Best beat marketplace 2026: fees, payouts and which to pick

The best beat marketplace for you is the one that fits your money, your buyers and your goals. No single store wins on everything. BeatStars has the biggest audience, Traktrain is cheapest to start, and Airtune is strongest for producers and artists in India who also sell abroad.

In short

• Compare on six things: fees, currencies, payouts, licences, promotion and extra services.
• BeatStars wins on reach; Airtune wins on Indian payments while still selling in dollars.
• Airtune is smaller and invite-only, so many producers keep a global store as well.

This guide sets out the criteria first, then compares BeatStars, Airbit, Traktrain, Airtune and two Indian stores, BeatStore and Beat22, on each one. Every competitor figure comes from that company’s own pages, checked on 8 Nov 2026. Where a page is old, we say so.

What makes the best beat marketplace?

The best beat marketplace is the one that does six jobs well for your situation. We compare every store on the same six criteria, because they decide what you pay, what you earn and how safe a sale is.

The first three are about money. Fees means the plan price, the commission on each sale and any fee added for the buyer. Currencies means which prices buyers see and how they can pay, for example UPI in India or dollars abroad. Payouts means how your money reaches you, how fast, and in which currency.

The other three are about the business. Licensing means the contract each buyer gets and whether anyone can check it is real. Promotion means how a store helps buyers find you: search, a storefront, videos, ads and coupons. Extra services means anything beyond beats, such as mixing, Content ID or publishing.

1. Fees: plan price, commission and buyer fee together.
2. Currencies: rupees, dollars, UPI, cards and PayPal.
3. Payouts: method, speed and currency.
4. Licensing: a written contract, and a way to verify it.
5. Promotion: how buyers find your beats.
6. Extra services: services, Content ID, publishing.

What are the fees on the best beat selling sites?

Fees on the best beat selling sites range from 0% to 25% commission, and the plan price changes the picture. BeatStars takes 0% on beat sales on every paid plan, but Marketplace buyers pay a 12% service fee unless you cover it. Traktrain’s free plan takes 0% on MP3 leases.

Airtune’s commission falls as the plan rises: 20% on Studio Starter, 15% on Studio Lite, 10% on Studio, and 0% on Studio Pro and Legacy, on the Airtune pricing page. Plan prices are in rupees, GST included. BeatStore runs a 20% free plan and a 0% paid plan. Beat22’s plans page lists 30% on its free Basic plan and 10% on Pro, its top plan.

Airbit takes no share in a seller’s own store, by its terms. Its parent, BandLab, announced in September 2023 that Airbit cut Marketplace seller commission to 0%. Airbit’s live pricing page could not be read, so confirm it at signup. On every store, the payment provider’s fee is extra.

All figures as of 8 Nov 2026.

Worked example: one ₹999 Easy WAV sale. This is our maths on each store’s stated commission.

On Airtune Starter, 35 such sales come to ₹6,993.00 in commission, just under the ₹6,999 yearly Studio Pro price.

Which beat marketplaces take rupees and dollars?

Among these six beat marketplaces, Airtune and BeatStore take both rupees and US dollars, while the three global stores charge in dollars and Beat22 prices in rupees. Currency matters because it decides who can buy from you without friction.

On Airtune, producers set a rupee price and a dollar price for each licence, separately, so neither is a converted figure. Indian buyers pay in rupees through Razorpay with UPI, cards or netbanking. Buyers abroad pay in US dollars through Stripe. You are paid in rupees to UPI or bank.

Sales clear in 7 days when paid in rupees (14 in dollars), then become available the following Friday. Payouts need KYC and PAN, the Airtune team checks each one, and there is no minimum payout. BeatStars, Airbit and Traktrain do not list UPI. BeatStars pays beat sales only to PayPal, and Airbit’s Marketplace pays once a month for the month before.

Where should you buy beats online with a safe licence?

You should buy beats online from a store that shows the full licence before you pay, puts your name on it, and lets you or a distributor check it later. Every store here gives a licence with each sale, but the proof differs.

