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Head-to-head · Sound Effects Libraries

Soundly vs Freesound

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Soundly #1 in Sound Effects Libraries 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Soundly
Freesound #6 in Sound Effects Libraries 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Freesound

Soundly leads on 0 checks, Freesound on 1, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSoundly · 9.4/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresSoundly · 3 of 3

Soundly scores higher on our rubric for sound effects libraries: 9.4 against 8.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #6.

On download model, Freesound gives you Per-asset where Soundly offers Unlimited. Freesound leads on catalog size: 736091 sounds versus 250000 sounds.

Soundly is the better fit for editors needing a full professional sound workflow. Freesound is the better fit for free users needing maximum catalog breadth.

  • Soundly fits best

    Editors needing a full professional sound workflow

  • Freesound fits best

    Free users needing maximum catalog breadth

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Side by side

Feature Soundly 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Freesound 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.3
Ranking #1 in Sound Effects Libraries #6 in Sound Effects Libraries
Best for Editors needing a full professional sound workflow Free users needing maximum catalog breadth
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price — Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Desktop Cloud
Platforms Windows, macOS Web
Support Email, Docs Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Soundly 3/3 · Freesound 0/3
Commercial use ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Perpetual usage ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Broadcast use ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Download model Unlimited Per-asset
Catalog size 250000 sounds 736091 sounds (best)
File formats Not checked yet mp3, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, AIFF, WAV
Our review
Pros
  • 250,000-sound Pro library with unlimited downloads
  • Search, indexing, metadata, and processing in one desktop workflow
  • Integrations with major audio, video, and game-audio tools
  • 736,091 sounds available for free, with per-asset downloads
  • Search by metadata and content similarity across multiple sound formats
  • API access supports searching and retrieving sounds and metadata
Cons
  • Runs on Windows and macOS only
  • Free access has 10,000 local files and 25 Voice Designer renders
  • New productions cannot use sounds after a subscription expires
  • Creative Commons permissions vary by individual sound
  • Commercial and broadcast use require checking each asset's license
  • The website portal restricts commercial use unless otherwise agreed
Our verdict

Soundly is desktop software for sound designers, editors, filmmakers, game-audio teams, and other media creators. It combines a searchable cloud sound-effects library with local-library indexing, collection management, metadata editing,…

Read the review →

Freesound is a web-based collaborative database for audio snippets, samples, field recordings, sound effects, and other production audio. It is aimed at creators who need a wide selection of downloadable sounds without a paid subscription,…

Read the review →
  1. SoundlySound Effects Libraries 9.4Free plan
  2. FreesoundSound Effects Libraries 8.3Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Soundly — where it wins

    • 250,000-sound Pro library with unlimited downloads
    • Search, indexing, metadata, and processing in one desktop workflow
    • Integrations with major audio, video, and game-audio tools

    Where it doesn't

    • Runs on Windows and macOS only
    • Free access has 10,000 local files and 25 Voice Designer renders
    • New productions cannot use sounds after a subscription expires

  • Freesound — where it wins

    • 736,091 sounds available for free, with per-asset downloads
    • Search by metadata and content similarity across multiple sound formats
    • API access supports searching and retrieving sounds and metadata

    Where it doesn't

    • Creative Commons permissions vary by individual sound
    • Commercial and broadcast use require checking each asset's license
    • The website portal restricts commercial use unless otherwise agreed

More comparisons

All sound effects libraries comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update