Epidemic Sound vs Soundstripe Comparison 2026
Epidemic Sound and Soundstripe both clear YouTube automatically and both start individual plans at $9.99 a month, so the choice is not about price. Epidemic Sound's catalogue is smaller and more selective, the place to find a track nobody else has used, while Soundstripe runs to 58,000 tracks and nearly 100,000 effects with a reference-track search that finds music that sounds like a named popular song. Epidemic Sound's licence ends on cancellation, even on videos already published. Soundstripe sells single-track licences separately for anybody who needs one song rather than a subscription habit.
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 | Soundstripe | |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
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 Epidemic Sound
- Soundstripe at $10 clears music and effects for YouTube, covering the same claim problem with effects included.
- Epidemic Sound instead of Soundstripe
- Epidemic Sound also clears its catalogue for monetized video specifically, starting at $9.99 with no free tier, another major library to weigh against Soundstripe's 58,000 tracks.
Which one should you pick
Pick Epidemic Sound if a smaller, more selective catalogue and the chance of picking something less commonly used matters. Creator is $9.99 a month billed yearly for one channel per platform, with stems and adaptations included. Remember cancelling ends the licence, including on videos already published, so leaving is a real decision about the back catalogue.
Pick Soundstripe if finding a specific sound matters more than catalogue exclusivity, since reference-track search lets you look for something that sounds like a named song, which is how people actually search for music. Individual plans also start at $9.99 a month, covering personal or commercial use by one person with unlimited downloads. Business plans restrict to a single market, like one city, which is a licence limit worth reading before buying it for anything wider.
Common questions
- Is Soundstripe cheaper than Epidemic Sound?
- No, they are the same at the entry tier: both individual plans start at $9.99 a month. The difference is catalogue size and discovery method, not price, at that level.
- Which one has the bigger catalogue?
- Soundstripe's is bigger, 58,000 tracks and nearly 100,000 sound effects. Epidemic Sound's catalogue is smaller and more selective, which its own guidance frames as the better place to find a track nobody else has used.
- Can I buy a single track instead of subscribing on either one?
- Soundstripe sells single-track licences separately for anybody who needs one song rather than a subscription habit. Epidemic Sound's pricing page shows no equivalent one-off option; it is Creator or Pro, both subscriptions.
- Does Soundstripe's Business plan cover use anywhere, like a national campaign?
- No, it is restricted to a single market, such as one city, which is a licence limit rather than a feature limit and is worth reading before buying it for something wider. Epidemic Sound's Pro tier instead scales by channel count, three channels per platform, without a geographic market restriction described.
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