6 best music catalogs for monetized YouTube channels in 2026

If your YouTube channel earns ad revenue, you need music you can monetize without handing that revenue to someone else. A Content ID claim on a video can let the rights holder take its ad revenue or block it from being viewed.

Tracks from a music subscription are usually safe in videos you publish on registered channels while you're subscribed. The risk sits in channels you haven't registered, sponsored or paid content your plan doesn't cover, and videos you publish after you cancel.

We've compared five music subscriptions and YouTube's free Audio Library on price, how many channels each clears, sponsorship coverage and what stays licensed after you cancel.

In this article

• What is the best music catalog for a monetized YouTube channel?
• What should a monetized YouTube channel check in a music license?
• How we chose the music catalogs for monetized YouTube channels
• How do the music catalogs compare for monetized YouTube channels?
• The 6 best music catalogs for monetized YouTube channels
• Which Uppbeat plan does a monetized YouTube channel need?
• Frequently asked questions about music for monetized YouTube channels

Quick guide

1. Uppbeat: best for copyright-safe, human-made music on a budget, with a free plan and paid plans from $6.99/month billed yearly.
2. Epidemic Sound: best for creators who want AI voiceover and editing tools in the same subscription as their music.
3. Artlist: best for creators who publish on several social platforms and may need broadcast coverage later.
4. Soundstripe: best for creators already doing commercial work who need five YouTube channels on one plan.
5. Envato: best for creators who want templates, fonts and graphics alongside their music.
6. YouTube Audio Library: best free option for channels in the YouTube Partner Program.

What is the best music catalog for a monetized YouTube channel?

The best music catalog for a monetized channel has a license covering your channel, your sponsorships and every video you publish while subscribed. Of the subscriptions we compared, Uppbeat Essentials costs least, at $8.99/month, or $6.99/month billed yearly, with one YouTube channel safelisted, while Epidemic Sound Creator and Artlist Music & SFX Social cost $9.99/month billed yearly for one channel per platform.

If you want to start without paying, Uppbeat's free plan gives you 3 free downloads, topped up by one each month, from 25% of every library, for use on your own channels, with a credit added for each music track, and YouTube's Audio Library is free for channels in the YouTube Partner Program.

If you also edit for clients or run paid ads, compare the professional tiers instead. Uppbeat Pro, Epidemic Sound Pro, Artlist Music & SFX Pro and Soundstripe Pro all cover client projects and paid advertising.

All prices are in USD. Prices may differ in your region, so check the pricing page for local rates.

What should a monetized YouTube channel check in a music license?

A music license for a monetized channel should cover monetization, sponsorships and every channel you run, and keep published videos licensed after you cancel. Check these points in any plan before you subscribe:

• Monetization on your own channel. Entry plans for individual creators usually allow it, but often for one channel per platform. Soundstripe describes its Personal plan as non-commercial, even though it includes monetization for one YouTube channel.
• How many YouTube channels are cleared. Entry plans usually clear one channel, so check the count if you run a second channel, for example in another language. Uppbeat Creator safelists 3 YouTube channels and Pro safelists 10.
• Sponsored content. Brand integrations on your own channel are covered by some entry plans and excluded by others. Ads that a brand pays to run, from its own account or yours, usually need a professional plan.
• How claims are cleared. Channel registration clears Content ID claims automatically on the channels you register. Uppbeat calls this Channel Safelist. Envato and Soundstripe can also clear a single video by its URL.
• What happens after you cancel. Ask two separate questions: are the videos you've already published still licensed, and can you use tracks you downloaded but haven't used yet? Every subscription in this article keeps videos published during your subscription licensed, and none lets you put unused downloads into new videos after you cancel.
• Who made the music. If it matters to you or your audience whether tracks are made by people, check each provider's position on AI-generated content. Every asset on Uppbeat is human-made.

How we chose the music catalogs for monetized YouTube channels

We chose catalogs that a solo YouTuber can use on a monetized channel today, with terms we could check on each provider's own pages. Each one meets these criteria:

• A free tier or entry plan that permits monetization on your own YouTube channel
• A way to prevent or clear Content ID claims on your channel
• Published prices in USD
• Written terms on what stays licensed after you cancel

We left out YouTube's Creator Music. It's available only to US creators in the YouTube Partner Program, and since August 2026 it has offered tracks at no cost or for revenue sharing rather than as a subscription catalog. We cover it in the FAQs below.

How do the music catalogs compare for monetized YouTube channels?

