Today’s article is regarding Spotify Alternatives and Apps like Spotify For Music Streaming. The music industry is constantly evolving. While digital music distribution remains popular, many users have shifted to music streaming. Even music labels have jumped on board with this fledgling trend, and Spotify is widely regarded as the largest music streaming platform, as well as having the best discovery and recommendation system. However, it is not flawless in every way. That is why we’ve compiled a list of the 18 best Spotify alternatives for those looking for a better alternative.
Why Not Use Spotify?
Well, Currently, Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services, with a massive 299 million user base and approximately 138 million paid subscribers. Over the last couple of years, it has established itself in the music industry as the most popular destination for the consumption of music and has attracted the attention of music labels and artists.
Spotify can be accessed via a variety of devices, including your desktop browser, smartphones, tablets, TVs, gaming consoles, and even car screens. Also, It offers a platform for users to listen to the most recent tracks from their favorite artists, build out their song collection, and organize it using playlists.
The reason Spotify has amassed such a large subscriber base is due to its recommendations system, which is considered to be 1 of the best in the industry. It gives you access to new artists, albums, and other content based on genre, likes, listening history, and other factors. Spotify also has a social networking component, where you can connect with friends and see what they’re listening to.
While all of this sounds fantastic, Spotify’s free tier is limited, and the premium subscription costs a whopping $9.99 per month. However, for $9.99, you get ad-free streaming, offline downloads, and, most importantly, the ability to skip and play all tracks rather than being stuck with random shuffles. For the asking price, the premium feature set appears to be limited.
So, if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Spotify, a completely free music streaming service, or aren’t satisfied with the music suggestions or collection provided by it, these alternatives can meet your needs. Also, you can download Spotify App (here) and check Spotify web player (here).
18 Best Spotify Alternatives – Apps like Spotify
Spotify Alternatives and Apps like Spotify that you can use.
[lwptoc]1. Amazon Music
The first on our list of the best Spotify Alternatives is Amazon Music. Amazon has dabbled in this nascent market, from digital music sales to music streaming. Also, Amazon Music allows you to listen to a massive catalog of songs as part of your Prime membership, but Amazon Music Unlimited gives you access to the entire library of more than 60 million songs. In addition, it offers an ad-free experience, unlimited skips, the ability to download tracks, and the ability to control playback with Alexa.
Amazon Music has a large library, and new releases are released on time, but the one thing I dislike about the Amazon Music app is its user interface. It’s dated, clunky, and similar to Amazon’s official app (which is gradually but steadily improving).
Users would not be enticed to use the streaming service if not for the Prime subscription and Alexa voice integration in the app, which piques the public’s interest. All things considered, Amazon Music is currently one of the best Spotify alternatives.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
2. LiveXLive
LiveXLive (formerly Slacker) lets you make your playlists based on genre, artist, song, or album. It learns your preferences and makes similar suggestions that you might like.
The free version includes ads between songs and has a skip limit of six songs per hour per station. For $4 per month, you can upgrade to the Plus version, which includes offline listening and unlimited skips.
The premium version costs $10 per month and includes some extra features not found in the Plus version, such as playing music on demand and creating your playlist. There are also special live streams and other benefits to purchasing the premium version. LiveXLive is one of the best Spotify alternatives.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
3. Apple Music
Well, Apple Music is one of the most popular music streaming services, with over 60 million paid subscribers worldwide, but it still lags far behind Spotify.
The service provides access to a catalog of over 60 million tracks for streaming, syncs your iTunes library, and allows you to upload your music library to the platform. The recommendation system isn’t the best in the world, but it’s adequate based on my limited experience with it.
One of Apple Music’s standout features is exclusive album launches, a 24/7 Beats1 radio station, curated playlists, and more. In addition, it has many features, including Apple Watch and Siri integration, but the social experience is being phased out, and there is no free tier – a major plus for Spotify. Instead, you can choose between a free tier, a monthly subscription, and the less expensive student and family plans.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
4. TIDAL music
Tidal is a music streaming service that is owned by renowned rap artist Jay-Z. It combines lossless audio and high-fidelity (HiFi) music videos with editorial curation.
