Royalty-free music, sound effects and stock footage: where to find it and what the licenses mean
"Royalty-free" doesn't mean "no rules". Every free library has its own license, and the details decide whether you can use a track on Instagram, in a paid client video or in something you sell. Here are five well-known sources, what their licenses say in plain words, and a simple habit that keeps you out of trouble.
Three terms to know first
- Royalty-free
- You don't pay per use or per view. It says nothing about whether the file is free to download, or what you may do with it.
- Attribution
- You must credit the creator, usually in the video description, in the way the license asks.
- Commercial use
- Use in anything that makes money: monetised videos, ads, client work, products. Some free licenses forbid this.
YouTube Audio Library
The YouTube Audio Library lives inside YouTube Studio and offers free music and sound effects. YouTube describes these files as copyright-safe and says they won't be claimed through Content ID, and you can use them in monetised videos if you're in the YouTube Partner Program.
Two license types appear in the library. Tracks with a Creative Commons license require you to credit the artist in your video description; YouTube's attribution tool lets you copy the exact credit text. Other tracks use YouTube's standard Audio Library license, which is meant for YouTube videos; if you want to use a track on another platform, check its license first.
Best for: YouTube videos where you want zero copyright worries.
Pixabay
Pixabay offers free music, sound effects, video and images under its own Content License. According to its license summary, you can use content for free, without attribution (credit is appreciated), and modify it into new works.
The main limits: you can't sell or redistribute the content as-is (for example, re-uploading a track unchanged), you can't use content that shows recognisable trademarks or brands for commercial goods, and you can't use it as part of a logo or business name. Read the license summary; only the full license is legally binding.
Best for: background music and sound effects for any platform, including social.
Pexels
Pexels is a library of free stock photos and videos. Its license says all photos and videos are free to use, attribution isn't required, and you can modify them.
Not allowed: selling unaltered copies (for example as posters or prints), implying that people or brands in the footage endorse your product, redistributing on other stock platforms, and using the content in a trademark or business name. Identifiable people may not be shown in a bad or offensive light.
Best for: B-roll and establishing shots: skies, cities, nature, textures.
Freesound
Freesound is a huge collaborative database of sounds, field recordings and samples uploaded by its community. Each sound carries one of these Creative Commons licenses, so always check it on the sound's page:
- CC0 (zero): you can do almost anything, but you can't claim you made it.
- Attribution (CC BY): free to use, including commercially, as long as you credit the creator.
- Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC): credit the creator, and no commercial use.
- Some older sounds still use the retired Sampling+ license, which Freesound's FAQ explains.
Freesound's FAQ suggests a credit like: "sound1" by user1 (link) licensed under CC BY 4.0. Downloading requires a free account.
Best for: specific sound effects and ambience: rain on a window, a door creak, a city at night.
Mixkit
Mixkit offers free stock video, music, sound effects and video templates for editors like Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Each item type has its own license, and some stock videos fall under a separate, more restricted license, so check which one applies before you download.
Best for: polished stock clips, transitions and title templates.
Quick comparison
| Source | What | Credit needed? | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Audio Library | Music, SFX | Only for CC tracks | Standard-license tracks are meant for YouTube |
| Pixabay | Music, SFX, video, images | No | No reselling as-is; trademarks |
| Pexels | Photos, video | No | No selling unaltered copies; implied endorsement |
| Freesound | Sounds, ambience | Depends on license | CC BY-NC means no commercial use |
| Mixkit | Video, music, SFX, templates | Check per item | Different licenses per item type |
The license-log habit
Platforms can still flag a video even when you used a track correctly, and YouTube itself notes it isn't responsible for "royalty-free" music from other libraries. Make disputes easy to solve:
- Create a folder per project with a plain text file called
licenses.txt. - For every file you download, paste the source URL, the creator name, the date and the license name.
- Save a PDF or screenshot of the license page at the time of download, since licenses can change.
- Copy the required credits straight into your video description before you publish.
- If you get a claim, you can answer it with the exact source and license.
Next: put that music under footage that looks good. Read Cinematic look on a budget, or compare free video editors.