Creator-focused music platform with a free tier of 3 downloads a month.
Alternatives
Uppbeat alternatives: free music for YouTube and TikTok (2026)
YouTube's native dashboard for uploading, scheduling and analyzing Shorts, with free audio library.
Free music and SFX under a license allowing commercial use without attribution.
TikTok's pre-cleared royalty-free music library for business accounts.
Royalty-free music and SFX library, official TikTok Sound Partner.
Royalty-free music, SFX and footage with a universal license.
Short answer: for free music on YouTube, use the YouTube Audio Library. It is built into YouTube Studio and has a filter for tracks that need no credit. For music you can use on any platform without a download cap, Pixabay Music needs no attribution. For TikTok business accounts, the TikTok Commercial Music Library is the safe choice. If you want a bigger paid catalog than Uppbeat, Epidemic Sound is the usual step up.
Why look past Uppbeat?
Uppbeat's free tier is small. Free accounts get a small monthly download allowance from part of the catalog, and every video needs Uppbeat's credit line in the description. Paid plans remove the credit by safelisting your channel. Uppbeat's site blocked our requests, so we can't quote its current limits or prices: check current pricing on Uppbeat before you decide.
The best Uppbeat alternatives
YouTube Audio Library: free, for YouTube
Royalty-free music and sound effects inside YouTube Studio, with new releases twice a month. Tracks under the standard Audio Library licence need no attribution. Creative Commons tracks need a credit in your description, and the library generates the text for you. YouTube's help page does not say whether you can use the tracks off YouTube, so treat it as a YouTube-only source.
Pixabay Music: free, no credit needed
Pixabay's content licence lets you use content without attributing the author. You can't resell tracks on their own, and the licence page does not mention Content ID, so keep your download page as proof of where a track came from.
TikTok Commercial Music Library: for TikTok business accounts
Business accounts can only add sounds from this library, and TikTok says videos using these sounds may only be posted within TikTok. If you cross-post the same edit to Shorts or Reels, use music from somewhere else.
Epidemic Sound: paid, larger catalog
No free plan, only a free trial. Epidemic's own blog lists Creator at $9.99/mo billed yearly or $17.99 monthly, covering one monetized channel per platform. Videos published while subscribed stay cleared after you cancel; new uploads after that are not, even with tracks you downloaded earlier.
Artlist: paid, music plus AI
Artlist's pricing page now leads with AI plans that include AI songs (AI Starter at $11.99/mo billed annually, up to 110 songs). Its Music & SFX plan is mentioned but its price was not shown on the page we opened.
Sound effects: Freesound and Zapsplat
If you mainly used Uppbeat for whooshes and risers, these are free SFX libraries. Licences vary per sound on Freesound, so check each one.
AI music: Suno
Generates songs from a prompt. Commercial rights depend on your plan; see the tool page before using it in monetized videos.
Comparison table
| Tool | Starts at | Free plan | Watermark on free | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uppbeat | Check Uppbeat | Small allowance, part of catalog | None, but credit line per video | Baseline |
| YouTube Audio Library | Free | Yes, no cap stated | None (CC tracks need credit) | YouTube-only uploads |
| Pixabay Music | Free | Yes, no cap stated | None, no credit needed | Use anywhere |
| TikTok CML | Free | Business accounts | None | TikTok only |
| Epidemic Sound | $9.99/mo yearly | Trial only | No free plan | Weekly uploaders, one channel per platform |
| Artlist | $11.99/mo yearly (AI Starter) | No | No free plan | AI songs plus stock |
Which to pick
- Pick YouTube Audio Library if you only post on YouTube and want zero paperwork.
- Pick Pixabay Music if you cross-post one edit to Shorts, TikTok and Reels and don't want credit lines.
- Pick Epidemic Sound if you publish weekly and want unlimited downloads with channel safelisting.
- Stay on Uppbeat if its credit line doesn't bother you and you need only a few tracks a month.
How to choose
- List where the video will be posted. A YouTube-only library won't help on TikTok, and TikTok's library won't help on YouTube.
- Count how many tracks you use a month. Under a handful, free tiers are enough.
- Read what happens after you cancel. With Epidemic, new uploads after cancelling are not cleared.
- Keep proof of where each track came from: a download page or licence email is what you show if a claim appears.
More: royalty-free music for YouTube, free music for TikTok and music for monetized videos.
Questions
What is a free alternative to Uppbeat?
The YouTube Audio Library for YouTube videos, and Pixabay Music for use anywhere without credit.
Is Uppbeat copyright free?
Not in the public-domain sense. It is royalty-free music under Uppbeat's licence, with channel safelisting on paid plans. Free tracks come from a limited part of the catalog.
Uppbeat or Epidemic Sound?
Uppbeat has a free tier; Epidemic does not. Epidemic Sound has no free plan but a larger catalog and covers one channel per platform on Creator.
Can I use TikTok's music library on YouTube?
No. TikTok says Commercial Music Library sounds may only be shared within TikTok.
Sources: Uppbeat Premium FAQs; Uppbeat; YouTube Audio Library help; Pixabay license summary; TikTok CML user terms; Epidemic Sound pricing; Epidemic Sound: Artlist vs Epidemic Sound; Artlist pricing. Epidemic Sound Creator plan. Uppbeat's site rate-limited us, so no Uppbeat prices are quoted. Checked on 13 October 2026. Based on published plans, not a hands-on test.