Artlist vs Audiio Comparison 2026
Artlist licenses everything on its catalogue, music, footage and plugins, on one subscription that keeps working on anything you already published even after you cancel, from $19.99 a month billed annually. Audiio sells the same kind of unlimited music and effects library, but adds an option almost nobody else in this category offers: a $499 one-time licence that never expires. Buy once, or rent every year. The catalogues also differ in size, Artlist leaning cinematic, which is the second half of the decision.
One licence covering music, footage and plugins
Music and sound effects, or a lifetime licence
At a glance
- Artlist starts cheaper, at $19.99.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Artlist | Audiio | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $19.99 | From $199 |
| Pricing model | Paid subscription | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Not stated | Annual only |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export |
Artlist
One licence covering music, footage and plugins
Artlist sells a subscription that licenses everything on it for everything you make, including the videos you monetise, and the licence survives the subscription ending for anything already published. That last clause is the one worth reading twice, because it is where most stock music libraries hedge. The catalogue leans cinematic. Somebody who needs one track this month will find a per-track shop cheaper, and Artlist does not sell that way.
Our note
The licence terms are the product here and the catalogue is secondary, which is the opposite of how these are usually sold. Compare against Epidemic Sound on what happens when you stop paying rather than on how many tracks each claims.
Audiio
Music and sound effects, or a lifetime licence
Audiio sells unlimited music and sound effects on a yearly subscription, and separately sells a licence that never expires, which almost nobody else in this category offers. The catalogue is smaller than Epidemic Sound's and the search is better than the size suggests. Read the tier before buying: the cheaper plan covers your own work and small clients, not agency work.
Why people weigh these two
- Audiio instead of Artlist
- Audiio starts at $199 and also sells a lifetime licence outright, so the payments can stop entirely instead of renewing like Artlist's subscription.
- Artlist instead of Audiio
- One licence covering music, footage and plugins from $19.99, a wider bundle than Audiio's music and sound effects; Audiio's answer is the licence that never expires.
Which one should you pick
Pick Artlist if you want footage and plugins bundled with the music rather than buying them separately, and you are publishing regularly enough that an annual subscription pays for itself. Plans start at $19.99 a month billed annually, and the licence on anything published while subscribed survives after you cancel.
Pick Audiio if the idea of renewing a music licence every year bothers you: $499 once buys a licence that never expires, against Artlist's recurring $19.99 and up. Audiio's $199 yearly Pro plan covers personal work and small clients only; client work of any size needs the $360 Pro+ tier, so a freelancer should price that one, not the entry plan, before comparing it to Artlist.
Common questions
- Does either Artlist or Audiio offer a licence that never expires?
- Audiio does, for $499 billed once, which is rare at this scale in the category. Artlist's licence is tied to an active subscription, though it does keep covering anything you already published even after you cancel, which is a different kind of protection than Audiio's outright purchase.
- Which is cheaper for a freelancer doing client work?
- It depends which Audiio tier you need. Audiio's $199 Pro plan covers only personal work and small clients; client work of any size needs the $360 Pro+ tier. Artlist's $19.99 entry plan does not distinguish by client size, so compare Pro+ against Artlist rather than Audiio's cheapest number.
- Does Artlist include footage and plugins, or only music?
- Artlist bundles footage and plugins with the music on one subscription. Audiio's listing covers music and sound effects only, with no mention of footage or plugins.
- What happens to my videos if I cancel either subscription?
- On Artlist, anything you published while subscribed stays cleared afterward, by its own stated terms. Audiio's yearly Pro and Pro+ plans are not described as having that survival clause, which is exactly what its $499 lifetime licence is for, since a one-time purchase does not lapse at all.
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