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While you may have excellent audiobook or podcast content, sound effects are vital to take it to the next level. They can seem like an optional component but are crucial for a great listener experience. But, searching for sound effects can waste hours of your time. This article will give you a comprehensive list of the best sources, and tips for making the most of your search.
Why use sound effects?
Using sound effects creates a more engaging experience for your listener. Regardless of the content quality, listeners lose attention if presented with uninterrupted narration. But listeners pay more attention when an audio experience integrates sound effects and/or music.
This is because good sound effects draw the listener in, and help the audio seem more real. But using too many sound effects can instead make your audio cheesy and inauthentic. To avoid this, remember that less is more when choosing sound effects. Find a few sounds that complement your audio and use those. Think about how you want your audience to feel. What sounds evoke that feeling and how can you include them?
Paid Sound Effects
If you have the budget, you’ll want to check here first. Paid sound effect sites are better organized and curated than free sites. You won't need to spend hours trawling through junk to find the sound effect you want.
All sites here provide royalty-free sounds. But, each site has a unique license, so be sure to read up on their licensing page before you buy.
Audiojungle
Audiojungle, with over 1.4 m tracks listed, is one of the largest sound libraries available. It has a comprehensive search engine, allowing you to filter sound effects down to a manageable scope. You pay per track, and each track is valid for one product. (This means an entire podcast or audiobook, not a single track.) This is a great source if you're looking to frequently reuse a few sounds (i.e. for your podcast intro).
Prices start at $1/track.
Pros
- The largest collection on this list.
- The cheapest way to buy a few sounds.
Cons
- Can become expensive when downloading lots of tracks.
- Pay-per-track is the only way to purchase sounds.
A Sound Effect
A Sound Effect is a marketplace for independent sound creators. It also is one of the most convenient ways to find royalty-free sound effects on this list. A single license covers everything on their platform, and they can even find sounds for you. If you’re looking for specific sounds with minimal hassle, this is the place for you.
Prices start at $15/bundle.
Pros
- Single license makes it easy to know what you’re buying.
- Completely unique collection.
Cons
- No way to download individual sounds.
Pro Sound Effects
Pro Sound Effects offers a massive range of collections across all genres. Its collection is available as single downloads, themed libraries, or general libraries.
But the “Core Bundles” are what makes this site stand out. These curated bundles contain thousands of sounds. They are ideal if you have a large budget, and are looking to have easy access to a large curated collection.
Prices include $5 for a single download, to $499 for the smallest Core Bundle. Themed and general libraries charge anywhere between $10 - $1000.
Pros
- “Core Bundles” are fantastic value.
- Flexible purchase options.
Cons
- Expensive if you’re not using a lot of sounds.
Blastwave FX
Blastwave FX is a professional studio dedicated to creating high-quality sound effects. Many of their sounds are then collected and sold by other sites in their bundles. Their range of sounds isn’t as expansive as most sites on this list, but if you’re looking for quality over quantity, this is the place to go. Each of their packs is fantastic value for money, making this one of the best places to get high-quality sounds.
Pros
- All effects are created by professional sound designers.
- Each bundle contains a wide variety of sounds.
Cons
- Not many bundles to choose from.
- Dated website makes it difficult to search.
- Bundles are the only way to purchase sounds.
SoundSnap
SoundSnap is perfect if you're looking for many high-quality sounds. Although they offer plenty of flexibility for purchasing, their subscription package is the best deal on this list. Their yearly subscription gives you unlimited downloads from their collection (updated weekly!) If you want to have the most flexibility for your money, Soundsnap is the ideal choice.
Prices start at $15 for 5 sounds to a $249/year subscription model.
Pros
- Subscription package provides excellent value.
- Collection updated weekly.
Cons
- Expensive option if you only need a couple of sounds.
Audio Micro
Like Soundsnap, Audio Micro offers a subscription service. Unfortunately, none of their plans include unlimited downloads. But Audio Micro still provides an affordable subscription package.
Prices start at $4.95/track and $14.95/5 sounds. Their cheapest subscription tier is $14.95/month which includes 5 downloads a month. All subscriptions include a significant discount on most tracks. (bringing them down to $1)
Pros
- Straightforward pricing.
- Subscription is great value if you’re planning on using 5 or fewer tracks a month.
Cons
- No unlimited downloads on subscription.
- Expensive option when buying large amounts of sounds.
Soundly
Soundly is for users who are looking for a long-term solution to finding sound effects. It provides a regularly updated collection and allows you to build a personal database of sounds. It's the ideal platform if you are looking to build and manage a collection of sound effects over time.
Soundly offers a free plan, but this comes at the cost of a restricted collection. Their standard plan costs $14.99/month.
