The best SoundBetter alternatives in 2026 are AirGigs and Fiverr if you want to pay a professional, and Tonivo, Kompoz and free Discord and Reddit communities if you want a collaborator instead of a hire. Which one fits depends on whether you have a budget and a deadline, or you're looking for someone to make music with over time. If you want to browse producers, vocalists and engineers and message them for free, Tonivo is built for exactly that.
SoundBetter is a marketplace for hiring music professionals: mixing and mastering engineers, singers, songwriters, producers and session musicians. It's free for you to post a job and hire someone, the professionals set their own rates, and SoundBetter takes a commission from them. When you pay through the site, your money is held until you mark the job complete, which gives you some protection if things go wrong. Spotify bought SoundBetter in 2019 and sold it back to its founders in 2021, so it runs independently now. It's a good service if you know what you want and can pay for it. But not everyone has a budget, and not every song needs a paid hire. So here's an honest rundown of the other options, what each one is for, and what it costs.
One thing first: Tonivo is ours. We've tried to be fair to everyone else on this list, and every price below was checked on the company's own website or help pages in October 2026. Fees change, so check again before you pay for anything.
Tonivo
What it is: a place to find producers, artists, vocalists and engineers and message them directly. Nobody pays to get in touch. You browse full profiles, hear what someone makes and see who they're looking for before you say hello. You can also post a call describing exactly who you need, for example an engineer to mix a finished track, and let people come to you.
Who it suits: people who want a creative partner rather than a paid service, or who'd like to find someone to work with on a deal you agree between yourselves. It's on the web, iOS and Android, and it's built in the UK.
Price: free. There's no paid tier and no paywall on messaging, so you can message anyone from day one.
The honest catch: we're newer than most of the names on this list, so the community is smaller. If you want to see who's on there before signing up, have a look at producers, artists and engineers on Tonivo. You can also get the app on the App Store or Google Play.
AirGigs
What it is: a marketplace of recording, mixing and mastering professionals who work from their own studios. Sellers list services they can deliver online, from vocalists and session players on guitar, keys, drums, bass, strings and horns to mixing, mastering, songwriting and production. You buy a listed service, and messages and files go through the site.
Who it suits: people who want something very close to SoundBetter: a paid professional, clear services and payment handled for you.
Price: it's free to join. You pay through PayPal and AirGigs holds the payment until the job is completed. The sellers set their own prices, and AirGigs says they pay a commission of between 8% and 15%.
Fiverr
What it is: a general freelance marketplace with a big music and audio section. You'll find sellers offering mixing, mastering, vocal tuning, lead and backing vocals, songwriting, production and session instruments, each listing their own prices so you can compare them side by side.
Who it suits: people who want a quick, clearly priced job done and are happy to sort through a lot of sellers to find the right one.
Price: sellers set their own prices. Fiverr adds a service fee for buyers at checkout, which you see before you pay, so check the total and not just the listed price.
The trade-off is choice. Because Fiverr covers every kind of freelance work, there are a lot of music sellers and quality varies, so listen to examples of past work before you order. Our guide on how to find someone to mix your music covers what to check and what a mix should cost.
Kompoz
What it is: an online collaboration platform that has been going since 2007. You start a project for your song, upload your parts, and other musicians record their parts at home and upload them back. If you accept a part, that person joins the project.
Who it suits: songwriters who need a drummer, a bassist or a vocal and would rather find a collaborator than pay a session player.
Price: there's a free plan, and paid plans add more of your own collaborations and higher-quality audio formats.
Discord and Reddit communities
What they are: free online communities where musicians already hang out. Most DAWs, genres and scenes have a Discord server, and subreddits like r/WeAreTheMusicMakers are full of people sharing work, swapping feedback and looking for collaborators.
Who they suit: people who are happy to put in some time and join in before they ask anyone for anything.
Price: free.
The catch is that nothing protects you if you pay someone you met there, so keep paid work to people with a track record you can check.
Quick comparison
| Option | Best for | How you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Tonivo | Finding a collaborator, free | Free to message |
| AirGigs | Hiring a session pro or engineer | Through the site, held until complete |
| Fiverr | Lots of sellers to compare | Through the site, plus a buyer service fee |
| Kompoz | Building a song part by part | Free plan, paid plans add more |
| Discord and Reddit | Community and feedback | Free |
How to choose
Start with whether you're hiring or collaborating. If you have a budget and a deadline, AirGigs is the closest match to SoundBetter, and Fiverr gives you lots of fixed-price options. If you want someone to make music with, Tonivo and Kompoz are built for that, and Discord and Reddit are worth the time if you stick around.
If you do work with someone unpaid, agree the splits before the song is finished. Our guide on how to split royalties on a song covers how to have that conversation.
FAQ
What is the best free alternative to SoundBetter?
If you want to find a producer, vocalist or engineer without paying a platform, Tonivo is free with no paywall on messaging. Kompoz has a free plan for building songs with other musicians. SoundBetter itself is free for you to post a job, but the professionals there charge for their work.
Is SoundBetter owned by Spotify?
Not any more. Spotify bought SoundBetter in 2019 and sold it back to its founders in 2021.
Which SoundBetter alternative is best for hiring a mixing engineer?
AirGigs is the closest match, with mixing and mastering engineers and payment held until the job is done. Fiverr has plenty of mixing sellers too. If you'd rather find an engineer to work with directly, you can browse engineers on Tonivo and message them for free.
Where can I find a producer to work with instead of hiring one?
You can browse producers on Tonivo and message them for free, or post a call saying what you're making. There's more in how to find a producer for your music and how to collaborate on music remotely.