2024's Best Royalty Free Music Sites: G2 Reviews 6 Top Picks

The hunt for appropriate soundtracks has evolved from a luxury to a necessity for video content creators.

The right audio track elevates a project from merely good to truly unforgettable. But you don’t want to spend hours sifting through overused music repositories only to worry later about potential copyright claims. That’s where stock music software steps in. 

With the best royalty free music sites, you get the perfect music for visuals without the headache of legal issues or the burden of overpriced, subpar tracks. With these platforms, you get a vast library of tracks that you can use for different moods and scenes without hidden fees or limitations. Whether you're a vlogger aiming for viral content, a filmmaker driving a narrative, or a podcaster setting the stage for conversations, we’re here to help you find the best royalty free music platform for your needs. 

I collaborated with Priya Patel, G2’s stock media software expert, to compare more than 25 royalty free music platforms based on G2 review data. We conducted a hands-on test to analyze each platform’s strengths, weaknesses, and features. Here are the six best royalty free music sites you should try in 2024. 

How did we select and evaluate the best royalty free music sites?

In general, at G2, we rank royalty free music sites using a proprietary algorithm that considers customer satisfaction and market presence based on authentic user reviews. Our tenured troupe of market research analysts and writers (Priya and I, in this case) spend weeks testing solutions against multiple criteria set for a software category. We give you unbiased software evaluations. We don’t accept payment or exchange links for product placements in this list. Please read our G2 Research Scoring Methodology for more details. We’re the real deal.

1. Storyblocks, best known for a wide range of music styles

Storyblocks is a royalty free media asset marketplace offering stock images, audio, video, and templates. The platform stands out in the crowded market with over 75,000 stock audio options, including content from award-winning musicians and the Storyblocks Label. Storyblocks provides unlimited downloads, YouTube content ID support, and unlimited downloads. 

Priya and I appreciated how Storyblocks sources music from composers who are well-versed in creating captivating chords, delivering clear, high notes paired with deep, resonant bass. 

What users like best:

“As a filmmaker, I appreciate how Storyblocks understands the 'high production values' look of depth-of-field footage. As a soundtrack person, Storyblocks only uses music from composers who understand the value of clear treble, resonant 'traffic lights' bass, and engaging melodies and chord sequences. As an effects person, I know that Storyblocks simply delivers every time. Whatever I need, it's as if you anticipated it and had three versions ready for me to choose from.”

- Storyblocks Review, Tom M.

What users dislike:

“I would like to see an improvement in music selection. I know it's hard for music creators, but I often feel like the tracks are a middle with no beginning and no ending. However, I am very picky when it comes to tracks. Tom Waits did one commercial, and I created it. It won at Cannes.”

- Storyblocks Review, William L.

2. Shutterstock, best known for professional-grade tracks

Shutterstock is a popular creative platform known for offering a wide variety of stock media, including music, images, videos, and sound effects. In partnership with PremiumBeat, it provides studio-quality music and sound effects for videos, podcasts, games, and apps. Users can also upload audio samples in MP3 and WAV format to find similar tracks.

We appreciate Shutterstock’s curated, handpicked collections that make it easier for users to explore various music genres and moods.

What users like best:

“They keep adding good content both in footage creators and music. Purchasing Shutterstock was just excellent.”

- Shutterstock Review, Scott T. 

What users dislike:

“The platform is super expensive, and there is no option to choose for a custom payment cycle. It makes you pay beforehand. If you decide to leave midway, they will charge 10%. Sometimes, the subscription gets auto-renewed itself without me toggling it.”

- Shutterstock Review, Satya V.

3. iStock, best known for 100% copyright clear audio clips

iStock started its journey in 2000 with user-generated stock photos, video clips, and illustrations. Today, the platform also offers royalty free music and sound effects in partnership with Epidemic Sound. iStock’s standard and extended licenses for both commercial and personal use across digital ads, social platforms, applications, and websites. The platform’s library features 35,000 tracks and 90,000 sound effects, with fresh additions every month. 

What stood out to us was how iStock lets content creators clear tracks at the time of download or later through Epidemic Sound’s account section. 

What users like best:

“The search feature is excellent. I have an idea of what to search for, and the system offers suggestions to help narrow down the results. Then, when I find a photo I like, there are multiple options for that same style or photo session.”

- iStock Review, Craig F.

