Artlist vs Epidemic Sound Comparison 2026
Artlist licenses music, footage and plugins on one subscription and keeps the licence alive on anything you already published even after you cancel, from $19.99 a month billed annually. Epidemic Sound licenses music and sound effects only, clearing whichever platform you publish to and following the channel rather than the upload, from $9.99 a month billed yearly, but its licence ends the moment you cancel, on videos already live included. Both solve the same copyright-claim problem for a monetized channel. The clause about what happens after you stop paying is the one fact that actually separates them.
One licence covering music, footage and plugins
Music cleared for monetized video
At a glance
- Epidemic Sound starts cheaper, at $9.99.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Artlist | Epidemic Sound | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $19.99 | From $9.99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Paid subscription | Free trial, then paid |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Not stated | Annual only |
| Free trial | Not stated | 30 days |
| API | Not stated |
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.
Epidemic Sound
Music cleared for monetized video
Epidemic Sound exists to solve one problem, which is a copyright claim landing on a video that was earning. Every track is licensed for the platforms creators publish on, and the clearance follows the channel rather than the upload. The catalogue is smaller than a stock library's, and cancelling ends the licence on work you already published.
Why people weigh these two
- Epidemic Sound instead of Artlist
- Epidemic Sound clears specifically for monetized video from $9.99 a month, about half of Artlist's $19.99 starting price.
- Artlist instead of Epidemic Sound
- Artlist bundles footage and plugins into the same licence as the music, at $19.99 a month against Epidemic Sound's $9.99, for a channel that also needs stock footage.
Which one should you pick
Pick Epidemic Sound if the lower monthly price matters more than what happens after you cancel: Creator is $9.99 a month billed yearly, cheaper than Artlist's $19.99 entry point, and thirty days run free so you can publish and see whether anything gets claimed before paying at all.
Pick Artlist if you want certainty about your back catalogue: anything published while you were subscribed stays cleared even after you stop paying, where Epidemic Sound's clearance lapses on those same videos the moment you cancel. Artlist also bundles footage and plugins into the one subscription, where Epidemic Sound licenses music and sound effects only. Anybody who has had a claim land on an old video and wants that not to happen again should read the cancellation clause before picking the cheaper plan.
Common questions
- What happens to my published videos if I cancel Artlist or Epidemic Sound?
- The two work oppositely. Artlist keeps the licence alive on anything you published while subscribed, even after you stop paying. Epidemic Sound's clearance ends the moment you cancel, including on videos that already earned money, which is the clause its own materials single out as worth reading closely.
- Which is cheaper to start, Artlist or Epidemic Sound?
- Epidemic Sound, at $9.99 a month billed yearly against Artlist's $19.99 entry price, and it comes with thirty days free to test before paying anything. Artlist's higher price also buys footage and plugins alongside the music, which Epidemic Sound does not include.
- Does either licence cover a video that earns ad revenue?
- Both do, explicitly. Epidemic Sound states that monetization is allowed, which cheaper libraries often leave out. Artlist's licence likewise covers the videos you monetise, and keeps covering them after cancellation, which Epidemic Sound's does not.
- Can I use either one for client work as a freelancer?
- Epidemic Sound's Pro tier at $16.99 a month billed yearly explicitly protects freelance client work, where the cheaper Creator tier does not mention it. Artlist's listing does not break out client work as a separate case, so confirm the licence covers it before using Artlist on somebody else's project.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.