Soundly
Soundly is a cloud-based sound effects platform for professional audio post-production, offering a 250,000+ sound library, proprietary Natural Language Search, local file indexing, and direct DAW integrations to sound designers in film, TV, gaming, and broadcasting.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersOslo, Norway
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Soundly does
Soundly is a cloud-based sound effects platform serving professional sound designers in film and television post-production, video game audio, broadcast, podcasting, and audio education. Founded in 2013 by Peder Jørgensen in Oslo, Norway as a private company (Soundly AS), the platform combines a proprietary 250,000-sound cloud library (all recorded at 96kHz/24bit or higher, growing at approximately 20,000 sounds per year) with local file indexing across wav, aiff, mp3, m4a, ogg, and flac formats up to 384kHz/32bit. The product is delivered as a desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux (experimental beta), with deep native integrations into essentially every major DAW — Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Premiere Pro, Nuendo, Cubase, Reaper, After Effects, Wwise, FMOD, DaVinci Resolve, Sequoia 2026, and Samplitude Suite 2026 — via drag-and-drop, panel integrations, and the Soundly Monitor virtual audio routing plugins.
Soundly firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Soundly
- Legal name
- Soundly AS
- Website
- https://getsoundly.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Soundly is a cloud-based sound effects platform for professional audio post-production, offering a 250,000+ sound library, proprietary Natural Language Search, local file indexing, and direct DAW integrations to sound designers in film, TV, gaming, and broadcasting.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Soundly industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Audio Production Software
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Industries (5122), Record Production and Distribution (512250), Other Sound Recording Industries (512290)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sample Libraries, Loops & Sound Content Platforms (MPAIAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sound Effects (SFX) Editorial & Library Services (MPAHAEAD), AI Music Creation & Assistive Tools (Generation, Separation, Mastering) (MPAIAIAG), Voice Cloning, Dubbing & Audio Generative Media (HDAAAFAK)
Keywords
Where Soundly is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oslo
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Soundly business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Pro Monthly Subscription: Continuous monthly subscription giving access to the Soundly Pro cloud sound effects library (250,000+ sounds), unlimited local file indexing, free shop add-ons, and 10GB of collaboration space in the Soundly Cloud. The primary revenue driver. Promotional code SDLY offers 1 month free.
- Multi-user / Teams Subscription: Enterprise and team subscriptions with continuous access to the Pro library, private cloud storage for uploading company libraries, admin/user account management, and volume-based pricing. Companies with annual revenue over USD 10M qualify as Enterprise. Discounts scale with team size. Educational institutions receive substantial discounts.
- Add-on Sound Libraries (Shop): Soundly operates an in-app store where users can purchase additional premium sound libraries beyond the Pro base library. Both free and paid add-on libraries are available. The sound resolution of third-party add-on libraries varies.
- 24hr Pass: One-time 24-hour access pass to the Soundly Pro cloud library, unlimited local indexing, and access to both free and paid shop add-ons. Targets casual or temporary users.
- Shape it & Place it (Standalone Plugins):
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier — entry-level access to Soundly's core platform |
| Subscription | Monthly | Pro Monthly — full cloud library and unlimited features |
| Subscription | Annual | Pro Annual — discounted annual billing for Pro subscribers |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | 24hr Pass — temporary Pro access |
| Per seat | Multi-year contract | Multi-user / Teams — enterprise and team licensing |
| Subscription | Monthly | Student Discount — 50% off Pro subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Soundly product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Soundly is a cloud-based sound effects platform combining a 250,000+ sound Pro Library (all 96kHz/24bit minimum) with proprietary Natural Language Search, local file indexing, and direct drag-and-drop integration into major digital audio workstations (Pro Tools, Logic, Premiere, Nuendo, Cubase, Reaper, After Effects, Wwise, FMOD, Sequoia, Samplitude, DaVinci Resolve). The platform ships with bundled tools including a text-to-speech Voice Designer, a parametric EQ plugin (Shape it), a convolution-based environment simulator (Place it), and ML-based audio similarity search (Find Similar). It is distributed via subscription (Free, Pro Monthly, Pro Annual) and enterprise multi-user licensing.