What users dislike:

“This company will scam you into buying a $700 yearly membership without your consent and no ability to cancel. I reached out to them, letting them know I had no use for this and didn't even use it.”

- iStock Review, Charlie L.

4. Epidemic Sound, best known for efficient music cataloging 

Epidemic Sound offers a vast music and sound effects catalog to help brands and creators find the right music for their content. The platform lets users filter audio using genres, moods, and themes. You can upload music to find similar tunes and get track suggestions based on frames within the content. 

Priya and I were impressed with how Epidemic Sound’s direct license model enables creators or videographers to avoid copyright restrictions or licensing issues.

What users like best:

“Epidemic Sound is like the Spotify for blanket music. The team catalogs the music available in many different buckets for searching, which is helpful when looking for that perfect track. I love being able to search by multiple parameters - vibe, length, genre, lyric, or instrumental - all help to narrow that search. The price is right - you can't do better for the catalog of music they are offering.”

- Epidemic Sound Review, Benjamin F.

What users dislike:

“Twice in my two years using Epidemic Sound, our channel had major copyright claims from YouTube for songs I used from Epidemic. Over 20 songs were claimed in one day, and another time Epidemic Sound sent an email saying they had lost the copyright for some songs they had. This issue created strikes on my channel and major issues for me. But they haven't done anything so far or even emailed me back.”

- Epidemic Sound Review, Christian S.

5. SoundStripe, best known for diverse musical genre and texture 

Content creators favor SoundStripe for its diverse range of royalty free music and complete copyright coverage. The platform allows you to filter music by artists, instruments, energy, mood, characteristics, duration, and beats per minute (BPM). You can also browse tracks from different categories, including cinematic, horror, and gaming. 

Our favorite aspect was SoundStripe’s commitment to providing complete copyright coverage, even after a subscription is canceled. 

What users like best:

“The selection of music and SFX is great, with lots of new additions pretty frequently, and my team uses it daily. The licensing is simple and easy to understand across the board, and we've never had issues with clearance on any of the channels that we upload our content to. Additionally, once our team started to grow and we needed to move to an enterprise plan, the account executive I worked with was great at getting to know the type of work our team does and what we needed from Soundstripe to help us keep creating and growing.”

- SoundStripe Review, Tyler K.

What users dislike:

“I feel like the search engine could be optimized better. There are times when it glitches out on me, after searching for a while.”

- SoundStripe Review, Brannon C.

6. PremiumBeat, best known for loop and instrumental versions

Shutterstock’s PremiumBeat supports content creators and video editors by offering 15, 30, and 60-second loops and instrumental and original tracks. The platform is known for offering high-quality tracks for media projects, apps, television programs, and games. PremiumBeat organizes its music into playlists, moods, and genres, making it easier for editors to find tracks.

We especially loved how PremiumBeat offers a wide range of music selections from award-winning artists across the globe. 

What users like best:

“My favorite feature when licensing music from PremiumBeat is that they include 15, 30, and 60-second loops and instrumental versions of the tune with the purchase. This allows me to remix the song and speed up my editing time. This option is not available with other music licensing sites. Their prices are fair, and they have a variety of songs to choose from. PremiumBeat is also easy to navigate.”

- PremiumBeat Review, Kelli M J.

What users dislike:

“I think the premium package is a bit higher. It's rather expensive than other companies. But I must mention that the price you pay will not disappoint you. They provide great quality for price.”

- PremiumBeat Review, Dhiraj G.

Bonus royalty free music sites:

Apart from those mentioned above, Priya and I also liked the following royalty free music providers during our hands-on test.

• Audio Network, best known for custom track curation
• Audio Jungle, best known for royalty free music packs and kits
• Shockwave-Sound, best known for filtering audio by production type

Tuning out: Picking the best royalty free music site

The perfect royalty free soundtrack takes your video to a whole new level. The sites we reviewed have unique features, pros, and cons, making them ideal for different needs. Whether you're seeking diverse music libraries, user-friendly interfaces, affordable pricing plans, or high-quality audio tracks, there is a solution out there for you. Start by identifying that need first. Always consider the licensing agreements and usage rights to avoid legal disputes in the future. Finally, pick a royalty free music site that suits your budget. 

Need licensed footage or animations as well? Check out the top stock footage solutions that provide licensed videos for visual supplement. 

Edited by Monishka Agrawal