Audiio vs Uppbeat Comparison 2026
Audiio has no free tier, starting at $199 a year for unlimited downloads, or $499 once for a licence that never expires. Uppbeat gives three downloads a month for free, permanently, across a quarter of its catalogue and one safelisted YouTube channel, then scales from $6.99 a month as more channels need clearing. Audiio's limit is what the licence covers; Uppbeat's limit is how many downloads and channels the plan allows. The choice is between an unlimited flat rate and a metered plan that starts at nothing.
Music and sound effects, or a lifetime licence
Music for video with a free tier that clears claims
At a glance
- Uppbeat starts cheaper, at $6.99.
- Only Uppbeat has a free tier.
- Audiio bills annually only, so there is no month to try it for.
Side by side
Audiio | Uppbeat | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $199 | From $6.99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Paid subscription | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing (they differ) | Annual only | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | None |
| API |
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.
Uppbeat
Music for video with a free tier that clears claims
Uppbeat licenses music for YouTube and social video, and its free plan is three downloads a month rather than a trial that runs out. Channels are safelisted so a claim does not arrive a week after publishing. The catalogue is smaller than Epidemic Sound's, which is the trade being made for a bill under ten dollars.
Our note
Why people weigh these two
- Uppbeat instead of Audiio
- A free tier that clears claims plus paid plans from $6.99; the budget end of the same music-for-video job Audiio sells from $199.
- Audiio instead of Uppbeat
- Audiio also sells a lifetime licence instead of only a subscription, from $199, a one-time number for anybody done paying monthly for music.
Which one should you pick
Pick Audiio if downloads need to be unlimited rather than metered. Pro at $199 a year covers personal work and small clients with no monthly download cap, and the $499 lifetime licence removes the renewal question after about two and a half years of use.
Pick Uppbeat if the budget is under ten dollars a month or nothing at all. The free plan gives three downloads a month with one safelisted channel, permanently, not as a trial, and Pro at $14.99 a month extends that to ten channels plus an extended licence for client work and ads. A creator running more than a handful of channels, or downloading more than three tracks some months, will hit Uppbeat's caps before ever hitting one of Audiio's.
Common questions
- Does Uppbeat's free plan expire?
- No, it is a permanent free plan rather than a trial: three downloads a month, a quarter of the catalogue, and one safelisted channel, all ongoing. Audiio has no free plan at all; its cheapest option is Pro at $199 a year.
- How many channels can each one clear?
- Uppbeat states the number by tier: one channel on Free and the entry paid tier, three on Creator, ten on Pro at $14.99 a month. Audiio does not state a channel cap in its plan details; Pro and Pro Plus are separated by client size instead.
- Which is cheaper for a small channel?
- Uppbeat, if three downloads a month is enough: the plan is free, and the first paid tier is $6.99 a month. Audiio has no plan below Pro at $199 a year, but that year buys unlimited downloads rather than a monthly cap.
- Does either cover client work?
- Both do, on their higher tiers. Uppbeat's Pro at $14.99 a month adds an extended licence for client content, digital ads and organisations of any size. Audiio's Pro at $199 a year already covers small clients, and Pro Plus at $360 extends that to clients of any size.
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