Audiio vs Epidemic Sound Comparison 2026
Audiio licenses unlimited music and sound effects for $199 a year, or once for good with a $499 lifetime option that nothing else at this scale offers. Epidemic Sound is a subscription only, starting at $9.99 a month billed yearly with a 30-day free trial, and its bigger catalogue exists specifically to survive a copyright claim on a monetized video, though cancelling ends the licence even on episodes already published. One lets you stop paying for a licence eventually. The other trades that for a wider catalogue built for creators who already earn.
Music and sound effects, or a lifetime licence
Music cleared for monetized video
At a glance
- Epidemic Sound starts cheaper, at $9.99.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Audiio | Epidemic Sound | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $199 | From $9.99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Paid subscription | Free trial, then paid |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing | Annual only | Annual only |
| Free trial | Not stated | 30 days |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
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.
Our note
The lifetime option is the reason to look. At $499 once it pays back against the yearly plan in about two and a half years, and against Epidemic Sound sooner than that, which is a calculation worth doing before signing up to another subscription.
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 Audiio
- Music cleared for monetized video from $9.99 with a free trial, plus the bigger catalogue Audiio's own listing concedes; a rolling subscription against Audiio's lifetime option.
- Audiio instead of Epidemic Sound
- Audiio sells a lifetime licence option alongside the subscription, starting at $199, versus Epidemic Sound's recurring $9.99-a-month plan.
Which one should you pick
Pick Audiio if you want to stop paying eventually. The $499 lifetime licence pays back against Audiio's own $199 yearly plan in about two and a half years, and against Epidemic Sound sooner than that. Pro at $199 a year already covers unlimited music and effects for personal work and small clients, and Pro Plus at $360 extends that to clients of any size.
Pick Epidemic Sound if your videos are already earning and a copyright claim would cost you money. Creator at $9.99 a month billed yearly clears monetization on one channel per platform, and the 30-day free trial is long enough to publish something and see whether a claim arrives. Remember that cancelling ends the licence on videos already published, so this is rented protection rather than owned, unlike Audiio's lifetime option.
Common questions
- Does Audiio really offer a lifetime licence?
- Yes, for $499 billed once rather than as a subscription, which almost nothing else in this category offers. Audiio also sells Pro at $199 a year for personal work and small clients, and Pro Plus at $360 for clients of any size. Epidemic Sound has no equivalent; every tier there is a recurring subscription.
- What happens if I cancel Epidemic Sound?
- The licence ends, including on videos you already published, so a claim can land on old work after you leave. Audiio's yearly Pro plan works the same way while you subscribe, but its $499 lifetime licence never expires, so cancelling is not a risk you carry.
- Which has the bigger catalogue?
- Epidemic Sound's catalogue is larger. Audiio's is smaller, but its AI search, where you describe the scene rather than type keywords, finds a track fast enough that the size matters less on a deadline.
- Is there a free trial for either?
- Epidemic Sound gives 30 days free before the first charge, long enough to publish something and see whether a claim lands. Audiio has no free trial; the cheapest way in is Pro at $199 a year, or $499 once for the lifetime licence.
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.