Soundly review

Soundly is sound-effects search software for Mac and Windows, combining a cloud library with tools for finding and organizing audio files stored on your computer. You can search both sources, use metadata to organize local files, then drag sounds into editing tools or send them through custom integrations.

Search includes plain-language descriptions, keywords, autocomplete, related searches, thesauruses and translation. Soundly also includes Voice Designer for creating simulated announcements, digital assistants, background dialogue, TV commentary and navigation systems.

The cloud library is optional for local-file search, and Soundly supports offline workflows. Its Offline Cloud Bridge transfers cloud files to workstations without internet access. The Pro Library lists 250,000 sounds; the free plan lists more than 3,000. In practice, Soundly is both a searchable file manager and a subscription sound library—not just a place to download effects.

The useful distinction is that Soundly searches your own files alongside its cloud library. That can save you from maintaining separate search tools for purchased libraries and subscription effects. The natural-language options—along with metadata, autocomplete and related searches—give you several ways to find a sound when you do not know its exact filename.

The free plan is a real starting point: it includes 10,000 local files, 10GB of cloud storage, 25 Voice Designer renders and unlimited downloads from a library of 3,000-plus sounds. Pro raises the local-file and render limits to unlimited and adds access to the 250,000-sound Pro Library. The pricing listing gives Pro as $19.99 month-to-month or $14.99 per month billed annually, before VAT.

A Reddit discussion about buying libraries versus subscriptions suggests the trade-off: one sound designer said subscriptions can suit common effects, while highly specific subjects may call for dedicated packs. Soundly’s library can cover broad needs; searching your own files keeps the workflow useful when you already have sounds you want to use.

Free has a meaningful ceiling if Soundly is your main library manager: it caps local-file indexing at 10,000 files and Voice Designer at 25 renders. A user on r/sounddesign reported getting stuck on the free account’s file limit as their library grew. Pro removes the local-file cap, but its listed cloud storage remains 10GB, the same as Free.

Pro is also a subscription, not a one-time purchase. It costs $19.99 per month or $14.99 per month with annual billing, and those prices exclude VAT. Soundly for Teams and Enterprise use custom pricing; the listing says Enterprise is for companies with annual revenue over $10 million. Paid library add-ons, seat costs and overage charges are not published, so teams should get a quote before budgeting. Reddit sound designers also note that a library may not contain a highly specific sound or match a project’s intended performance. Soundly helps you search; it cannot guarantee the exact effect you need.

Soundly Free costs $0. It includes 3,000+ sounds, unlimited downloads, 10GB of cloud storage, indexing for 10,000 local files and 25 Voice Designer renders. Pro is $19.99 per month, or $14.99 per month when billed annually. That’s a $5 monthly difference; the annual rate requires paying for the year upfront. Prices exclude VAT.

Pro raises the local-file and Voice Designer limits to unlimited and adds access to the 250,000-sound Pro Library. Cloud storage remains 10GB, so upgrading does not solve a need for more storage. Both listed plans include unlimited downloads, which makes the library size—not download count—the main plan difference.

Teams and Enterprise have custom pricing, with seat costs not published. Paid libraries in the built-in shop also have unpublished prices, and overage costs aren’t listed. Check those costs before committing if you need extra libraries or multiple seats.

Switching in means indexing your local audio and learning Soundly’s search and drag-and-drop workflow; the product information says it can search local and cloud libraries together. How long indexing takes, and whether metadata transfers cleanly from another tool, are not published. For teams, Soundly lists shared databases and an admin panel, but seat pricing is custom.

Switching out may be straightforward if your source files remain in your own folders, but Soundly’s export options, metadata portability and the terms governing downloaded sounds are not specified here. Confirm those details before treating the library as portable. The Offline Cloud Bridge supports transfers to offline workstations, but it is not described as a general export tool.

We weren’t given Reddit posts or comments for this review, so we can’t verify what tends to make users leave. The clearest stated reasons to compare alternatives are specific rare sounds, more than 10GB of cloud storage, and a need for published team-seat pricing.