always update their library.
There are no free downloads available; Storyblocks sells subscriptions, so check which plan includes the audio library before subscribing.
StockMusic Site
Status check (September 2026): the stockmusicsite.com address returned an HTTP 404 “Not Found” error, so this site may no longer be available. In 2020, the StockMusic site was not one of the best-designed websites out there. It’s a very crowded and chaotic interface, but it does offer hundreds of thousands of royalty-free tracks.
The site said its music had been used by Universal Pictures, Miramax Films and Warner Bros. That way you know you’re getting high-quality music.
However, to be able to download them, you may have to pay a little bit of a higher price.
MusicVine
Music Vine is a curated library of music from independent musicians; as of September 2026 it says its team accepts fewer than 10% of submissions, adds new music weekly, and sells both a Pro subscription and pay-per-use licenses.
It launched in the UK in 2015 and, by 2020, already had over 2,000 tracks from over 140 different artists.
While it may be small in comparison, there are still some great quality sites out there. You should use this for quality over quantity.
The site is also easy to use no matter what genre of music they’re using. However, you will have to pay to use a license.
Foximusic
Foximusic sells tracks it produces in-house under a one-time, lifetime license. As of September 2026 its site lists a Personal license from $12 for one track and a Commercial license from $29 for one track, with bundle discounts and a custom-priced Extended license (prices change).
If you want to make money off your content on Facebook, YouTube, or other social media, this will be the best option for you.
Their license offers some of the best options when it comes to royalty-free music.
In addition, their website is super easy and also fun to use and find new music! You may even find some new music to listen to even if it doesn’t work for your project.
Purple Planet
Purple Planet may not sound promising when it comes to finding stock music, but it’s actually really useful.
Their website is purple and looks like a planetarium.
They’ve divided their site by genre, making it really easy to find rock, pop, country, metal, instrumental, or other kinds of music.
You’ll also have other options, like sorting through creepy, cute, odd, or active sounds! This can be helpful if you aren’t sure what genre you really want.
There are also free downloads available that you can save for your smaller projects. You just have to make sure you credit them; Purple Planet Music was still online in September 2026, so check the attribution terms on the site before use, because license terms can change.
If you’re on a budget, this may be one of the better options. However, they also have subscription options as well for your larger projects.
Discover More of the Best Stock Music Sites
Before you download and use a song, make sure you do your research to make sure you are actually allowed to use that song.
If you enjoyed this article, make sure you check out our website to find more just like this one!
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What Does Royalty-Free Music Mean?
Royalty-free music is music you license for a one-time fee or a subscription, so you do not pay a royalty each time the track is played, streamed or broadcast. The composer or publisher still owns the copyright; the license only grants you defined usage rights.
Royalty-free is not the same as free or copyright-free. Each license sets limits, such as the number of projects, whether paid advertising or broadcast is allowed, and whether the track may be resold. For a fuller explanation, see what music licensing is and why it matters.
Stock Music Sites Compared
The table below summarizes each site on this list as of September 2026. Prices change; check the official pricing page before buying.
| Site | Status (Sept 2026) | Pricing model | Notable detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audiio | Operating | Subscription | Music from independent artists, bands and composers |
| Artlist | Operating | Subscription | Plans renamed: Music & SFX Social, Music Pro, Music & SFX Pro |
| music-for-video | Redirects to Orla Music | Was a lifetime license | Original offer could not be confirmed |
| Depositphotos Music | Operating | Plans and packs | 3,982,272 audio items; music and SFX from $12.99 |
| AudioJungle | Operating | Pay per track | 2,424,982 tracks and sounds; part of Envato (Shutterstock) |
| HookSounds | Operating | Per track or subscription | 25,000+ human-made tracks; free-music section |
| PremiumBeat | Operating | Per track or subscription | Owned by Shutterstock since 2015 |
| Storyblocks Audio | Operating | Subscription | No free downloads |
| StockMusic Site | Returned 404 Not Found | Unknown | May no longer be available |
| Music Vine | Operating | Pro subscription or pay per use | Accepts fewer than 10% of submissions |
| Foximusic | Operating | Pay per track, lifetime license | Personal from $12, Commercial from $29 per track |
| Purple Planet Music | Online | Free with credit, plus paid options | Check current attribution terms |
Are There Free Alternatives to Stock Music Sites?
Yes. Two widely used free sources are the YouTube Audio Library and Pixabay Music, and both come with rules.
YouTube Audio Library
According to YouTube Help, the YouTube Audio Library offers royalty-free production music and sound effects for use in videos, and it is found in YouTube Studio under “Audio library.” Tracks under a Creative Commons license require you to credit the artist in the video description; tracks under the standard YouTube Audio Library license do not. YouTube’s help page does not address use outside YouTube.
Pixabay Music
According to the Pixabay Content License summary, attribution is not required and content may be modified. However, you cannot sell or distribute content on a standalone basis without creative changes, and you remain responsible for checking whether third-party rights apply.
How to Choose the Right Stock Music Site
- Define where the video will run. Personal social channels, client work, paid ads and broadcast often need different license tiers.
- Estimate your volume. If you need more than a few tracks a month, a subscription usually works out cheaper than paying per track.
- Check what happens when a subscription ends. Read the license to see whether videos published during the subscription stay covered.
- Confirm the current price. Plans are renamed and repriced often, as Artlist’s changes since 2020 show.
If you are building a video workflow on a budget, pair your music source with a free video maker for content creation and read how background music and sound effects work in film. Podcasters can also compare tools and platforms for podcast management, and visual assets are covered in why high-quality stock photos and videos matter.
Common Mistakes With Royalty-Free Music
- Assuming royalty-free means free to use anywhere, without reading the license.
- Using a personal-channel plan for client work or paid advertising.
- Forgetting the credit line that a free Creative Commons track requires.
- Relying on an old forecast, price or plan name. For current market size, the RIAA’s 2025 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report (March 2026) put U.S. wholesale recorded-music revenue at a record $11.5 billion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is royalty-free music free?
No. Royalty-free music usually costs a one-time fee or a subscription; the term means you do not pay ongoing royalties per play. Some libraries, such as the YouTube Audio Library and Pixabay Music, do offer free tracks under their own license terms.
Which stock music site is best for YouTube creators?
Subscription libraries such as Artlist, Storyblocks and HookSounds suit creators who publish often, because one fee covers many tracks. Occasional creators may pay less with pay-per-track stores such as AudioJungle or Foximusic.
Can I use royalty-free music in commercial projects?
Often yes, but only when the license tier covers commercial use. For example, Foximusic separates a Personal license from a Commercial license, and Artlist sells a social-only music plan alongside Pro plans for client work and ads.
Do I need to credit royalty-free music?
It depends on the license. Creative Commons tracks in the YouTube Audio Library require a credit in the video description, while Pixabay’s license does not require attribution. Paid licenses often do not require a credit, but check each one.
Is AudioJungle still owned by Envato?
Yes. AudioJungle is part of Envato Market, and Shutterstock completed its acquisition of Envato in July 2024, so AudioJungle is now within the Shutterstock group.
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