Epidemic Sound vs HookSounds
Choose Epidemic Sound if you want its audio catalog alongside editor plugins, desktop/mobile apps and soundtracking tools. Choose HookSounds if its in-house music suits your work and you want its combination of music, SFX and intros, or a single-track purchase. Both offer creator and professional coverage; both need a publication-date check before cancellation.
For most freelancers, Pro is the starting comparison. For teams, compare the included users and organizational eligibility rather than assuming an individual subscription covers everyone who edits a project.
Pricing and licensing checked October 28, 2026.
| Requirement | Epidemic Sound | HookSounds |
|---|---|---|
| Audio content | Music and SFX | Music, SFX and intros |
| Personal channels | Creator | Creator |
| Freelance client work | Pro | Pro |
| Digital ads | Pro or suitable higher plan | Pro or suitable higher plan |
| Small-team option | Check Business; Pro Plus includes two people | Business includes five seats |
| OTT/VOD | Pro Plus includes specified coverage | Enterprise/custom scope |
| Single-track purchase | Check applicable licensing route | Available from track download menu |
| Audio tools | Studio, Adapt and more | AI Studio; versions, loops and cuts |
1. Pricing and billing basis
HookSounds displayed these USD annual prices on its subscription page. The monthly figures describe an annual payment, not a cancel-after-one-month purchase.
| HookSounds plan | Annual-billing monthly equivalent | Billed annually | Intended buyer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | $9.99 | $119.88 | Individual personal projects |
| Pro | $19.99 | $239.88 | Freelancer/client work |
| Business | $39.99 | $479.88 | Teams up to 50 employees |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Custom | Wider organizational/distribution needs |
Epidemic's current page displayed these Sweden-localized SEK prices:
| Epidemic plan | Month-to-month | Annual-billing monthly equivalent | Billed annually |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creator | 179 SEK | 109 SEK | 1,308 SEK |
| Pro | 399 SEK | 169 SEK | 2,028 SEK |
| Pro Plus | 800 SEK | 399 SEK | 4,788 SEK |
Source: Epidemic pricing. Compare local checkout totals in the same currency before judging which costs less. Include the license and number of users your production needs.
2. Catalog character and music selection
HookSounds describes its music, effects and intros as made in-house. Epidemic works with artists and maintains its own audio catalog. Those sourcing descriptions do not determine which cue suits your film.
Search each library for the same scene: a dialogue sequence, a product reveal or a montage with timed transitions. Listen through the ending as well as the opening. A track with a clean ending and a useful quiet section can take less editing than one whose strongest moment clashes with your voiceover.
3. Effects, intros and recurring series
HookSounds combines music, SFX and intros in its subscription. That can suit a recurring show that needs a short opener as well as longer background cues. Check the actual intro candidates before giving that category weight in your budget.
Epidemic includes music and SFX and offers tools for assembling a soundtrack. For a scene with footsteps, weather and music, compare how the individual assets work together. The relevant question is whether you can build the sound design your edit needs with the available material.
4. Editing versions and AI tools
HookSounds provides versions, loops and shorter cuts. Its AI Studio accepts a video and proposes a soundtrack matched to context and duration. The page labels the tool as beta, so test the workflow before relying on it for a tight delivery deadline.
Epidemic lists Studio, Adapt and AI voiceovers in its current tools navigation. Compare the particular task: finding a cue, adjusting its structure, building effects or creating narration. The presence of AI at both services does not make their tools interchangeable.
5. Personal channels and monetization
HookSounds Creator covers personal social/video projects and lists one monetized channel per platform. Pro lists three, and Business five. The same table distinguishes account seats from channel allowances.
Epidemic Creator covers one monetized channel per platform, including specified sponsored/boosted own-channel content. It does not cover general client work or digital ad campaigns. A creator publishing a sponsor integration should identify who publishes the finished video and how the sponsor plans to reuse it before deciding Creator is enough.
6. Freelance clients and paid ads
HookSounds directs solo freelancers to Pro for client projects and online advertisements. Its plan text also lists unlimited client-channel use. Distinguish that from the number of your own monetized channels and follow its clearing workflow for each delivery.
Epidemic Pro supports eligible online client projects and digital ads. Its Pro documentation describes eligibility and distribution limits. Neither provider's professional subscription grants your client a reusable library of original audio files; deliver the music within the finished licensed production.
7. Teams and organizational scope
HookSounds Business lists five seats for teams up to 50 employees. Its pricing FAQ directs larger organizations and agencies with particular multi-brand needs to Enterprise. Count everyone who needs account access before pricing the subscription.
Epidemic's current Pro Plus includes two people, while separate Business and Enterprise options address other organizational needs. Public institutions should use the Enterprise route described in its pricing FAQ. Employee count, business type and users can affect eligibility independently of how many videos you make.
8. Broadcast, streaming and physical use
HookSounds places TV, radio and OTT in Enterprise on its current plan cards. Business includes uses such as commercial spaces, internal content and events within its scope. A livestream on a creator platform does not establish permission for a subscription streaming service.
Epidemic Pro excludes TV and specified VOD uses. Pro Plus adds OTT/VOD/SVOD, while excluding TV broadcast and radio. For a film that may move from a web release to a streaming distributor, settle that outlet in the music agreement before delivery.
9. Claims, refunds and cancellation
Epidemic uses safelisting to connect content to the relevant license. Keep those channel/video records with the project. HookSounds also provides a licensing and channel-clearing workflow; keep the asset and project evidence rather than relying on a download receipt alone.
HookSounds' pricing FAQ states that its 15-day refund offer requires no asset downloads. It also ties continuing subscription coverage to publication during the paid term. Epidemic's cancellation guidance preserves qualifying existing publishing but requires coverage for new publishing after expiry. Coordinate the customer's launch date before canceling.
10. Choosing the better fit
Choose HookSounds if its tracks fit your brief, you need music plus intros, or its five-seat Business arrangement fits your eligible team. For occasional projects, compare a single-track license with the subscription.
Choose Epidemic Sound if you prefer its catalog and expect to use its editor integrations or audio tools. Use the plan that covers your destinations, including Pro Plus if its specific streaming coverage fits the production.
Check current Epidemic Sound offers, then compare Artlist offers if you want another stock subscription benchmark. Our existing Artlist vs HookSounds comparison and HookSounds review provide related reading.
FAQs
Does HookSounds require an annual subscription?
It offers subscription billing options and a single-track license route. The figures in this article are the displayed annual-billing offers.
Can HookSounds Creator cover paid client work?
Its pricing page directs freelancers doing client work to Pro. Teams need the applicable Business or Enterprise coverage.
Does Epidemic Pro include commercial streaming platforms?
Ordinary Pro excludes specified VOD uses. The current Pro Plus plan adds OTT/VOD/SVOD coverage; check its scope for your distribution.
Can I publish a project after canceling?
Both providers impose active-subscription publishing requirements for continuing subscription coverage. Keep the account active through the permitted publication, or arrange new coverage.