Audio
Sound effects, music and other audio
Audio APIs give your app sounds without AI: search libraries of ready-made sound effects and music, and play or download the files. Check each file's licence; CC0 sounds may be used anywhere without credit.
Freesound API
The Freesound API searches a large library of Creative Commons sound effects and field recordings, by text, tags, duration or sound features such as pitch and tempo, for example rain or footstep sounds for a game. Requests are ...
MusicBrainz API
The MusicBrainz API gives open music metadata: artists, releases, recordings, labels and their identifiers, for example to tag a music library or show album details. Requests are GET calls that answer in XML or, with fmt=json, in ...
Openverse API
The Openverse API from WordPress searches openly licensed and public-domain audio and images from sources such as Freesound, Jamendo and Wikimedia Commons, for example music or sound effects that may be reused in a video. ...
Podcast Index API
The Podcast Index API is an open index of podcasts and their episodes, for example to add podcast search to an app or follow new episodes of a show. Requests are GET calls with JSON answers, signed with an API key, the time and a ...
Radio Browser API
The Radio Browser API is an open directory of internet radio stations with their stream addresses, country, language, tags and bitrate, for example to build a radio player. Requests are GET calls that answer in JSON, XML or CSV. ...
SFXMint Sound Effects API
SFXMint Sound Effects API lets you search and fetch metadata for a library of more than 10,300 ready-made CC0 sound effects for videos, games and apps. Call it over HTTP GET; it returns JSON with sound metadata and download ...
Compare the audio and sound effect APIs
| Service | API key | Formats | Free use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freesound API | Needed, free | JSON | Free with a free API key for non-commercial use; commercial use is agreed case by case with the Freesound team. |
| MusicBrainz API | Not needed | JSON, XML | Free, no key needed, at about one request per second per IP address. |
| Openverse API | Not needed | JSON | Free, no key needed; a free registered application gets higher rate limits. |
| Podcast Index API | Needed, free | JSON | Free with a free API key. |
| Radio Browser API | Not needed | JSON, XML, CSV | Free, no key needed; the project is open source. |
| SFXMint Sound Effects API | Not needed | JSON | The free tier resets daily and keeps working. |
Questions
Which free audio and sound effect APIs work without an API key?
MusicBrainz API, Openverse API, Radio Browser API and SFXMint Sound Effects API work without a key, according to their documentation. Most keyless services ask you to keep the number of requests reasonable, and some ask for a User-Agent that names your app.
Are these audio and sound effect APIs really free?
The services here can be used without paying, at least on a free plan or free tier, often with limits such as a number of requests per day or non-commercial use only. The table above quotes what each service says about its free use; check the provider's own terms before you rely on it.
How up to date is this list?
The address of every service is checked about once a week, and services that stop working or stop being free are removed. This list last changed on November 8th, 2026.