Artlist vs Soundstripe Comparison 2026
Artlist licenses music, footage and plugins under one subscription, and anything you publish while subscribed stays cleared even after you cancel, from $19.99 a month billed annually. Soundstripe licenses music and sound effects from $9.99 a month, clears every track against YouTube Content ID automatically, and also sells single tracks outright. The real question is cost against guarantee. Artlist protects your back catalogue after you stop paying. Soundstripe protects the video you upload this week, for less money up front.
One licence covering music, footage and plugins
Music and effects, cleared for YouTube
At a glance
- Soundstripe starts cheaper, at $9.99.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Artlist | Soundstripe | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $19.99 | From $9.99 |
| Pricing model | Paid subscription | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| 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.
Soundstripe
Music and effects, cleared for YouTube
Soundstripe licenses music and sound effects on a subscription and clears them against YouTube automatically, so a video does not come back with a claim on it a week after going up. The catalogue runs to 58,000 tracks and nearly 100,000 effects. Single-track licences are sold separately, for anybody who needs one song rather than a habit.
Why people weigh these two
- Soundstripe instead of Artlist
- Soundstripe starts at $9.99, half of Artlist's $19.99, and clears specifically for YouTube, though it skips Artlist's bundled footage and plugins.
- Artlist instead of Soundstripe
- Artlist bundles footage and editing plugins into the same licence as the music, starting at $19.99, a wider bundle than Soundstripe's music-and-effects catalogue.
Which one should you pick
Choose Artlist if you publish often enough that a growing back catalogue needs to stay cleared for years, and an annual commitment at $19.99 a month is worth it. The perpetual licence on anything already published is the reason to pick it over a cheaper monthly plan, since cancelling later does not put old uploads at risk.
Choose Soundstripe if you want a lower entry price at $9.99 a month, automatic Content ID clearance built specifically for YouTube, or a single track for one project instead of a year of access. Its reference search, typing in a song you already like, is also the faster way to find a specific sound. Soundstripe is the wrong pick for a creator who wants old uploads to stay covered after the subscription ends, since that guarantee is what Artlist sells.
Common questions
- Which one is cheaper to start?
- Soundstripe starts at $9.99 a month for an individual plan with unlimited downloads. Artlist starts higher, at $19.99 a month, billed annually. Soundstripe also sells single-track licences apart from the subscription, for one project rather than a habit.
- What happens to my videos if I cancel?
- Artlist is explicit that anything published while you were subscribed remains cleared even after you cancel. That guarantee is specific to how Artlist sells its licence, and it is the reason to pick an annual Artlist plan over a cheaper monthly alternative elsewhere.
- Can I buy one track without a subscription?
- Yes, but only through Soundstripe. It sells single-track licences separately from the monthly plans, for a project that does not justify a subscription. Artlist does not sell that way. It is subscription only, starting at $19.99 a month billed annually.
- Are both licences cleared for monetised video?
- Yes for Artlist, whose licence explicitly covers videos you earn money from. Soundstripe's plans cover personal or commercial use by one person, with automatic YouTube Content ID clearance so a claim does not arrive after you publish.
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