We all love to relax in the evening and watch something interesting. Have you ever wondered how important sound is in the videos we consume? Sound effects play a crucial role in video content that we watch, be it a movie, a cartoon, a TV series, or a video on a streaming platform. Even if we often don’t notice this audio, after removing it, we’ll immediately feel that something is wrong, as if everything has become flat and empty. Today, we would like to consider the significance of sound effects in videos and explain where to find royalty-free ones.

What Are Sound Effects and Why Are They Needed?

Sound effects are accompanying sounds that content creators add to a video; in particular, they can be used to emphasize some actions or events shown in the video or as background to create a specific atmosphere. In general, sound is significant for creating video content as it allows for making high-quality videos that attract more views and, therefore, more subscribers.

At the same time, you should pay attention to the copyrights assigned to the effects you want to use in your video. In this case, you must avoid using such files because the consequences can be unpleasant and even catastrophic. In particular, if you use someone else’s original sound, you may be asked to give away part of the profit, or the video platform (specifically, YouTube) may delete your content and even block your account. To avoid such episodes, we have assembled a selection of websites where you will find copyright-free sound effects and be able to use them to edit your content without any worries.      

Where to Find Free Sound Effects?

Discover which websites you should visit for free SFX and music to create attractive, atmospheric videos.

ZapSplat

ZapSplat offers its visitors a wide range of SFX on different themes. Also, here, you will find many sound packs and music tracks, all – for free. It is worth noting that this sound library has constant updates that bring 200 new effects daily. This way, you can always find hundreds of exciting effects ideal for your video. In addition, most of the files from ZapSplat are exclusive, meaning you will not find them anywhere else.

Pros:

  • Files from the ZapSplat website can be commercialized.
  • Daily updates of SFX ensure fresh content.
  • It is a user-friendly website with easy navigation.

Cons:

  • With a free subscription, you get a limited catalog of SFX and the ability to download files in an MP3 format only.

SoundEffects+

Extensive experience in creating SFX, a large team of sound recording professionals, and an extensive library of free sounds are offered by the Finnish provider SoundEffects+. The list of free effects they provide will surprise you with its impressive size and quality since everything is recorded and edited by SoundEffects+’s team members. You can also purchase Pro Packs, which include 3,500 sound effects, 237 music tracks, and 137 short music clips for $37 each.

Pros:

  • It is possible to download up to 100 monthly files for free.
  • You do not need to create an account and indicate the authorship of the effects in your videos.

Cons:

  • You won't be able to filter your queries, so you'll have to search for the effects you want using keywords.

Sample Focus

The Sample Focus team claims that their library of high-quality audio is the most well-organized in the world, and now, you have an excellent opportunity to check this out for yourself. They work on a credit system, meaning you have three credits for downloading files every Monday. If you upload your own, you can get another four credits. Sample Focus also provides a referral program through which you can invite a friend and receive 20 credits for both of you.

Pros:

  • You can use the tool for free, based on weekly download credits.
  • You do not need to indicate the authors of the audio content.
  • You can use SFX for commercial purposes and mix them as you like.

Cons:

  • The tool does not support downloading files from mobile devices.
  • To access the download feature, you first need to create an account (it's free but still requires some extra effort).

Sound Jay

Despite its outdated interface, Sound Jay is one of the best audio effects websites. Here, you can download a lot of high-quality SFX and music tracks. At the same time, it has a significant problem – the lack of a search bar, which means you will have to manually scroll through all the categories looking for the desired effect.

Pros:

  • Any effect on this website can be used for commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Cons:

  • Due to the outdated design of the website and the need for a search bar, you may find it too difficult to find the effects you need.

SoundsCrate

The SoundsCrate team offers its users a vast and varied selection of effects and music tracks of the highest quality. However, they allow you to leave out attribution on your videos. SoundsCrate has a modern, attractive website with easy navigation and the ability to filter the search for the desired effect. Also, for your convenience, all sounds and music tracks are divided into categories, such as Magical, where you will find a selection of relevant sounds, or Explosions, which contains sounds that no action movie can do without. On top of that, you can sign up for a PRO subscription, which includes a lot of premium content from $15 to $79, depending on the subscription level.

Pros:

  • Fresh updates of sound files every week.
  • The website offers SFX and various plugins, animations, and 3D graphics.

Cons:

  • You can only download five times a day for free.
  • You are required to create an account.

PremiumBeat

PremiumBeat is where you can find high-quality sound effects and music tracks at the level of world-famous recording studios. The PremiumBeat team comprises professional sound designers and composers, ensuring well-balanced, high-quality sound. You can find many free effects and tracks on their blog, but most of the content requires purchasing a license. The Standard license costs $49, while the Premium is $199. They also have a monthly subscription for $12.99, allowing you to download five monthly tracks.

Pros:

  • It has a massive library of high-quality music tracks and audio effects created by professional composers and audio designers.
  • You can use free packages for commercial purposes an unlimited number of times.

Cons:

  • Free sounds are listed only on the blog (which can make them difficult to find), while all other sounds are licensed.

Clipchamp

Clipchamp is a convenient and versatile platform for creating and editing media content. This way, you can access not only an extensive library of sound effects but also various tools, such as a video editor, subtitle generator, screen recording capabilities, GIF maker, and much more. Also, they offer different categories of sounds like a holiday or horror theme. The Clipchamp overhaul provides users with a premium subscription for $11.99 where they get the ability to export 4K videos, watermark-free exports, premium filters and effects, and much more.

Pros:

  • You get a free service with extensive capabilities for editing and processing video content.
  • Unique sound categories are available rarely.

Cons:

  • Difficulty finding sound effects can force you to scroll through half of all website pages.
  • Here, you need to create an account.

Airborne Sound

By visiting Airborne Sound, you can find over 50k sounds. This fact makes this website deservedly one of the best in this niche. Airborne Sound is famous for working with film studios and game development companies. Therefore, you can be sure that you will receive the highest quality audio created by a team of professionals.

Pros:

  • It has a vast library of effects and music tracks.
  • You can find even more premium sounds by visiting the Airborne Sound blog.

Cons:

  • All sound effects and tracks are provided to users in packages, so you must download them even if you need a single file only.

Final Words 

Perfect video content must combine both visuals and sound effects, which should be addressed if you want to create content that will attract views and subscribers. The lack of sound is always very noticeable, so you should pay attention to the list of websites we have compiled – there, you will find royalty-free audio tracks and make your videos professional.

AI technologies allow creators to gain more significant opportunities to build exciting content. Therefore, we recommend you check similar tools on our blog.