Product overview
Soundly is a cloud-based sound effects platform offering a comprehensive suite of audio tools for professionals. The core Soundly platform combines a 250,000+ sound Pro Library with Natural Language Search, local file indexing, and direct integrations with major DAWs (Pro Tools, Logic, Premiere, Nuendo, Cubase, Reaper, After Effects, Sequoia, Samplitude). The Voice Designer module provides text-to-speech generation with SSML support for creating simulated voices. Shape it is a parametric EQ plugin (10-band, available as standalone VST3/VST3/AAX for macOS, Windows, and Linux). Place it is a speaker/environment simulation plugin using true stereo convolution (40 environments, standalone VST3 for all platforms). Soundly Monitor VST3/AAX plugins enable virtual audio routing from Soundly to DAWs. Find Similar uses machine learning for audio similarity search across libraries. The platform operates on a tiered subscription model: Free tier (3,000+ sounds, limited features), Pro Monthly (full library, unlimited features), and Multi-user/Enterprise (team management, private cloud, bespoke licensing, offline suite). The Soundly Academic Program provides educational discounts to institutions including LIPA, AFI, UCLA, and others. Spookly is a standalone Halloween-themed web app.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Soundly (Core Platform) Cloud-based sound effects platform for Mac and Windows combining a 250,000+ Pro Library of professional sound effects (96kHz/24bit minimum) with proprietary Natural Language Search, local file indexing, and direct drag-and-drop integration into major DAWs (Pro Tools, Logic, Premiere, Nuendo, Cubase, Reaper, After Effects, Wwise, FMOD, Sequoia, Samplitude, DaVinci Resolve). Sold as a subscription (Free tier, Pro Monthly, Pro Annual) with tiered feature access.
- Shape it Standalone free parametric equalizer plugin specifically designed for sound designers. Provides 10 parametric bands with full control over frequency, gain, and Q, plus sound-design presets, a mix knob, and a phase flip. Available as a standalone VST3/AAX plugin for all major DAWs across macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Place it Standalone free speaker and environment simulation plugin using true stereo convolution impulse responses. Emulates 40 different acoustic environments so users can place any sound in believable spaces without complex routing. Available as a standalone VST3 plugin for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Soundly for Teams Multi-user enterprise subscription including the full Pro Library, a Teams admin panel for user management, private cloud storage for company libraries, bespoke licensing terms, the Offline Suite for high-security/air-gapped environments, dedicated support, and tailored Soundly builds. Scales from a few users to thousands with volume discounts; companies with annual revenue over USD 10M qualify for the Enterprise tier.
Quantifiable outcome
- Sounds in the Soundly Pro Library are all 96kHz/24bit or higher, ensuring professional quality
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Soundly
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Soundly technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
AI capability6 records
Feature9 records
Soundly partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Boris FX (Samplitude Suite 2026)coreIntegration between Soundly and Samplitude Suite 2026 by Boris FX on Windows. Files can be sent directly from Soundly to Samplitude Suite 2026 at the playhead with handles. Multiple files can be placed sequentially on a single track or distributed across several tracks. Find Similar search can be triggered from a selected region in the Samplitude timeline.
- Boris FX (Sequoia 2026)coreDeep technical integration between Soundly and Sequoia 2026 by Boris FX, developed in close collaboration with Boris FX's engineering team. Sounds can be sent directly from Soundly to Sequoia's timeline at the playhead position with handles. Multiple files can be placed in sequence or across multiple tracks. The integration also works in reverse: a region selected in Sequoia's timeline triggers a Find Similar search in Soundly using machine learning. Soundly can be opened directly from Sequoia via File > Open Soundly.
- Google Cloud / FirebasecoreSoundly runs on Google's infrastructure, making all requests over HTTPS using ports 80 and 443. The IP ranges are managed through Google Cloud Platform (appspot.com, storage.googleapis.com). Soundly also offers an alternative server option (server.soundly.cloud) as a fallback.
- DAW Integrations (Pro Tools, Logic, Premiere, Nuendo, Cubase, Reaper, After Effects, Wwise, FMOD, DaVinci Resolve, etc.)coreSoundly integrates with all major DAWs and editing software via native panel integrations, drag-and-drop, keyboard shortcuts (press 'S' to spot to cursor, 'B' to spot to bin in Pro Tools), and Soundly Monitor plugins (VST3, AAX, ReWire). Direct panel integrations exist for After Effects (Connect panel), Premiere Pro, Wwise, and FMOD.
- LIPA (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts)minorPrestigious UK performing arts institution participating in The Soundly Academic Program, which provides students and educational staff with access to professional sound design tools at discounted rates.
- American Film Institute (AFI)minorPrestigious US film school participating in The Soundly Academic Program, giving film and audio students access to professional sound design tools.
- UCLAminorUniversity of California, Los Angeles, participating in The Soundly Academic Program for its film/media students.
- Den Danske Filmskole (National Film School of Denmark)minorDenmark's national film school participating in The Soundly Academic Program.
- Vancouver Film SchoolminorCanadian film and media school participating in The Soundly Academic Program.
- Warszawa Film SchoolminorPolish film school participating in The Soundly Academic Program.
- IED (Istituto Europeo di Design)minorEuropean design school (Italy/Spain) participating in The Soundly Academic Program for its media and audio design students.
