7 Best Cheap Royalty-Free Music Sites (September 2023)

Royalty-free music platforms provide an excellent solution for sourcing affordable tunes for your projects. As our world becomes more digital, it’s no surprise that we are seeing an explosion in online content creation. This increase in digital creativity necessitates an equal surge in demand for background music, theme songs, and sound effects.

Cheap royalty-free music is particularly critical for individuals involved in certain types of work, such as content creators, video editors, and marketers. However, many of the music tracks available online are either costly or of mediocre quality.

In response to this, the music industry has seen a surge of platforms offering affordable royalty-free music in the past few years, making it simpler for creators on a budget to access high-quality sounds for their projects.

Here are some of the best cheap royalty-free music platforms on the market:

1. Envato Elements

Leading our roster of the best cheap royalty-free music platforms is Envato Elements. This is the best destination for affordable, high-quality music and sound effects to elevate your project’s auditory experience. This professional-level sound resource provides an extensive library of music tracks perfectly suited for any occasion. The platform even includes a rich collection of sound effects to add depth and realism to your projects.

Most creators prefer Envato Elements because its unlimited downloads subscription also allows you to download everything else you need: video templates, stock videos, fonts, and images to name a few. The low subscription cost also makes it accessible to those on a budget—everyone can afford $16.50 a month to get access to pro-grade stock assets.

Envato’s broad license covers even your commercial projects, and you can use your download in new projects while you have an active subscription. Given a choice, always go for the annual subscription because it doesn’t only get you a 57% discount but also higher legal coverage.

Here are some of the main features of Envato Elements:

1. The best cheap royalty-free music platform available for all creators
2. One-click to add high-quality music and sound effects to your project seamlessly
3. Easily find the perfect sound to match your project’s mood and theme
4. Extensive library of tracks and effects without compromising on quality at all

2. Artlist

Next up on our list of the best cheap royalty-free music platforms is Artlist. This platform is a game-changer for those seeking high-quality music that doesn’t break the bank.

This professional-grade resource offers a vast library of music tracks that can amplify the emotional impact of your projects. Artlist’s AI models are available to simplify your search for the perfect tune, with categories sorted by mood, genre, instrument, and even video theme.

The platform also offers a unique feature to resurrect your projects – the universal license. This allows you to use a single song in multiple projects across different platforms, breathing life into your content without needing to worry about additional licensing fees.

Artlist’s noise reduction technology, in this case, is the platform’s ability to filter out the ‘noise’ of irrelevant tracks, honing in on the most suitable music for your project.

The easiest approach is to use the platform’s intelligent search function to find tracks that align with your project’s themes, such as suspenseful music for thrillers or upbeat tunes for lifestyle vlogs. The platform can also aid in fine-tuning the auditory experience of your project, making everything from dialogue to sound effects clearer.

Here are some of the main features of Artlist:

1. Excellent cheap royalty-free music platform, perfect for content creators on a budget
2. One-click to add high-quality music to your project
3. Ease of finding the perfect track with advanced search features
4. Access to an extensive library of tracks with a universal license, allowing multiple uses across different platforms without any extra charges.

3. Epidemic Sound

Continuing our lineup of the best cheap royalty-free music platforms, Epidemic Sound is a standout choice for those looking to augment their projects with high-quality music at an affordable price.

As a professional-grade music resource, Epidemic Sound offers a vast array of music tracks for any occasion or mood. The platform takes a unique approach to music curation, offering playlists based on popular themes in content creation, such as vlogging, gaming, or podcasting.

Epidemic Sound doesn’t just breathe life into your projects with music; it also offers an extensive library of sound effects. This allows you to create a rich, immersive soundscape that transports your audience right into the heart of your content. From the rustling of leaves to the buzz of a busy city, these sound effects add a layer of realism to your project.

The platform’s powerful search function acts as a noise reduction tool, helping you cut through the clutter and find the perfect track for your needs. You can search by genre, mood, or even use the platform’s “Find Similar” function to discover new music based on tracks you already love.

The simplest approach is to browse the platform’s curated categories, making it easy to find the perfect music to complement your project’s tone and theme.

Here are some of the main features of Epidemic Sound:

1. A leading cheap royalty-free music platform suitable for all creators.
2. One-click to add high-quality music and sound effects to your project.
3. Advanced search features to help you find the perfect track quickly and easily.
4. An expansive library of music and sound effects, all available under a simple, affordable subscription model.

4. Premium Beat

Rounding off our list of the best cheap royalty-free music platforms is PremiumBeat. This platform is a powerhouse for creators looking for top-tier music tracks without stretching their budget.

PremiumBeat, a professional-grade music resource, boasts an impressive library of high-quality tracks that can elevate any project. Their curated collections cater to a broad spectrum of themes and moods, making it easier than ever to find the perfect soundtrack for your content.

