How to download every free track from a SoundCloud playlist
Updated 28 October 2026 · 5 minute read
Plenty of producers give their tracks away on SoundCloud: edits, bootlegs, remixes and whole EPs. For a DJ that's a goldmine, but saving them one by one is slow. This guide shows how to tell which tracks are real free downloads, how to save one by hand, and how to save a whole playlist or profile at once.
Which tracks are free downloads?
A track is a free download on SoundCloud when the artist has switched on downloads for it. You can check in a few ways:
- Download button. On the track's page, open the ⋯ More menu under the waveform. If you see Download file, the artist allows it.
- "Free download" in the title. Often true, but sometimes the track only links to a download gate on another site (Hypeddit, ToneDen and similar), where you follow or repost first. Those aren't downloads on SoundCloud itself.
- A "Buy" or "Free DL" link next to the track usually points to one of those gates, or to Bandcamp.
A public playlist isn't the same as a playlist of free downloads. Public only means anyone can listen; downloads are switched on track by track. Premiere channels and label promo playlists ("PREMIERE | Artist - Title [CAT001]") almost never allow downloads, because the release is sold elsewhere. Look for playlists that producers or labels have made of their own giveaways instead.
Saving one track by hand
- Open the track on soundcloud.com.
- Click ⋯ More under the waveform, then Download file.
- The file lands in your Downloads folder. Move it into your music library and add it to your DJ software.
Fine for one track. For a playlist of 50, or an artist who has given away 200 tracks, it takes an evening.
Saving a whole playlist or profile at once
Cratedigger is a free app for Mac and Windows that does the clicking for you. It goes through every track behind a link, saves the ones the artist offers as downloads, and skips the rest.
- Download Cratedigger and open it. No SoundCloud account needed.
- Copy the link of a playlist, a track, or a profile (an artist's uploads, reposts or likes).
- Paste it into Cratedigger and press Download.
Each track shows its own status: downloaded, already in your folder, free on the artist's page, or not free. For tracks the artist hands out on a gate page (Hypeddit and similar), click Get free download, or Open all free-download pages to open every one at once. Run the same playlist again next month and only new tracks are saved.
Tips for diggers
- Dig through likes. A DJ whose taste you trust likes hundreds of tracks. Paste their profile's likes link and keep whatever is free.
- Follow labels' free-download playlists. Many labels keep a running "Free downloads" playlist. Save it once, then rerun it to pick up new ones.
- Keep names tidy. Cratedigger removes "[Free Download]" tags and stray numbers from file names, so tracks sort properly in Rekordbox, Serato and Traktor.
- One folder per playlist. Turn this on in Settings to keep crates separate.
Respect the artists
A free download is a gift, not a licence to do anything with the track. Play it in your sets, but don't re-upload, sell or share the files unless the artist says you can. If you play something often, follow the artist, repost it, or buy their next release.