In comparison to its competitors, the service takes pride in providing users with the highest possible quality of music while also paying the highest percentage of royalties to music artists and songwriters. Then there’s the Tidal X experience, which brings listeners up close and personal with their favorite artists. Currently, the platform has over 65 million tracks and thousands of music videos in its library, with over 3 million subscribers – a relatively small number when compared to its competitors.
If you are a true audiophile who is willing to pay a little more for higher quality and have decent Internet connectivity, you will fall in love with Tidal. There’s a 30-day free trial period after which the service costs $9.99/month for standard quality music and $25.99/month for high-fidelity music. Overall, Tidal Music can easily lay claim to being one of the best Spotify alternatives.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
5. Saavn
If you’re an Indian, Saavn can be a good free or paid alternative to Spotify. There are a few other Indian-only music streaming services, such as Gaana and Wynk, but Saavn stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Despite having a large number of curated playlists, this app falls short. You must devote some time to creating your playlists. It’s even worse if you enjoy listening to classics. There weren’t many playlists with older songs that I could find. While there is plenty of current content, if you want to listen to the classics, you’ll probably have to use the search bar.
The free version allows for unlimited streaming with advertisements. Pro-Lite, which costs Rs. 120 per month and includes ad-free downloads of up to 3GB, is ad-free, and allows up to 3GB of downloads. If you like to keep your music offline, the Pro version is for you. Unlimited offline downloads, as well as other Lite benefits, are available for Rs. 250 per month.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
6. Pandora
Well, Pandora is not only one of the oldest streaming services but also one of the most popular. Despite being a streaming industry pioneer, it has been around since 2002 and currently has around 80 million active users.
Still, It has one of the largest music libraries, but it now makes it available through radio stations, which are fantastic. I would not have discovered a lot of good rappers if it weren’t for the Mac Miller station, so its recommendation system is quite good.
The free plan restricts your ability to skip songs and includes some ads between songs and on the playback screen, which I found extremely annoying. The monthly subscription, which includes no ads, higher-quality audio, and unlimited skips and replays, is available for $3.99 per month through the Pandora Plus subscription (with a 30-day free trial). Unfortunately, Pandora is currently only available in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand due to DMCA regulations.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
7. Deezer
Deezer is one of the most well-known and oldest music streaming platforms, with over 56 million licensed tracks, 30,000 radio channels, podcasts, and other features. It currently has about 14 million monthly active users, which is nothing compared to Spotify.
You can listen to songs, create and rate custom playlists based on your favorites, and organize songs or artists into radio stations on the streaming platform. The highlight, however, is called Flow, and it’s a never-ending mix of songs customized to your liking that not only gives you a dose of your favorite tracks but also introduces you to new artists.
Deezer’s free version is feature-rich but ad-filled. So, if you are willing to pay a monthly fee of $5.99 – $9.99, Deezer will enable Hi-Fi streaming with 16-bit FLAC quality for you, and there is nothing better. It will also improve the experience by removing advertisements, enabling offline support, shuffling, and skips.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
8. Jango
Jango can help you if you prefer a playlist stream. The app contains a large database of well-curated playlists, each of which is labeled by genre. Simply enter the name of any artist or genre to begin your journey down a dark rabbit hole.
When browsing playlists, you will discover over 800 curated individual genre playlists that, unlike Spotify, can be skipped. You may not be able to skip a specific song on the playlist, but you can create and share your station based on your favorite artists. Jango is available everywhere, from an iOS app to an Android app, and their website also offers a comprehensive music platform.