- CalArts (California Institute of the Arts)minorSoundly cooperated with CalArts' Professor Craig Smith to restore the legendary Wilhelm Scream, a famous sound effect in film history. This was described as a 'philanthropic' contribution to the sound design community.
- Sara KaddouriminorAward-winning sound designer featured in Soundly's 'Sounds Like Home: Morocco' film series. Soundly released a new sound pack featuring her own recordings from Morocco. Her story is used as marketing content to showcase diverse sound design.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Soundly competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Splice: Splice is a subscription-based sound and music sample library platform with similar SaaS mechanics to Soundly. Both serve producers and sound creators with monthly subscriptions and drag-and-drop into DAWs; Splice leans music-first while Soundly leads in SFX/post-production, but the underlying business model and target user overlap heavily.
- Artlist: Artlist offers a subscription library for royalty-free music and sound effects targeting filmmakers, video creators, and post-production professionals. Direct competitor in the SFX subscription space with overlapping enterprise/prosumer positioning and similar unlimited-download licensing model.
- Epidemic Sound: Epidemic Sound provides subscription-based music and sound effects for content creators, video producers, and brands. Highly comparable in business model (subscription), content type (SFX + music), and target market (creators and studios), though Soundly is more post-production/sound designer focused.
- Pond5: Pond5 operates a stock media marketplace including a large sound effects library used by video producers, filmmakers, and broadcasters. Comparable in SFX content offering and post-production user base, though Pond5 uses a per-asset/credit model versus Soundly's subscription model.
- Soundsnap: Soundsnap is a subscription sound effects library targeting film, TV, game, and app producers. Direct competitor in the SFX subscription space with overlapping professional sound designer and post-production customer base.
- Storyblocks: Storyblocks offers unlimited subscription downloads for stock audio (music and sound effects), video, and images. Comparable in subscription mechanics and creator/prosumer target market, though Soundly is more specialized in professional sound design workflows.
- Audio Network: Audio Network is a music and sound effects licensing platform used across film, TV, advertising, and broadcast. Comparable in content type (music + SFX) and target customers (production companies, broadcasters), with both subscription and per-license commercial models.
Broad incumbents
- Sound Ideas: Sound Ideas is one of the largest traditional sound effects library companies, supplying CD/HDD-based SFX collections to broadcasters, film studios, and post-production houses for decades. Broad incumbent offering overlapping content but via legacy physical/digital delivery rather than Soundly's cloud-native SaaS model.
Emerging players
- ElevenLabs: ElevenLabs is an AI audio generative media company specializing in voice synthesis, dubbing, and sound generation. Comparable in audio AI capability (overlaps with Soundly's Voice Designer) and serves overlapping gaming/broadcast customers, though ElevenLabs is AI-first rather than library-first.
- Freesound: Freesound is a large collaborative database of Creative Commons-licensed audio, integrated directly within Soundly. Comparable as a sound effects content source for hobbyists and professionals, though free/CC-licensed rather than commercially cleared like Soundly's Pro Library.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Soundly social profiles
Digital presenceSoundly financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Soundly leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Soundly subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Soundly funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Soundly M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Soundly
What does Soundly do?
Soundly is a cloud-based sound effects platform combining a 250,000+ sound Pro Library (all 96kHz/24bit minimum) with proprietary Natural Language Search, local file indexing, and direct drag-and-drop integration into major digital audio workstations (Pro Tools, Logic, Premiere, Nuendo, Cubase, Reaper, After Effects, Wwise, FMOD, Sequoia, Samplitude, DaVinci Resolve). The platform ships with bundled tools including a text-to-speech Voice Designer, a parametric EQ plugin (Shape it), a convolution-based environment simulator (Place it), and ML-based audio similarity search (Find Similar). It is distributed via subscription (Free, Pro Monthly, Pro Annual) and enterprise multi-user licensing.
Is Soundly a public or private company?
Soundly is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Soundly founded?
Soundly was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Soundly based?
Soundly is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Soundly make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Pro Monthly Subscription is the primary driver. The others are multi-user / Teams Subscription, add-on Sound Libraries (Shop), 24hr Pass and shape it & Place it (Standalone Plugins).
Who are Soundly's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Splice, Artlist, Epidemic Sound, Pond5, Soundsnap, Storyblocks and Audio Network. Sound Ideas is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are ElevenLabs and Freesound.
Does Soundly have an API?
No public API is recorded for Soundly.
What industry is Soundly in?
Soundly's product category is Audio Production Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAIAF, Sample Libraries, Loops & Sound Content Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAHAEAD, Sound Effects (SFX) Editorial & Library Services. Its NAICS code is 5122 and its SIC code is 7372.