Top 10 sound effect websites in 2023

When you use a sound effect in your videos or creations, they tend to add an extra edge and familiarity to the content. Sometimes, they also make the audience connect much easier to what you want to deliver. Be it, youtube creators or simple video makers, the sound effects are tools that they’d need to stand out.

However, there is this fear of copyright infringement that every uploader thinks about at least once. You use the wrong kind of ‘Ahh’ and ‘Bow’ in your video, next thing you know the streaming platform pulled down your video and slapped a notice on your table. If that sound belongs to someone else, then they can take legal action against you too.

That’s where the best sound effect websites come into the picture. They contain Royalty-free sound effects that will help you enhance your videos. Also, they ensure that the rights remain with you and no one can raise a finger.

These are not necessarily free and you’ll have to pay some bucks in case of a few. Here’s a compiled list of the 10 best sound effect websites in 2021.

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10. AudioMicro

AudioMicro is a very useful site if you are looking for audio clippings along with sound effects. They have a pre-compiled stock of sounds that you can access from their page. You can use these sounds for any of your videos, as many times as you want. You can set up filters along the search bar and narrow down your choices based on category, length, and type of music/sound effect. The navigation is quite easy and you’ll get more or less everything you want from them.

It has about 420,000 sound effects and the only restriction here is you cannot resell these sounds even after buying them from the platform. That brings us to the payment scenario. Out of all the sounds available, only 2000 of them are free. As for the rest of them, the platform charges a flat rate of $4.95 per sound, irrespective of the length and category.

Pros

• You can reuse sounds after purchase
• You can create a favorite list
• Easy navigation

Cons

• An account is compulsory for purchase
• Very less free sounds

9. 99Sounds

We would name this platform as the best one when it comes to choosing sounds for themed videos. If you are a video game streamer or like talking about gaming, then the sounds that they have in this section are top-notch! Of course, there are more sounds for people who create videos in other genres. But the fact still remains that you can download only a set of songs that fall under a category. The option to get individual sounds is completely absent.

The advantage is that all the audio clippings and sounds are free for commercial use. That is why we have this site on our sound effect websites listing. They have a very convenient website to navigate. The downloads might take a little time to download but otherwise, it is great to pick your sounds from the series collection.

Pros

• All sounds are free
• Easy navigation
• A themed collection will narrow down the sounds you need

Cons

• Downloads can take time
• Last update on collections in 2016

8.  SoundBible

This is one of those sound-effect websites where you don’t have to make an account to take stock from them. The sounds are shorter clips that can be used for commercial purposes without any problem. The high-quality sounds are absolutely free and are available in MP3 and WAV formats.

You can access the licensing agreement for each sound and it becomes easier to use unrestricted content in the videos. The sounds are all piled up together and there is no distinguished categorization on the site. You will have to scroll and spot what you want.

Pros

• Free and Royalty-free content are separately mentioned.
• There is a license for each sound
• Convenient MP3 and WAV formats

Cons

• You need to further edit few sounds for use
• The website is very tiring

7. SoundEffects+

All the sounds that are present on the site are recorded and designed by very professional audio experts. The sounds are recorded using the best equipment, carefully edited, and nicely checked to remove any background sounds or disturbances. The sounds are royalty-free and come in MP3 and WAV format.

They have a huge collection of original sounds and you can use them for any professional or commercial purpose. You have to register and have an account to access the audio files and sound effects. It has about 5000 free sound effects to choose from. The paid packs are also available (Royalty Free Music Packs).

Pros

• No need for sound attribution
• Very trustworthy and top-quality
• Made by audio experts

Cons

• The audios come with a watermark
• Very long registration process.

6. BBC SoundEffects

Not many of us are aware that the BBC gives out its own set of sound effects that can be used for educational and research purposes. There is a huge library that has some exotic animal sounds as well and you can pick the one that best suits your demands. Also, if you plan on purchasing any sounds for commercial purposes, then there are paid packs for that. Otherwise, a normal sound set is free to use. About 16,000 sounds are available.

Pros

• No need to make an account
• Completely top-notch quality
• A very large original collection

Cons

• Only free for educational use
• The Search tab doesn’t detect inputs quickly.

5. Noise for Fun

One of the best features of this website is that you can use descriptive tas to narrow down the sounds you need. The sounds are categorized so that everyone can find what they are looking for. All sounds are available in the 44.1 kHz Stereo - WAV Format.

They are all very crisp and short audio snippets that are useful in the commercial setup. Currently, there are about 1000 different sounds and you can expect to see more in the future.

Pros

• All files are free
• No need to register
• Sounds are of top quality

Cons

• Sounds only fall in 10 categories
• You need to go with sound attribution

4. FreeSFX

This is among the sound effect websites that have very short sound snippets. It is pretty much easy to navigate through the sounds that are available.

You can even preview them before owing them. The sounds are also organized into categories so you can choose from the albums that they’ve put together. Also, every sound is available for free and there is a stock of about 3000 different sounds.

Pros

• Only royalty-free sounds available
• Pretty easy navigation

Cons

• No availability of MP3 files, only WAV
• Sound attribution is necessary

3. Free Sound

One thing that we love about content on this site is the reviews. The ones who’ve already obtained the sound leave reviews that others can refer to before making the purchase. It is quite convenient to preview the files and obtain them.

The files are available in WAV format mostly and they come with no copyright and remain royalty-free. It’s also absolutely free to download any sound from the site. A whopping 400,000 different sounds are available with them.

Pros

• High-quality sounds
• Easy registration
• Wider choices

Cons

• It’s not compulsory to make an account
• Limited sounds are available for commercial use.

2. Sound Gator

Apart from the download of sound effects, you can also initiate interaction with other downloaders and members of the website. It is similar to what you’d see on social media.

The members can easily share content, like and discuss sounds and also pick from the limited options. The library isn’t too big. Alongside sound effects, you can also find voice clips on this website. There are less than 1000 sounds on this website

Pros

• Communication through messages with other users
• Voice clips available
• Free

Cons

• Very limited options
• The search process is tedious
• Compulsory registration

1. Zapsplat

Just like Sound Gator, Zapsplat has a social media-like presence. It has about 34,000 royalty-free sound effect files and you can always discuss them with other users. Also, you can share your requests for a specific kind of sound.  The files are available in MP3 and WAV format.

There are free and paid packages and if you plan on using sounds for commercial purposes, then you will have to use attribution. But here’s the other side, if you make a donation of 20 euros or more - monthly or annually - you can use sounds without attribution.

Pros

• No pressure on donations
• Realistic snippets
• Both MP3 and WAV formats

Cons

• Registration required
• The website is not well-developed but usable
• Search results are not always accurate

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Conclusion

While those were the sound effect websites from where you can pick out the best sounds for your videos, editing is the next big step. The software should not alter the quality of your sounds and also provide an easier interface to work with.

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Install FilmoraGo Now!

FilmoraGo is one of the finest options that we would suggest. FilmoraGo iOS has a huge music library list with more than 10,000 music resources to choose from. You also have the option of dubbing your own voice or sound and adding it to the video for a more personalized touch.

You can even extract your favorite audio clips and add them to your video using the FilmoraGo. Further, it is compatible even with your iTunes library.  You can listen to all these sound effects and can be downloaded for free!

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