Head-to-head comparison
Pixabay Music vs Storyblocks Audio
Two of the music & sfx tools podcasters reach for. Here's how they differ on pricing, features, audience, and the trade-offs that actually matter day-to-day.
Free music and SFX with no attribution required
Best for: Creators who want a clean free library with no attribution or sign-up friction.
Unlimited royalty-free music and SFX bundled with stock video
Best for: Podcasters who also produce video clips and want one subscription to cover music, SFX, and stock footage.
At a glance
The honest trade-offs
Pixabay Music
Pros
- Truly free, no attribution needed, podcasts covered
- Large catalogue across music and SFX
- No signup required to download
Watch-outs
- Quality varies sharply across contributors
- No premium curation tier
- Same tracks recurring across creator videos
Storyblocks Audio
Pros
- Unlimited audio at $149/year (~$12.40/mo)
- All Access $349/year bundles audio plus video
- Podcast license covers commercial use
Watch-outs
- Long tail of low-quality filler tracks
- Tagging shallow vs Artlist or Epidemic
- No stems on most files
Which one should you pick?
Pick Pixabay Music if
You’re building around creators who want a clean free library with no attribution or sign-up friction.. Pixabay's content license is unusually generous — commercial use, no attribution required, podcasts explicitly covered. Catalogue runs to over 180,000 tracks and SFX.
Pick Storyblocks Audio if
You’re building around podcasters who also produce video clips and want one subscription to cover music, sfx, and stock footage.. Storyblocks audio is $149/year unlimited; All Access at $349/year bundles audio with video and stock photos. License is podcast-friendly across plans.
Also worth comparing
Or see all Pixabay Music alternatives.
Frequently asked
What does Pixabay Music do better than Storyblocks Audio?
Pixabay Music's standout is "Truly free, no attribution needed, podcasts covered". Storyblocks Audio doesn't make that promise — it leans into "Unlimited audio at $149/year (~$12.40/mo)" instead. If the first sentence describes your workflow, pick Pixabay Music; if the second does, pick Storyblocks Audio.
What are the trade-offs?
Pixabay Music: quality varies sharply across contributors. Storyblocks Audio: long tail of low-quality filler tracks. Whether either matters depends entirely on what you actually need — neither is a deal-breaker by itself.
Can I use Pixabay Music and Storyblocks Audio together?
Both are music & sfx tools so most teams pick one. Some workflows do combine them — for example, using Pixabay Music for one show or episode type and Storyblocks Audio for another. Worth trying both free tiers before committing.