99Sounds

99Sounds is a free sound-library and instrument-plugin label for producers and other creative makers who need audio for music, video, games, podcasts, or sound design. Its range and royalty-free commercial use make it a useful no-cost source, but the license rules out some common uses and its instruments do not support macOS Catalina.

Overview

Founded in 2014 by sound designer Tomislav Zlatić, 99Sounds brings together sound collections and virtual instruments. The catalog ranges from cinematic effects and field recordings to drum samples, rain sounds, and loops, so it can serve both projects seeking designed effects and productions that need musical material. The breadth is a strength for budget-conscious creators; those building an app around ambient or sleep audio, or needing to redistribute source files, should look elsewhere.

Audio files and plugins may be used royalty-free in personal and commercial creative projects, and credit is not required. Users may not sell or redistribute downloaded audio files, including as a separate attachment to another work. The license also prohibits using the sounds to create noise, white-noise, sleep-sound, or similar apps. Those boundaries matter even when the intended project is otherwise commercial.

Key features

Collections cover effects, samples, field recordings, and loops, with WAV, MIDI, NKI, SFZ, and Serum presets among the formats; MIDI and stems are included. That range supports varied production workflows, though the license does not permit passing the downloaded audio files on as assets.

Free instrument plugins come in VST, VST3, and AU formats. Drumplayer offers twelve drum kits, eight slots, stereo and multiple mono outputs, channel volume and pan controls, and a pitch-modulation LFO. Upright Piano pairs four sampled notes per octave with six dynamic layers per note, plus envelope, tremolo, filter, and reverb controls. These are substantial sound-shaping and routing options for free instruments, but their stated Windows and macOS host compatibility excludes macOS Catalina.

Pricing

99Sounds has one plan: Free sounds and plugins at no cost. It includes free sound libraries and plugins under the site license, with no free trial because the plan itself is free. There is no paid tier to unlock; the trade-off is that access remains subject to the redistribution and app-use restrictions.

Platforms

The service is listed for macOS, Windows, and web. Its virtual instruments work with VST and AU hosts on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and macOS, but Catalina is not supported, a material caveat for Mac users on that release.

Who it's for

99Sounds suits producers and creators seeking royalty-free material for commercial or personal music, video, game, podcast, and sound-design work without attribution. It is a poor fit for anyone whose project involves reselling or redistributing the downloaded audio, or making noise, white-noise, sleep-sound, or similar apps.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Free collections and plugins cover effects, loops, samples, and instruments, offering several kinds of production material without a purchase.
• Pro: Royalty-free personal and commercial use without required credit suits projects where attribution is not practical.
• Pro: Drumplayer's multiple outputs and Upright Piano's layered samples and controls give creators useful ways to shape and route sounds.
• Con: Selling or redistributing downloaded audio is prohibited, including as a separate attachment to another work.
• Con: The app-use restriction excludes noise, white-noise, sleep-sound, and similar products.
• Con: Catalina is unsupported for the virtual instruments, limiting their usefulness on Macs running that version.

Alternatives

BandLab Sounds is worth considering if mobile access matters: it supports Android and iOS as well as web, and its free plan allows 20 claims per week. Its BandLab Pro plan is $14.99 a month after a billed 3-day free trial and automatically renews at that rate.

Wave Alchemy offers a free Triaz Player plan with 4,000 samples and 200 presets for macOS and Windows. Choose it if that defined sample-and-preset set fits your needs; sequencer editing, Sound Browser, and loading your own samples are disabled on the free plan.

ModeAudio sells a focused pack of 50 ambient instrumental loops for $13.23, paid once, with 249.9MB unzipped and all formats included. It may suit a project seeking that specific loop collection rather than a broad free repository.

Splice Sounds has a Creator first-month offer at $4.99 a month, with about 200 monthly downloads and access to a catalog of more than 3 million sounds. It is a paid option for creators who prefer a monthly download allowance over 99Sounds' free collections.

Ghosthack offers an Individual sound packs and bundles option, including the Ultimate Producer Bundle 2026 at $95, paid once for 24 sample libraries, over 12,500 sound resources, and 19 GB. Choose it if a large bundled collection is the priority.

Noiiz offers monthly sound allowances: Light is $7.99 a month for 100 MB of sounds per month, while Regular is $12.99 a month for 300 MB per month, Unlimited Expansions, and Connect PRO. It may fit creators who want a recurring monthly allocation.

WAVS has a $1 first-week offer billed for the first week, then renewing monthly at the Pro plan price shown on its page; it includes 10 download credits and unlimited plays. It is an option for someone wanting a small initial paid allowance.

Loopcloud offers Artist monthly at $7.99 a month for 100 points per month and 5 GB cloud storage, with a 14-day free trial. It is an alternative for creators who want points and cloud storage on a monthly plan.

Browse more options in Music Sample Libraries or Sound Effects Libraries.

Verdict

Choose 99Sounds if you want a broad free source of effects, samples, and instruments for creative work and can keep within its license. Its strongest advantage is royalty-free personal and commercial use without attribution; look elsewhere if you need to redistribute audio, build a restricted sound-based app, or run the instruments on macOS Catalina.