Jango is similar to Pandora in terms of functionality but with fewer advertisements and a wider range of music content. You can also listen to hundreds of genre stations or make your own with your favorite content.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
9. YouTube Music
YouTube Music has a lot to offer. So, if you’re looking for a full-fledged alternative to Spotify, don’t overlook YouTube Music.
First and foremost, YouTube Music has one of the most extensive song collections. So, regardless of what music you like, it has both the quantity and variety to satisfy your tastes. The song recommendations on YouTube Music are probably the best part. They easily outperform Spotify’s song recommendations. It makes recommendations based on your interests, location, and even the time of day. So, finding a song that goes well with your mood shouldn’t be difficult.
Furthermore, YouTube Music provides a hotlist of all trending songs. If you prefer to stay up to date on the latest music, the hotlist can be a game-changer. Nevertheless, please keep in mind that you’ll need to upgrade to YouTube Music Premium ($12.99/month) in order to download songs and listen to music without interruption.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
10. iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio can compete with Spotify in terms of personalized music listening experience and versatility. It’s a great platform for music, radio, and podcasts, just like Spotify. In terms of radio listening, iHeartRadio outperforms Spotify, owing to its thousands of live radio stations and extensive customization options.
iHeartRadio is equally adept at podcasts as it is at radio listening. It includes podcasts from popular channels such as ESPN, NPR, Gimlet, How Stuff Works, Podcasts, TED, Wondery, and Big Money Players Network. In terms of music, it may not be on par with what Spotify has to offer, but there isn’t much to complain about.
Just listen to the songs you’re interested in. You can create personalized music stations based on your interests and favorite artists. Country, Top 40, Hip Hop, Pop, R&B, EDM, Rock, Alternative, Folk, Gospel, Christian, Dance, and Classical are among the genres represented in its music library. Streaming music from various genres should not be a problem. Taking everything into consideration, iHeartRadio may be one of the better Spotify Alternatives for radio and podcast listening.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
11. Mixcloud
Mixcloud provides a free playback streaming experience, allowing you to listen to a show up to three times every two weeks. Further, The free version is ad-supported and allows you to see tracklists while listening, but you can only seek forward. In this audio-streaming platform, you can explore and stream millions of radio shows, DJ mixes, and podcasts for free to suit any mood or taste. Mixcloud is also available on iOS and Android devices, allowing you to keep track of your favorite shows, listen across devices, and create playlists.
Here, You can upload an unlimited number of audio shows, curate your channels, and find and build a fan base with the free version. You can also directly support creators and the music you enjoy by subscribing to their individual channels.
You can listen to radio shows, long-length audios, music mixes, and make your playlists for free. Also, You don’t have to pay to access or download the app, and while there isn’t a single song or album like on Spotify, you do get a catalog of over three million mixes to enjoy.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
12. SoundCloud
So, if you’re looking for some new indie music or an up-and-coming rapper like Post Malone, Soundcloud is the place to be. Also, It’s one of the most popular platforms among creators, with over 200 million tracks in its catalog, including popular and indie songs. For a melophile like me, that’s a massive library, even bigger than Spotify, which occasionally goes on a new artist hunt.
Soundcloud is constantly adding new features to help with discovery. For example, the Upload is a new feature that displays the most recent music uploaded by indie artists in a playlist curated just for you. Aside from the massive collection, SoundCloud is known for including all of the standard features such as playlists, a stream of artists you follow, and the ability to skip tracks. SoundCloud also has a social component, which I enjoy.
If you want to remove ads while also supporting emerging artists, SoundCloud Go is the way to go. It’s a $4.99/month subscription that splits revenue with creators and provides offline support, among other things. It’s less expensive than Spotify and just as entertaining.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
13. MusicUp
MusicUp is one of the simplest Spotify alternatives that is extremely simple to use, despite its simplicity. It’s a web-based service that offers genre-style radio “stations,” which are essentially just playlists of varying lengths. But it has a karaoke version, so it belongs on this list regardless of what you think.
