Epidemic Sound vs HookSounds Comparison 2026
Epidemic Sound licenses a large aggregated catalogue cleared for monetized video, Creator at $9.99 a month billed yearly for one channel per platform, but cancelling ends the licence even on videos already published. HookSounds writes its own smaller catalogue in house at the identical $9.99 a month billed yearly for Creator, with simpler terms and a track that stays licensed in the video it went into. Epidemic's catalogue is bigger. HookSounds' cheapest tier is personal-only, excluding client work the same way Epidemic's Creator tier does, so a freelancer on either one needs to check the fine print before publishing paid work.
At a glance
- Neither has a free tier.
- Epidemic Sound bills annually only, so there is no month to try it for.
Side by side
Epidemic Sound | HookSounds | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $9.99 | From $9.99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Free trial, then paid | Paid subscription |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing (they differ) | Annual only | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | 30 days | Not stated |
| API | Not stated |
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.
Our note
The subscription is a licence rather than a purchase, so treat leaving as a decision about your back catalogue and not just about next month's bill. Uppbeat's free tier is the cheaper starting point if you are not yet earning.
Only on this side
- Works with Twitch
HookSounds
Royalty-free music written in house
HookSounds writes its own catalogue rather than aggregating other people's, which keeps it smaller than the big libraries and makes the licensing simpler to reason about. Music, sound effects and intros are covered by one subscription, cleared for as long as the track stays in the video. The cheapest tier is for personal work and does not cover clients. Anybody who needs a specific genre in depth will find the size a limit.
Why people weigh these two
- HookSounds instead of Epidemic Sound
- HookSounds writes its own catalogue and licenses it from $10, smaller but simpler to reason about when a claim arrives.
- Epidemic Sound instead of HookSounds
- Epidemic Sound starts at the same $9.99 as HookSounds but is sold with a free trial to test the clearance before paying, where HookSounds' paid plan carries no trial at all.
Which one should you pick
Pick Epidemic Sound for the larger aggregated catalogue and the specific monetization clearance a YouTuber or short-form creator with a copyright-claim history needs. Creator is $9.99 a month billed yearly for one channel per platform, and Pro at $16.99 adds three channels and digital ad licensing. Treat leaving as a decision about the back catalogue, not just next month's bill, since cancelling ends the licence on videos already published.
Pick HookSounds if a smaller, in-house catalogue makes the licensing question easier to answer when a claim actually arrives. Creator is the same $9.99 a month billed yearly for personal projects, and the Freelancer tier at $19.99 is required the moment client or multi-channel work is involved. Anybody needing a specific genre in depth, or scoring a film, will find the size a real constraint here.
Common questions
- Is HookSounds cheaper than Epidemic Sound?
- At the entry tier, they are identical: both charge $9.99 a month billed yearly for their Creator plan. HookSounds also prints a monthly rate, $16.99, where Epidemic Sound's page states monthly billing costs substantially more without giving the figure.
- Does cancelling either subscription remove the licence from videos already published?
- Epidemic Sound states this plainly: cancelling ends the licence, including on videos already published, so leaving is a real decision about the back catalogue. HookSounds describes a downloaded track as staying licensed in the video it went into, a different framing worth confirming directly before relying on it.
- Can I use either one's cheapest tier for client work?
- No, on both. HookSounds' Creator tier explicitly covers personal projects only, with client and multi-channel work requiring the $19.99 Freelancer tier. Epidemic Sound's Creator tier does not include the freelance client-work protection that arrives on Pro at $16.99.
- Which one has the bigger catalogue?
- Epidemic Sound's is larger, an aggregated library across many artists. HookSounds writes its own catalogue in house, which keeps it smaller but makes the licensing terms simpler to reason about when a claim arrives.
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.