Artlist vs Bensound:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Artlist had more branded searches than Bensound among royalty-free music libraries worldwide. Artlist had about 556,000 branded searches, while Bensound had 33,100. Artlist made up 12.4% of all royalty-free music library searches we track, and Bensound accounted for 0.74%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about royalty-free music libraries, Artlist appeared in three of the five answers and Bensound in two. Artlist was mentioned before Bensound in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Artlist, about 17 searches for every 1 for Bensound
Who does AI mention more?
Artlist, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Bensound in 2
Who does AI recommend more?
Artlist, named ahead of Bensound in 3 of 5 answers
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Top royalty-free music libraries in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Artlist was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Bensound was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Artlist was listed before Bensound in three out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Epidemic Sound1st
Artlist2nd
Pixabay3rd
Musicbed4th
Bensound4th
Soundstripe4th
PremiumBeat7th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Epidemic Sound4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Pixabay3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Artlist3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Musicbed3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Soundstripe3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Bensound2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
PremiumBeat1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about royalty-free music libraries
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which royalty-free music library should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best royalty-free music libraries?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best royalty-free music library for video creators?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“royalty free music”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“copyright free music”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Artlist or Bensound more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Artlist and Bensound by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven royalty-free music libraries we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Artlist, Bensound. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Pixabay | Artlist | Epidemic Sound | Musicbed | Bensound | Soundstripe | PremiumBeat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 73.9% | 14.7% | 8.4% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 0.68% | 0.27% |
| Nov 2025 | 77.7% | 12.3% | 7.2% | 0.78% | 1.1% | 0.58% | 0.28% |
| Dec 2025 | 77.9% | 12.3% | 7.3% | 0.78% | 0.94% | 0.58% | 0.23% |
| Jan 2026 | 76.6% | 12.1% | 8.7% | 0.93% | 0.93% | 0.48% | 0.23% |
| Feb 2026 | 74.6% | 14.1% | 8.5% | 0.91% | 1.1% | 0.55% | 0.22% |
| Mar 2026 | 76.5% | 12.2% | 8.7% | 0.93% | 0.93% | 0.5% | 0.23% |
| Apr 2026 | 76.8% | 12% | 8.7% | 0.94% | 0.93% | 0.44% | 0.19% |
| May 2026 | 73.2% | 14% | 10.2% | 1.1% | 0.89% | 0.43% | 0.22% |
| Jun 2026 | 75.2% | 11.8% | 10.5% | 1.1% | 0.74% | 0.43% | 0.22% |
| Jul 2026 | 71.4% | 13.7% | 12.1% | 1.3% | 0.71% | 0.5% | 0.26% |
| Aug 2026 | 71.2% | 14% | 12.1% | 1.3% | 0.7% | 0.49% | 0.26% |
| Sep 2026 | 74.7% | 12.4% | 10.4% | 1.1% | 0.74% | 0.42% | 0.22% |
How has the Artlist and Bensound comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Artlist was ahead of Bensound in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Artlist’s share of searches among royalty-free music libraries worldwide moved from 14.7% to 12.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 815K to 556K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bensound’s share of searches among royalty-free music libraries worldwide moved from 1.1% to 0.74%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 33.1K.
How did search popularity change for royalty-free music libraries worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes

In September 2026, Artlist lost share of searches among royalty-free music libraries worldwide, from 14% to 12.4%.

Estimated monthly branded searches for Bensound worldwide fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 60.5K to 33.1K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
7 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Artlist’s and Bensound’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among royalty-free music libraries

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