Where to Get Free Rain Sounds (2026): Rain and Thunderstorm Sound Effects You Can Use

This page is for people who want a rain or thunder file to put into something they're making: a reel, a YouTube intro, a podcast scene, a game level or a slide. If you just want rain to fall asleep to, that's a different search. The thing that trips people up isn't finding a rain sound. It's that each free site has a different rule about what you can make with it, and the rule that matters most for rain is hidden in the small print.

Start with what you're making

What you're making	A free source that fits	The licence rule to check
A video, reel or YouTube intro	Mixkit, or an Orange Free Sounds file marked CC BY 4.0	Credit Orange Free Sounds; Mixkit's sound effects licence covers video and audio projects
A 'relaxing rain' or sleep video	A Freesound file under CC0, checked sound by sound	Soundjay bans these outright, and freeSFX sounds can't be used on their own
A game or app	Soundjay or freeSFX	Soundjay bans sound machine and ringtone style apps; freeSFX needs a credit
A podcast, radio play or audiobook	Soundjay, freeSFX or SoundBible	freeSFX and SoundBible's Attribution 3.0 sounds need a credit
A presentation or animation	Soundjay or Mixkit	Soundjay lists presentations and animations as allowed uses

The sleep video rule hiding in Soundjay's terms

Soundjay is generous. Its terms of use let you use its sounds free of charge and royalty free in films, videos, games, presentations, animations, stage plays, radio plays, audio books and apps, commercial or not. A credit is welcome but not required.

Then comes the list of things you can't do, and it lands right on top of what many rain searchers want. You can't use Soundjay sounds in 'soothing sounds', 'relaxing music', 'natural sounds', 'sounds for sleep', 'meditation video', 'relaxing video' or 'stress relief' style productions. You can't make what it calls 'video sound effects', and its own example is a video titled 'relaxing rain' or '2 hours of relaxing rain' that just plays a rain sound. It also rules out ringtones, sound machine and sound therapy apps, posting the files for others to download and using them to build AI models or products.

So Soundjay's rain sounds, like 'Raining in the street, droplets hitting concrete', are fine as background in a short film. They're not fine as the whole point of a sleep video.

Mixkit: the quickest clean download

Mixkit had 49 free rain sound effects and 44 free thunder sound effects when I checked on 30 October 2026. Mixkit has a separate licence for each type of item, so its stock video, music and sound effects each have their own terms, and these files fall under its Sound Effects Free License.

The titles tell you whether you're getting a loop or a one-off hit, which matters more than people think. For a bed of rain under a voiceover, look for the loops: Light rain loop, Rain long loop, Forest rain loop, Thunderstorm and rain loop and Heavy storm rain loop. For a single moment of drama, the thunder page has one-shots like Thunder strike in storm, Mid strength single thunder, Distant thunder explosion and Cinematic thunder hit. And for a specific scene, there's Heavy rain on car glass interior, Rain on umbrella, Heavy rain over metal roof and Calm thunderstorm in the jungle.

Orange Free Sounds: the licence changes from sound to sound

Orange Free Sounds puts a licence line on every sound page, and you need to read it each time. Its Rain Ambience file, a 02:31 min MP3 at 192 kbps, says it's permitted for commercial use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, so you can use it in paid work as long as you credit it. But another sound on the same site, Nature Ambience Morning Village, is permitted for non-commercial use only under CC BY-NC 4.0. Same site, same layout, different rules.

The library is also active. Its Rain Sounds category showed Free Rain And Crickets Ambience Loop WAV added on 28 October 2026, Free Gentle Rainfall Sound Effect on 23 October and Stormy Rain Falling Sound Effect on 4 October. The thunderstorm category has city storms and deep rumbles, such as Thunderstorm In The City Sound Effect and Authentic Heavy Rain And Distant Thunder Sound Effect.

SoundBible, freeSFX and Freesound: credit is part of the deal

SoundBible labels the licence on every sound. Its popular Heavy Rain Wind clip, described as a super heavy rainstorm and wind pouring down, is marked Attribution 3.0, so you credit the creator.

freeSFX has recordings with specific surfaces in the name, like Light Rain on Porch, Rain on Metal Roof, Rain in Woods, Rain on Pond and Rain on Pavement with Passing Traffic, at 320kbps. Its sounds can go in any commercial, non-commercial or broadcast production, but you must credit freesfx.co.uk and include its web address. Its page adds a rule that matters for rain: you can't use the sounds in isolation. They have to be mixed into other audio or visuals in your project. The full rules sit in its End User Licence Agreement.

Freesound is a community library, so the licence is chosen by whoever uploaded each sound. There are three: zero (CC0), where you can do pretty much anything except claim you made it; attribution, where you credit the creator; and attribution noncommercial, where you credit them and can't earn from what you make. Its FAQ is honest that some sounds can't be used commercially and many need credit, and it warns that sounds used unchanged in YouTube videos can still get caught by automatic copyright claims.

How I'd credit a free rain sound

1. When you download, save the source site, the sound title, the creator and the licence in a text file next to the audio.
2. Check whether the licence allows commercial use before the file goes anywhere near paid work or a monetised channel.
3. Mix the rain under your voice, music or footage, which also keeps you within freeSFX's rule against using sounds on their own.
4. Add the credit where people will see it: the video description, the show notes or the end credits. For freeSFX, include its web address.
5. Keep that text file. If a claim ever lands on your video, it's your proof of where the sound came from.

Need more than weather? My guide to free sound effects for videos covers every other kind of effect, and you can pair rain with free background music for a cosy intro. If you only want rain to listen to, these white noise apps are a better fit than a download.

What I'd download

I'd go to Mixkit first if you need rain or thunder in a video or podcast today, because the licence is simple and the loops are clearly labelled. I'd use Orange Free Sounds if you want something newer or very specific, and I'd read the licence line on that exact sound. Skip Soundjay if you're making a sleep, meditation or 'relaxing rain' video, because its terms forbid it, and skip freeSFX for that too, since its sounds can't stand on their own.

Featured spots and reviews on this page are paid partnerships, never free listings. Do you make sound effects or audio tools? Tool makers can ask about a featured place here.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I download free rain sounds?

Mixkit has 49 free rain and 44 free thunder sound effects. Orange Free Sounds, SoundBible, freeSFX, Soundjay and Freesound also have free rain recordings, each with its own licence.

Can I use free rain sounds in a YouTube sleep video?

Not from Soundjay, whose terms ban sleep, meditation and relaxing rain videos, and not from freeSFX, whose sounds can't be used on their own. Check each file's licence before you build a channel on it.

Do I need to credit free rain sounds?

It depends on the site. freeSFX requires a credit with its web address, CC BY sounds on Orange Free Sounds, SoundBible and Freesound need credit, and Soundjay only asks for one as a favour.

Are Mixkit rain sounds free for commercial use?

Mixkit sound effects come under its Sound Effects Free License. Mixkit uses a different licence for each item type, so check you're reading the sound effects one.

What's the difference between a rain loop and a rain sound effect?

A loop is made to repeat without a gap, so it suits a background under speech or music. A one-shot, like a single thunder strike, is for a moment of drama.