The platform offers a unique twist: each track comes with a set of loops. This feature allows you to adjust the length of a song to fit your project perfectly, thereby breathing new life into your content and making it unique.

PremiumBeat’s noise reduction feature is its ability to help you cut through the vast array of available music. By offering highly curated collections and a powerful search feature, the platform ensures you can quickly locate the music that best fits your project’s mood and theme.

The simplest way to navigate PremiumBeat is by browsing their curated collections. These are grouped by genre, mood, and even application (like advertising or film), making it easy to find high-quality music that aligns with your project.

Here are some of the main features of PremiumBeat:

1. A top-tier cheap royalty-free music platform, perfect for creators seeking high-quality music.
2. One-click downloads to easily incorporate music into your projects.
3. User-friendly interface and curated collections for finding the perfect track.
4. A unique loops feature, allowing you to customize the length of your chosen track to fit your project seamlessly.

5. Sound Stripe

Completing our roundup of the best cheap royalty-free music platforms is SoundStripe. This platform is an ideal choice for creators who seek high-quality music that won’t deplete their budgets.

As a professional-standard music library, SoundStripe offers a diverse array of music tracks that can inject life into any project. The platform’s comprehensive categories cover an extensive range of moods, genres, and themes, ensuring that you can find the perfect soundtrack for your content.

SoundStripe stands out with its innovative feature of offering unlimited licenses. This means that with one subscription, you can use any song in their library for any number of projects across various platforms. This unique approach breathes fresh life into your content, providing flexibility and eliminating worries about additional licensing costs.

The platform’s powerful search function serves as a noise reduction tool, helping you sift through the vast selection of tracks to find the one that best suits your project. You can search by mood, genre, pace, instruments, and even by specific artists.

The most straightforward way to navigate SoundStripe is by browsing their diverse categories. They offer collections like “Editor’s Picks,” “Trending,” and “Newest,” making it even easier to discover high-quality music that aligns with your project.

Here are some of the main features of SoundStripe:

1. An excellent cheap royalty-free music platform, ideal for creators of all types.
2. One-click to add high-quality music to your project with unlimited licenses.
3. Advanced search features to swiftly find the perfect track for your project.
4. An expansive library of music, constantly updated with new tracks to keep your content fresh and engaging.

6. Audio Jungle

Finalizing our selection of the best cheap royalty-free music platforms is AudioJungle. This platform is a haven for creators seeking high-quality music tracks without straining their finances.

As a professional-grade music resource, AudioJungle boasts an expansive library of music tracks across diverse genres, perfect for any project. The platform also includes a rich array of sound effects, enhancing your project’s realism and depth with just a few clicks.

AudioJungle offers a unique feature, known as music packs, that allows you to purchase groups of related tracks together at a discounted price. This approach breathes new life into your projects, offering versatility and affordability in one package.

The platform’s advanced search function serves as a noise reduction tool, helping you effortlessly navigate the music landscape to find the perfect soundtrack for your project. You can browse by genre, mood, or use their popular files list to discover trending music.

The easiest approach is to explore the platform’s curated collections, organized by theme, making it simple to find high-quality music that aligns with your project’s tone and atmosphere.

Here are some of the main features of AudioJungle:

1. An outstanding cheap royalty-free music platform, perfect for creators on a budget.
2. One-click to add high-quality music and sound effects to your project.
3. Advanced search features to find the perfect track quickly and easily.
4. Music packs offering groups of related tracks at discounted prices, providing more value for your money.

7. Shutterstock

Next in our lineup of the best cheap royalty-free music platforms is Shutterstock. This platform is a popular choice for creators who are seeking high-quality music that fits within their budget.

Shutterstock, a professional-grade music resource, offers a broad selection of music tracks that can elevate any project. The platform has curated collections spanning various themes and moods, making the search for the perfect soundtrack a breeze.

One standout feature of Shutterstock is its integration with a robust stock media library. This means you can not only find the perfect soundtrack for your project but also the visuals to match, breathing new life into your content.

The platform’s powerful search function serves as a noise reduction tool, enabling you to sift through the extensive music library to find the track that best suits your needs. You can search by genre, mood, or even track length to find music that fits your project perfectly.

The simplest way to navigate Shutterstock is by browsing their curated collections. These collections are grouped by themes, moods, and popular genres, making it easy to discover high-quality music that aligns with your project.

Here are some of the main features of Shutterstock:

1. A top-notch cheap royalty-free music platform, perfect for creators seeking quality music at affordable rates.
2. One-click downloads to easily incorporate music into your projects.
3. A powerful search feature for finding the perfect track quickly.
4. An integrated stock media library, offering a one-stop-shop for all your project’s audiovisual needs.