On Airtune, you sign the licence in your legal name at checkout, and the terms are locked from then on. Airtune saves it as a PDF with a QR code, and anyone can check it on the public verify page. Beat22 also has QR licence verification: its app includes a verify page that reads the QR on a licence.

BeatStars creates a licence agreement automatically for each sale. Airbit emails an e-signed contract with an audit log of signing time and IP. Traktrain puts standard terms in the download email, and paid plans add custom contracts. BeatStore saves a licence document in your account. Airtune also sets a minimum price for each licence, from ₹499 for Easy MP3.

• Learn the licence types: our guide to leasing beats explains which one to buy.
• Watch the buyer fee: a $30.00 beat on BeatStars Marketplace costs the buyer $33.60 with the 12% fee (our maths). On a Pro Page there is no fee.

Tip: before you pay anywhere, check three things in the licence: the files you get, the streams allowed and the credit the producer needs.

Is Airtune more than a beat marketplace?

Yes. Airtune is more than a beat marketplace, because one Studio account runs your store, your promotion and your services. That is where it differs most from stores that only list beats.

Every producer gets a storefront at airtune.in/@you and an Air Link for their bio. Airtune makes a video from your cover and beat and uploads it to your own YouTube channel, on every plan; templates depend on the plan, up to 4K on Studio Pro. You can run coupons and bulk deals, take offers and counter-offers in chat, and boost beats with Airtune Ads.

Ads are paid in Aircoins, Airtune’s in-app credit worth ₹10 of spend each. Paid plans get monthly Aircoins: 30 on Studio Lite and Studio, 60 on Studio Pro. Artist Services are live too: artists can hire producers for mixing, mastering, custom beats, cover art and more, with payment held by Airtune until each stage is approved. Any Studio plan can sell services.

• Selling services: see how Airtune artist services work, or browse services.
• Video uploads: read about YouTube beat upload sync.

Global stores have their own extras. BeatStars offers Publishing, Beat ID and a Creator Rights Agency. Airbit runs YouTube Content ID with 80% to the producer, on Platinum. Traktrain has live-stream tips and paid fan memberships.

Where does Airtune lead, match and fall short?

Airtune leads on Indian payments, matches the best stores on licences and top-plan commission, and falls short on size and on a free start. This is the honest scorecard across the six criteria.

Airtune leads where Indian money meets global buyers. It takes UPI in rupees and dollars through Stripe in the same store, pays you in rupees, and sets minimum prices so beats are not sold for almost nothing. It also puts beats, kits, loops, services, YouTube uploads and ads in one account.

It matches others on several points. BeatStars and BeatStore also have a 0% plan. Beat22 also verifies licences by QR. BeatStars and Beat22 also take offers. It falls short in three places. Producers join by invite and the store is newer, so it has far fewer beats and buyers than BeatStars. There is no free seller plan. It has no Content ID or publishing deal.

Which beat marketplace should you choose?

Choose the beat marketplace that matches who you are and what you need next. Use the table below to find your row, then check that store’s live prices on the day you sign up, because plans and offers change often.

If you are an artist, start with where you pay. In India, a store with UPI and a licence in your name saves you trouble. Abroad, BeatStars has the most choice, and buying on a producer’s own Pro Page avoids its 12% fee.

If you are a producer, start with your budget and your buyers. With no budget, a free tier is the honest place to begin. Once you have premium sound and buyers in India and abroad, Airtune gives you both currencies, rupee payouts and promotion tools in one place. Many producers keep a BeatStars page for reach as well.

Next steps

1. Find your row in the table above and pick two stores to compare.
2. Selling in India? Compare all six on the best beat marketplace in India, or see each Airbit alternative.
3. Ready to sell on Airtune? Check the plans and commission on the Airtune pricing page.
4. Buying a beat? Explore beats on Airtune and pay in rupees by UPI or in US dollars through Stripe.