Join the beta"Free" rarely means "free to use anywhere, for anything". A sound can be free to download and still require credit, forbid commercial use, or only be licensed for personal projects. Here is where to look, and how to check what you're allowed to do.
Places to find free sound effects
- Freesound (freesound.org). A huge community library. Each sound has its own Creative Commons licence, shown on the sound's page. Quality varies, so listen before you download.
- Sonniss GameAudioGDC bundles. Large yearly bundles of professional sound effects released for free. The bundles are royalty-free for commercial projects with no credit required, but the licence forbids using the files to train AI. Terms have changed between years, so read the licence for the bundle you downloaded.
- BBC Sound Effects (sound-effects.bbcrewind.co.uk). Thousands of archive recordings. The free licence covers personal, educational and research use; commercial use needs a separate licence.
- YouTube Audio Library. Sound effects for videos on YouTube. Check the terms if you publish elsewhere.
- Pixabay. Free sound effects under the Pixabay Content License: commercial use without credit, but you can't resell or redistribute the sounds on their own.
- Zapsplat. Free sound effects; the free plan requires a credit line such as "Sound effects from zapsplat.com". Paid plans remove that requirement.
Creative Commons in one minute
Most free sounds use a Creative Commons (CC) licence. The common ones:
| Licence | Commercial use | Credit needed |
|---|---|---|
| CC0 (public domain) | Yes | No |
| CC BY (Attribution) | Yes | Yes |
| CC BY-NC (Attribution-NonCommercial) | No | Yes |
"NonCommercial" is the one that catches people out. A client video, a monetised channel or an advert is usually commercial use. If you're not sure, choose a CC0 or CC BY sound instead.
How to credit a CC BY sound
A credit usually includes the title, the author, the source link and the licence. For example:
"Door Slam Heavy" by author name, freesound.org/s/12345, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Put credits wherever your platform allows: the video description, the end credits or the project documentation you hand to the client.
A checklist before you use a sound
- Open the sound's own page and read its licence, not just the site's homepage.
- Is commercial use allowed? If the project is paid or monetised, it needs to be.
- Is credit required? Write the credit down now.
- Save the author, source link and licence with the file.
- Check again before delivery. Clients and platforms may ask for proof.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. When the stakes are high, ask the rights holder or a lawyer.
How SFX L'Builder helps
SFX L'Builder can search Freesound from inside the app, and each download keeps its author, source and licence beside the sound. Before client delivery, you can check every sound's licence in one place.