# Openverse

> Openverse as searched by Sound Server: Keyless Creative Commons search over Freesound and Wikimedia Commons audio: licence and credit line per sound, Freesound previews without a Freesound key.

- Website: https://openverse.org
- Best for: Keyless Creative Commons search over Freesound and Wikimedia Commons audio: licence and credit line per sound, Freesound previews without a Freesound key.
- Categories: Drums, Bass, Vocals, FX, Foley, Ambience, Keys, Guitar, Synth, Strings, Brass, Woodwind, Mallets, Other
- Pricing: free
- Licence: set per sample
- How it is searched: api
- Direct download through Sound Server: yes
- Restrict a search to it: `https://sound.shep.bot/v1/search?q=...&providers=openverse`
- Listings counted 2026-10-23: 4,575,414, 4,575,414 free

## What it is

Openverse is a search engine for openly licensed media run by the WordPress community. Its audio index gathers Creative Commons and public-domain sounds from Freesound, Wikimedia Commons and other collections.

## Best for

Reaching Freesound and Wikimedia Commons audio without API keys, with the licence and credit line for each sound.

## Licence

Only Creative Commons and public-domain works are indexed. The licence of each sound is the one recorded by the original site; Sound Server reads it per sound and gives the same verdict as for the original source.

## How Sound Server searches it

Through the public Openverse API, without a key. Openverse limits anonymous requests, so some searches return fewer results from it at busy times.

## Example searches

- [Snares](https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=snare&category=drums.snare&providers=openverse)
- [Footsteps](https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=footsteps&category=foley&providers=openverse)
- [Glitches](https://sound.shep.bot/search?q=glitch&category=fx.glitch&providers=openverse)

Guides: https://sound.shep.bot/guides/cc0-vs-cc-by-vs-royalty-free.md

## In these collections

- [Free clap samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-clap-samples.md): 14 of 36
- [Free kick samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-kick-samples.md): 14 of 36
- [Free sub bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-sub-bass-samples.md): 14 of 28
- [Free guitar loops](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-guitar-loops.md): 14 of 16
- [Free choir samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-choir-samples.md): 14 of 32
- [Free vocal chops](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-vocal-chops.md): 14 of 14
- [Free laser and zap sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-laser-zap-sound-effects.md): 14 of 19
- [Free riser sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-riser-sound-effects.md): 14 of 33
- [Free vinyl crackle samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-vinyl-crackle.md): 14 of 14
- [Free room tone recordings](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-room-tone.md): 14 of 14
- [Free piano samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-piano-samples.md): 14 of 36
- [Free Rhodes and electric piano samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-rhodes-electric-piano-samples.md): 14 of 28
- [Free Reese bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-reese-bass-samples.md): 13 of 13
- [Free synth bass samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-synth-bass-samples.md): 13 of 13
- [Free lo-fi loops](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-lofi-loops.md): 13 of 36
- [Free acapellas](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-acapellas.md): 12 of 24
- [Free paper sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-paper-sound-effects.md): 12 of 36
- [Free flute samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-flute-samples.md): 12 of 26
- [Free guitar samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-guitar-samples.md): 12 of 36
- [Free rain ambience sounds](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-rain-ambience.md): 11 of 36
- [Free hi-hat samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-hi-hat-samples.md): 10 of 33
- [Free snare samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-snare-samples.md): 10 of 36
- [Free impact sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-impact-sound-effects.md): 10 of 36
- [Free rimshot and side-stick samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-rimshot-samples.md): 9 of 23
- [Free breakbeats and drum breaks](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-breakbeats.md): 8 of 36
- [Free TR-808 drum machine samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-tr-808-drum-samples.md): 8 of 28
- [Free door sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-door-sound-effects.md): 8 of 36
- [Free synth pluck samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-synth-pluck-samples.md): 7 of 26
- [Free 808 samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-808-samples.md): 6 of 13
- [Free downlifter sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-downlifter-sound-effects.md): 6 of 6
- [Free LinnDrum and Linn drum machine samples](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-linndrum-samples.md): 4 of 18
- [Free tape stop sound effects](https://sound.shep.bot/samples/free-tape-stop-effects.md): 4 of 5

## Examples

- [clap mix.wav](https://freesound.org/people/young_daddy/sounds/24786) (`openverse:c0bdec6f-8d5f-43b0-9fc4-2c3f9738cf1d`, CC0 1.0)
- [soccer kick 02.wav](https://freesound.org/people/volivieri/sounds/37157) (`openverse:58196449-5a6e-4918-a8b2-3d192f81fdc4`, CC BY 4.0)
- [SUB A# 2 secs.wav](https://freesound.org/people/uzerx/sounds/63138) (`openverse:244b0713-eed9-4dc1-8b05-cc3df10da93c`, CC0 1.0)
- [Nylon Guitar Loop B-1.wav](https://freesound.org/people/digifishmusic/sounds/48254) (`openverse:f33c2984-cf1b-47ba-9d1f-0de612d7f49e`, CC BY 4.0)
- [Choir of Voices - Single Chord](https://freesound.org/people/bone666138/sounds/274121) (`openverse:f985da86-d8bb-4a4f-8ddc-248abd7a1dfd`, CC0 1.0)
- [Dubstep Vocal Chop](https://freesound.org/people/zShwagg/sounds/185524) (`openverse:a790a105-1174-4b06-95a9-84a46448eb3e`, CC BY 4.0)
- [laser zap 2.wav](https://freesound.org/people/.Andre_Onate/sounds/135118) (`openverse:6fec77a1-f086-4bba-a4ae-77805c9e51e2`, CC0 1.0)
- [Scary Hits & Risers 001](https://freesound.org/people/Xinematix/sounds/396161) (`openverse:dcaacccd-e20b-425a-8296-a6095377e8c4`, CC0 1.0)
- [Vinyl Crackle 33RPM](https://freesound.org/people/yfjesse/sounds/471007) (`openverse:0bb52327-5c3e-4b87-9b2c-71dd02e2d675`, CC0 1.0)
- [room tone stairway 1.wav](https://freesound.org/people/lwdickens/sounds/268999) (`openverse:ccdd1df1-e4ef-4498-950e-16372a02d0ad`, CC BY-NC 4.0)
- [Piano Melody](https://freesound.org/people/benpm/sounds/186942) (`openverse:2c51e4eb-dbe7-468c-ba6c-d1c85a1b71ae`, CC BY 4.0)
- [Electric piano chilled melody](https://freesound.org/people/Toivo161/sounds/266005) (`openverse:0805deb8-86f8-43f5-8ff3-61290f35439c`, CC BY 4.0)

All sources: https://sound.shep.bot/docs/sources.md

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Source: https://sound.shep.bot/sources/openverse