Pros
- Regularly updated collection.
- You can build a personal database of sounds in app.
- Convenient access to other sound effect libraries in app.
Cons
- Can only be used through a desktop app.
Music Radio Creative
Music Radio Creative specializes in audio branding. Although they don’t directly provide sound effects as individual downloads, it’s an ideal solution if you’re looking to outsource the creation of intros, outros, jingles, trailers, etc.
The cost of an intro and outro is $269, which includes production, theme music, and professional script writing advice. Although their services are tailored towards podcasts, many can still be used for your audiobook.
Pros
- Services are tailored towards your needs.
- Perfect solution if you're not confident editing sounds.
Cons
- Can’t download individual sound effects.
Free Sound Effects
All the sites on this list offer sound effects which allow you to use their sounds free in your podcast or audiobook. However, we recommend double-checking individual sounds as licenses can vary.
ZapSplat
A common issue with free sound sites is that you often end up wading through low-quality content before you find what you want. All Zapsplat's sounds are from independent creators looking for exposure. You'll find high-quality sounds, as creators are only submitting their best work.
Zapsplat is one of the most straightforward sites out there with its simple search bar.
The site is simple to navigate, and all the sound effects are free for commercial use. You must credit all sounds, but there is the option to upgrade to a subscription model to negate this rule.
Pros
- Excellent search engine makes it easy to find what you want.
- Sounds are higher quality than most other free sites.
Cons
- Sound effects are not curated.
- Credit is required for every sound effect.
- Small collection.
Freesound
With over 400,000 sounds available, Freesound probably has what you're looking for. But its poor search engine means you’ll spend a while scrolling through options. As these sounds are not curated, low-quality sounds are common but their rating system means these are usually hidden.
Freesound is a site with an active community. If you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, the community will be able to point you in the right direction. It’s a great option if you have the time to spare.
Pros
- Large collection.
- Active community helps you find sound effects.
Cons
- Poor search engine.
- Sound effects are not curated by the site.
SoundBible
If you know exactly what you’re looking for, Soundbible should be your first port of call. There’s no need to create an account, so you can be using your sound within minutes of searching.
But Soundbible lacks even basic search filters. If you don’t find what you want instantly, it’s better to search somewhere else. However, it's quick and simple to use, so it's worth spending a minute here before moving on.
Pros
- Website is very straightforward to use.
- Quick and easy to download sounds.
Cons
- No search filters.
99Sounds
Unlike the other sites here, 99Sounds is an indie sound design label. True to their name, they release sounds in packs of 99, with 35 packs available. With only 3,465 sounds available, their collection size pales in comparison to other sites. But these are going to be the highest quality free sounds you can find anywhere.
It only takes a minute to browse their selection, so it’s certainly worth your time.
Pros
- Unique collection of sounds.
- Only takes seconds to browse their collection.
Cons
- Very limited selection of sound effects.
- No option to download individual sounds.
Play On Loop
While PlayOnLoop’s focus is on background music, they have a significant collection of free sound effects. All their sounds are original and exclusive to the site. However, it’s a somewhat smaller collection than other sites.
Pros
- Unique collection of sounds.
- Easy to quickly browse their collection.
Cons
- Small collection.
- Collection only covers a few themes.
Partners In Rhyme
Partners In Rhyme collects thousands of sound effects, including both free and paid tracks. Although their free selection is small, it’s quick and easy to download a track. Sound effects are conveniently grouped by theme, and downloading one takes only a couple of clicks.
Pros
- Sound effects are conveniently grouped by theme.
Cons
- Can be confusing to navigate the website at first.
- Can’t quickly demo tracks.
Soundeffects+
SoundEffects+ is a collection of sounds recorded and produced by a team of audio professionals. Clients of Soundeffects+ include notable names such as LG and Sony.
This means that all sounds found here are exclusive and of the highest quality. With ~5000 sounds, it’s one of the smaller libraries available, but like 99Sounds, you get quality over quantity.
Pros
- All sounds are created by audio professionals.
- They provide a bulk download of their entire collection.
Cons
- Can’t filter search results.
- A very small selection of sounds.
Mixkit
Mixkit started as a stock video site but has since added over 3,000 sound effects to its offerings. Although limited, they have included a wide variety of sounds. This carefully curated collection is certainly worth a quick search.
Pros
- Carefully curated collection.
Cons
- Small collection.
- No search filters.
Final Thoughts
If you want to add music to your podcast or audiobook, check out our article on the 20 Best Places to Find Royalty-Free Music.
When you’re ready to sell your audiobook or private podcast, you’ll need a platform. Read about why Soundwise is the best platform to deliver your paid audio products here.