The entry plans differ most on how many channels they clear, whether they cover sponsored content and which asset types they include. Post-cancellation terms are broadly similar: videos published while you're subscribed stay licensed.

Checked in November 2026. All prices are in USD. Prices may differ in your region, so check each provider's pricing page for local rates. Plans and terms change often, so always confirm on the provider's site.

Scroll sideways to see all six columns.

Checked in November 2026. All prices are in USD. Prices may differ in your region, so check each provider’s pricing page for local rates. Plans and terms change often, so always confirm on the provider’s site.

The 6 best music catalogs for monetized YouTube channels

The six best music catalogs for a monetized YouTube channel are Uppbeat, Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Soundstripe, Envato and the YouTube Audio Library. Each card covers the plan you'd usually start on, plus the upgrade that adds channels or commercial rights.

1. Uppbeat: best for copyright-safe, human-made music on a budget

Uppbeat is a library of human-made music, sound effects, stock video, motion graphics and LUTs. It grew out of Music Vine, a UK music licensing company, and is based in Leeds. Every track is hand-picked by Uppbeat's in-house music team, from the same artist roster as Music Vine, whose music is licensed for TV, film and advertising. Every paid plan includes unlimited downloads of the libraries it covers and Channel Safelist for the YouTube channels you register by Channel ID. Channel Safelist tells YouTube you have permission, so claims are stopped before they happen, with no code or credit to add to each video.

Free, Essentials and Creator use the Uppbeat Basic License, which covers individuals publishing on their own channels, including videos with sponsorships, but not paid advertising or work for clients. Under the user agreement, videos you first publish while subscribed stay licensed after you cancel, and videos uploaded to safelisted channels before your subscription ends stay protected from claims.

Features

• Over 200,000 assets, all human-made, with no AI-generated music, sound effects, footage or motion graphics
• Over 12,000 tracks and over 30,000 sound effects
• Custom Duration and Sync Preview on every plan, so you can fit a track to your edit before you download
• A real human support team on every plan, including Free
• Unlimited downloads of music and sound effects on Essentials, and of all content on Creator, Pro and Business
• Channel Safelist for 1 YouTube channel on Essentials, 3 on Creator and 10 on Pro and Business
• Stock video up to 1080p, motion graphics and LUTs on Creator; stock video up to 4K and high-quality WAV files for music and sound effects on Pro and Business
• A free plan with 3 free downloads, topped up by one each month, from 25% of every library, for individual use on your own channels
• Artists keep full ownership and earn an ongoing share of every download, free ones included, rather than a one-off upfront fee, and the group has paid more than $10 million to artists

Best for: Solo YouTubers who want claim protection at the lowest paid price, and creators who want stock video, motion graphics and LUTs in the same subscription as their music.

Price: Free; Essentials, $8.99/month, or $6.99/month billed yearly; Creator, $12.99/month, or $8.99/month billed yearly; Pro, $24.99/month, or $14.99/month billed yearly. See Uppbeat pricing.

Pros

• A free plan to test tracks in real videos before you pay
• The lowest paid entry price of the subscriptions compared here
• Sponsorships allowed on your own channels on every plan
• Creator adds stock video, motion graphics and LUTs, and safelists 3 channels
• Pro safelists 10 channels and covers client projects and paid advertising

Cons

• The free plan requires a credit for each music track and doesn't include Channel Safelist
• Essentials includes stock video, motion graphics and LUTs only within the free download allowance
• Paid advertising and client work need Pro (individuals and solo professionals) or Business (organizations)
• Broadcast TV, paid streaming services, radio and cinema need a custom license
• WAV downloads are available on Pro and Business only

2. Epidemic Sound: best for music with built-in voiceover and editing tools

Epidemic Sound has more than 55,000 tracks and 250,000 sound effects and variations, and says it owns all the rights to its catalog. Its Creator plan is for individual creators publishing their own content on social media, podcasts and websites, with monetization for one channel per platform. Epidemic Sound's plan comparison lists sponsored and boosted content under Creator, while digital ads and client work need Pro.

Content published during a free trial or an active subscription stays cleared after you cancel, as long as your channels were safelisted and you stayed within your plan's terms. Tracks you downloaded but didn't use during your subscription aren't cleared for videos you publish afterward. Creator also includes 250,000 AI credits a month for voiceovers, track adaptations and Epidemic Sound's Studio soundtracking tool.

Best for: Creators who want AI voiceovers, track adaptation and editing-software plugins in the same subscription as their music.

Price: Creator, $17.99/month, or 9.99/monthbilledyearly(119.88); Pro, $39.99/month, or 16.99/monthbilledyearly(203.88).