We like how the playlists are divided into different activities such as “open road,” “work out,” “chill out and relax,” and so on. You can even make your collaborative rooms with other users and vote on the next song to be added to the playlist!
14. Xbox Music
Well, If you have a Windows device and want to listen to free Music, Xbox Music is a good option. Unlike Spotify, which has some restrictions on how you can access content and some playback controls, here, Xbox Music is completely free to use and has no restrictions.
Microsoft’s video and music streaming service provides free but ad-supported streaming and has a massive 30 million track catalog with artist-based radio stations.
Like Spotify, Xbox Music is available on mobile devices, but it goes above and beyond by offering free streaming through its web player. Unfortunately, however, web player streaming is only available for Windows devices.
Download: (Android)
15. SoundHound
Look no further than SoundHound if you’re looking for a Spotify alternative for better music discovery. It is, by far, the best app for discovering music that is playing around you. Furthermore, you can sing or hum the tune to discover the music that appears to be stuck in your head.
The app includes a YouTube player that allows you to listen to songs and view their lyrics. In addition, soundHound performs admirably in terms of customization. For example, it allows you to make personalized playlists and share them on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Notably, the app lets you connect to Spotify and Apple Music to improve your music listening experience. Although SoundHound is free, you must pay $6.99 per month to access all features without restrictions. In a nutshell, SoundHound is the best music discovery app like Spotify.
16. Hungama Music
In the Indian music streaming industry, Hungama Music is a well-known name. It has a good music library, with over 10 million songs from Bollywood, rock, pop, rap, hip-hop, jazz, and regional artists. The availability of videos on the platform, in addition to music tracks, distinguishes Hungama Music.
Well, Hungama Music isn’t the best streaming service on the list, but it has a nice user interface and a slew of features like online radio, song lyrics, multi-login, a point-based reward system, and more. In addition, with a Hungama Pro subscription, you get ad-free playback, offline downloads, high-quality streaming, and an improved experience.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
17. TuneIn Radio
TuneIn Radio is an internet radio aggregator that you can use on your mobile device or the web, rather than a pure music streaming service like Spotify. This free service is ad-supported, but you can always upgrade to a monthly subscription for an ad-free experience.
You can listen to a variety of content from well-known stations such as NPR, BBC Radio, C-SPAN, as well as All India Radio, and news from Fox News and a slew of podcasts. In addition, you get genre-specific and local radio stations in your area, ensuring that there is something for everyone, which Spotify lacks.
With TuneIn Radio’s diverse selection of radio apps, you can get the best of both worlds and hear what matters to you. After downloading the app, you can create a profile and listen to hits from genres such as country roads, classic rock, smooth jazz, and more.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
18. ReverbNation
For discovering local artists, ReverbNation is the best free music streaming alternative to Spotify. You can use the website or mobile app to stream or download music, and you can sign up as a fan or artist depending on what you want to do on the site.
When you sign in, you can search for trending music, videos, and featured collections and then click to play or download the content to save it, unlike Spotify, which, unless you upgrade to a premium plan, restricts you to certain features.
You can make and save playlists, follow artists and favorite music, discover shows and charts, and stay up to date on upcoming artists and live events in your area. The main disadvantage is that, in comparison to Spotify, ReverbNation has a smaller selection of titles and artists, and not all songs are downloadable.
Download: (Android | iOS | Web)
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The Bottom Line: Spotify Alternatives
While free music listening has its advantages, you may have to put up with annoying advertisements in some cases or accept limitations such as the inability to shuffle or skip songs as you please. Furthermore, you might not be able to enjoy the sweet sounds that high-resolution audio provides.
Finally, you get to satisfy your desire to listen to music while commuting, working, exercising, playing, or relaxing, which isn’t too bad considering you get to save money in the process.
Any of these 18 Spotify alternatives will get you your favorite tunes, and even if they don’t, you’ll be able to listen to your favorite genres and have a good listening experience. Please let us know which music streaming service you prefer and why in the comments section below.