Soundstripe vs Uppbeat Comparison 2026
Soundstripe has no free tier at all, but Individual at $9.99 a month covers personal or commercial use by one person with unlimited downloads across 58,000 tracks and nearly 100,000 effects. Uppbeat gives away three downloads a month for free, then starts at $6.99, cheaper than Soundstripe, but reserves its extended licence for client work and ads for the $14.99 Pro tier. Soundstripe's commercial use is covered from the entry price. Uppbeat's free tier is real, but the licence you actually need may cost more than Soundstripe once client work is involved.
Music and effects, cleared for YouTube
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.
Side by side
Soundstripe | Uppbeat | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $9.99 | From $6.99 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Paid subscription | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier (they differ) | No | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | None |
| API |
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.
Our note
Epidemic Sound is the direct competitor and both clear YouTube automatically. Soundstripe's reference search is the better way to find a specific sound, and Epidemic's catalogue is the better place to find something nobody else has used.
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 Soundstripe
- Uppbeat keeps a free tier that still clears copyright claims, unlike Soundstripe which has no free tier at all, before its own $6.99 plan.
- Soundstripe instead of Uppbeat
- Soundstripe also clears music automatically against YouTube claims, from $9.99 with no free tier at all, where Uppbeat keeps three free downloads a month.
Which one should you pick
Choose Soundstripe if commercial use needs to be covered without upgrading further: $9.99 a month includes that from the entry Individual plan, alongside reference track search for finding something that sounds like a named song. There is no free tier, so anybody who wants to test before paying should price a single-track licence instead of a subscription.
Choose Uppbeat if a genuine free plan matters, or the budget needs to stay under Soundstripe's rate: three downloads a month renew for free, and the entry tier is $6.99 a month, cheaper than Soundstripe. Check the licence carefully before assuming it covers everything: client content, digital ads and larger organisations need the $14.99 Pro tier specifically, which is more than Soundstripe charges for commercial use from the start.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper, Soundstripe or Uppbeat?
- Uppbeat, at the entry tier: $6.99 a month against Soundstripe's $9.99. But Uppbeat's licence for client work and ads only arrives on its $14.99 Pro tier, while Soundstripe's $9.99 Individual plan already covers personal or commercial use by one person.
- Does Uppbeat have a free plan the way Soundstripe does not?
- Yes, that is one of the clearest differences: Uppbeat gives three downloads a month for free, renewing rather than expiring like a trial. Soundstripe has no free tier, only individual song licences sold separately for anybody who does not want a subscription.
- Which licence covers work made for a client?
- On Soundstripe, the base Individual plan at $9.99 a month already covers personal or commercial use. On Uppbeat, client content and ads need the extended licence, only included on the $14.99 Pro tier, so a freelance editor working for clients should budget for that tier specifically.
- Do both include sound effects with the music?
- Yes. Soundstripe bundles nearly 100,000 effects alongside 58,000 tracks in the same subscription. Uppbeat also includes sound effects, so a second subscription is not needed for the stings and transitions between cuts on either platform.
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.