Pros

• A 30-day free trial on the Creator and Pro plans
• Sponsored and boosted content on your own channels included on Creator
• Plugins for Adobe Creative Cloud and DaVinci Resolve Studio
• Pro adds client work, digital ads and 3 channels per platform

Cons

• Creator monetizes one channel per platform
• Epidemic Sound offers a free trial in place of a free plan
• Digital ads need Pro, Business or an Enterprise plan

3. Artlist: best for creators on several social platforms who may need broadcast coverage later

Artlist's Music & SFX Social plan includes music and sound effects with a personal license that clears and monetizes one channel per social platform, plus podcasts. Artlist's help center says the Social license is for individual creators on personal channels, including monetization and sponsorships, and that projects for clients or brands need the Pro license.

Music & SFX Pro clears and monetizes 3 channels per social platform plus unlimited YouTube videos, and covers client work, paid ads, and broadcasts and TV. Projects you complete and publish while subscribed stay licensed after you cancel, and assets can't be used in new projects once your subscription expires.

Best for: Creators who publish on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitch from one account, and creators who expect to need broadcast and TV coverage on Pro.

Price: Music & SFX Social, $14.99/month, or $9.99/month billed annually; Music & SFX Pro, from $16.58/month billed annually.

Pros

• Monetization and sponsorships covered on personal channels under the Social license
• Pro covers broadcasts and TV as well as online use
• Pro covers unlimited YouTube videos on any channel

Cons

• Social clears one channel per social platform
• Social excludes projects for clients or brands
• Music & SFX Pro is billed annually
• Stock footage and video templates are sold as separate plans or in the Artlist Max plan

4. Soundstripe: best for creators doing commercial work who need five channels

Soundstripe's Personal plan is for individual creators making non-commercial content, with monetization and copyright clearance for one YouTube channel. Personal excludes paid ads, boosted posts and sponsored content, and Soundstripe's help center advises choosing Pro or above if you're earning money from your content.

Pro covers commercial use, sponsored content and paid ads, and monetizes up to 5 YouTube channels. You can only register channels while you're subscribed. Projects created during your subscription keep their license after you cancel, but you can't create new licensed projects afterward.

Best for: Creators who take brand deals or produce videos for others and want five YouTube channels on one plan.

Price: Personal, $19.99/month, or $119/year; Pro, $39.99/month, or $239/year (Soundstripe plan guide).

Pros

• Pro monetizes up to 5 YouTube channels
• Pro covers sponsored content, paid ads and projects created by others
• Pro includes a Premiere extension

Cons

• Personal excludes sponsored content and commercial use
• Personal and Pro are single-seat accounts
• Personal excludes third-party collections such as Warner Chappell Production Music
• Channels must be registered while your subscription is active

5. Envato: best for creators who want templates, fonts and graphics alongside music

Envato's Core plan includes unlimited downloads from a catalog of 30+ million assets, including music and sound effects, stock video, video templates, design templates, graphics and fonts, under a commercial license that covers client work and monetization. Its music catalog includes tracks from PremiumBeat.

Each download is licensed for one project, and under Envato's license terms the license only becomes permanent if you complete that project while subscribed. Claim Clear safelists YouTube channels for automatic clearance and clears individual videos by URL, for tracks marked Claim Clear ready. Claims on other tracks are disputed manually through YouTube using your Envato license certificate.

Best for: Editors and creators who use templates, fonts and graphics as often as music.

Price: Core, $39/month, or $16.50/month billed annually, excl. local tax.

Pros

• A broad range of asset types in one plan
• A commercial license that covers client work and monetization
• Individual video clearance for client channels you can't safelist

Cons

• Claim Clear works only with Claim Clear ready music, and only on YouTube
• Each license covers one project, so reusing a track means creating a new license
• Music can't be used in broadcasts or in films released in theaters

6. YouTube Audio Library: best free option for channels in the YouTube Partner Program

The YouTube Audio Library in YouTube Studio has royalty-free production music and sound effects that YouTube describes as copyright-safe. If you're in the YouTube Partner Program, you can monetize videos that use them, and Audio Library tracks won't be claimed by a rights holder through Content ID. Tracks with a Creative Commons license need the artist credited in your video description.

Best for: Channels that publish only on YouTube and have no music budget.

Price: Free.

Pros

• Free, inside YouTube Studio
• No Content ID claims on Audio Library tracks
• A filter for tracks that don't need attribution

Cons

• Available only in YouTube Studio
• Tracks download as MP3 files
• Creative Commons tracks need attribution in each video's description
• YouTube says it can't give legal guidance on music issues that occur off the platform

Which Uppbeat plan does a monetized YouTube channel need?

Essentials or Creator covers a solo YouTuber publishing on their own channels, and Pro or Business adds client work, paid ads and organizations.

Scroll sideways to see all five columns.

Checked in November 2026. All prices are in USD and may differ in your region. Plans, prices and terms change often, so always confirm on Uppbeat’s pricing page.

Choose Creator over Essentials if you run more than one channel or use stock video, motion graphics or LUTs in your edits. Choose Pro, which uses the Solo Professional License, if you run paid ads, edit for other creators or need more than three channels.

Business is for teams, and it's the only Uppbeat plan whose login can be shared, with members of your organization only. For broadcast, paid streaming services, radio or cinema, Uppbeat offers custom licensing through its pricing page.

Frequently asked questions about music for monetized YouTube channels

Can you monetize YouTube videos that use free music?

Yes, if the music's license allows monetization and you follow its terms. YouTube's Audio Library is free for channels in the YouTube Partner Program, and Uppbeat's free plan lets you use its free tracks on your own channels as long as you add the credit Uppbeat provides for each track. Paid Uppbeat plans let you safelist your channel instead of adding credits.

What happens to your YouTube videos if you cancel a music subscription?

Videos you published while subscribed usually stay licensed, but tracks you downloaded and never used can't go into new videos. Uppbeat, Epidemic Sound, Artlist and Soundstripe all keep videos published during your subscription licensed, and Envato does the same for projects completed while you were subscribed.

On Uppbeat, videos uploaded to a safelisted channel before your subscription end date stay protected from claims, and content you download must be added to your project while you still hold the subscription.

Does safelisting a YouTube channel guarantee you'll never get a copyright claim?

No. Channel registration stops claims on the provider's tracks, but no provider guarantees a video will never be claimed. On Uppbeat, Channel Safelist prevents claims on Uppbeat content in your safelisted channels, and Uppbeat's user agreement says it uses reasonable efforts rather than guaranteeing that no claim will occur. A claim can also come from other music or content in the same video, and if a payment fails, Uppbeat can suspend the Safelist until it's paid. If one does appear, you can release it straight away from Uppbeat's copyright-safe center.

Do you need a different music plan if you edit videos for other YouTubers?

Yes, editing for another creator's channel is client work, which entry plans for individual creators exclude. On Uppbeat, the Solo Professional License on Pro lets a client publish the material you produce, and organizations with more than one member need Business. Epidemic Sound Pro, Artlist Music & SFX Pro and Soundstripe Pro also cover client work, and Envato's license lets you transfer a finished project to a client.

Can you use YouTube Creator Music instead of a music subscription?

You can if you're a US creator in the YouTube Partner Program, but it works differently from a subscription. Creator Music stopped selling paid licenses after August 10, 2026, and now offers tracks at no cost or for revenue sharing, as set by each track's rights holder.

With a revenue-sharing track, you split the video's revenue with the rights holders, and revenue sharing doesn't apply to Shorts or live streams. Creator Music works only inside YouTube Studio.

Is the music in these catalogs made by people or by AI?

It depends on the provider, so check each catalog's policy on AI-generated content before you subscribe. All music on Uppbeat is made by people. Uppbeat's About page says every asset is human-made, with no AI-generated music, sound effects, footage or motion graphics. Artists keep full ownership of their work and earn a share of revenue from every download.

Can you use subscription music in YouTube ads that promote your channel?

Usually not on entry plans for individual creators, which exclude paid advertising. On Uppbeat, it isn't covered on Free, Essentials or Creator, because the Basic License excludes it. Uppbeat Pro's Solo Professional License includes paid advertising for individuals and solo professionals, and Business covers commercial digital use for organizations.

Choose a music catalog that keeps your YouTube channel monetized

Choose a music catalog by checking its license against how your channel earns money: monetization on every channel you run, sponsored content if you take brand deals, and published videos that stay licensed after you cancel. Uppbeat Essentials safelists one channel for $8.99/month, or $6.99/month billed yearly. Creator safelists three and adds stock video, motion graphics and LUTs, and Pro adds client work and paid ads across ten channels.

For more on how licensing works, read our guide to Uppbeat's music licenses, or compare Uppbeat vs Artlist and Uppbeat vs Soundstripe.

Create a free Uppbeat account to try tracks in your next video, or compare Uppbeat plans to choose the one that fits your channel.