Spotify AlternativesTop Music Streaming Services & Audio Players like Spotify

Spotify streams online music with browsing by genre, playlists, artists, and albums, plus offline listening via Premium. Users praise its playlist creation and catering to different music tastes through discovery and recommendations, though some are frustrated by features being removed over time.

Deezer is the top-ranked Spotify alternative here, offering offline listening, lyrics support, and a large music catalog with synchronized lyrics and a karaoke-style experience. SoundCloud ranks highly and stands out for community discovery and tools that support smaller artists. YouTube Music combines music and video streaming with recommendations based on your listening taste.

For audiophiles, TIDAL focuses on lossless and Hi-Res FLAC playback for listeners who care most about audio fidelity. Bandcamp emphasizes buying music often DRM-free and sending most payments directly to artists. These Spotify alternatives range from mainstream streaming subscriptions to self-hosted servers and creator-first marketplaces that emphasize ownership and artist support.

filter to find the best alternatives

Open source options like Funkwhale, Spotube, and Ampache offer transparency and privacy-focused playback for users who prefer open-source software. Linux users have native desktop options through Funkwhale, Spotube, and muffon for workflows outside Windows and macOS.

For lossless audio, Apple Music and Qobuz highlight higher-fidelity listening than typical streaming, appealing to audiophiles. Offline listening extends beyond Spotify Premium with TIDAL, Deezer, and Apple Music all supporting downloads for travelers and commuters.

Personalized recommendations remain strong across YouTube Music, Deezer, and Apple Music for listeners who rely on discovery algorithms similar to Spotify. AirPlay support appears in Deezer and Apple Music for easy playback to Apple speakers and receivers, benefiting Apple ecosystem listeners. Dark mode comes standard in Deezer, YouTube Music, and Apple Music, matching a common Spotify preference for night listeners.

More about Spotify
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Alternatives
Get a badge for your siteSpotify alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. SoundCloud icon

    SoundCloud

     660 likes

    Soundcloud is known for having an impressive music and audio library. We are talking about more than 200 million files between songs and podcasts. This is mainly because it is the preferred music streaming platform for new indie artists, those that you probably couldn't find on Spotify (shoutouts to electronic music lovers). The main disadvantage with SoundCloud is that you won't find a lot of well-known established artists.

    It also works as a kind of music social network where you can share, like, and comment on entries; highlight parts of songs; create your own lists and podcasts; and follow your favorite artists. All this means that you can find an impressive variety of content compared to Spotify. Soundcloud has a free version with ads, but you can subscribe to one of their premium memberships from as little as $5 USD per month.

    172 SoundCloud alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Android Auto
    • Apple Car Play
    • Apple Watch
    • Android Wear
    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU
    SoundCloud screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    19
  2. Spotube icon

    Spotube

     160 likes

    Cross-platform client for desktop and mobile enabling manual playback, free streaming via YouTube without a Spotify Premium account, playlist creation, auto-generation, time-synced lyrics, music download, dark theme, integration with Piped and Sponsorblock, and multi-language support.

    86 Spotube alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Flatpak
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    • BD flagBangladesh
    Spotube Desktop UI
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    2
  4. AntennaPod icon

    AntennaPod

     215 likes

    A free and open source podcastmanager for Android, allowing you to subscribe to podcasts (via iTunes database & OPML), automatically download episodes using powerful mechanisms and listen to them the way you like (speed, balance adjustments, etc).

    86 AntennaPod alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • Android Auto
    • F-Droid
    • OpenAPK
    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU
    AntennaPod screenshot 1
    AntennaPod screenshot 2
    AntennaPod screenshot 3
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    5
  5. Deezer icon

    Deezer

     477 likes

    Deezer is an excellent option since its user experience is quite similar to Spotify, but it also has approximately 70 million songs available, about 30 million more than its competitor. It also has a feature similar to the Shazam called SongCatcher, which you can use to identify the name of the songs that are playing. Flow is another cool feature missing on Spotify, with recommendations created exclusively for you and songs that you no longer remember so you can enjoy long hours of music. The free version of Deezer works similar to Spotify (although with less advertising between songs), but you can always get the premium version from $10 USD.

    191 Deezer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    • Apple TV
    • Kindle Fire
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU
    Deezer screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    16
  6. Bandcamp icon

    Bandcamp

     207 likes

    It is an excellent option for independent musicians that combines many features from a social network where you can display your music, with an ecommerce function that lets you sell your merchandise. Unlike Spotify, Bandcamp allows users to stream your music or buy your discography in physical or digital formats (with a commission of 10 to 15%). 

    If you are a musician, the premium version offers you several extra benefits such as: Sending private messages to your fans, seeing the location of your buyers and how they have reached you, batch uploading audio to the platform, adding videos to your music and related merchandise, sending VIP songs through private links, the ability to configure a custom domain, connecting your profile with Google Analytics, and disable some songs so that cannot be listened for whatever reason.

    132 Bandcamp alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • US flagUnited States
    Bandcamp screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    3
  8. Funkwhale icon

    Funkwhale

     185 likes

    Funkwhale is one of the most popular options when it comes to Open Source and Self-Hosted alternatives to Spotify. You can have control over your personal music library without worrying about it ever disappearing from the platform for any external reason. Unlike Spotify, Funkwhale consists of several independent websites or "pods" (sometimes called "servers" or "instances") where you can upload your personal library to be streamed to mobile devices or shared with friends. Funkwhale is completely free, giving the user an experience free of tracking and ads.

    98 Funkwhale alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • F-Droid
    • Kodi
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU
    Album view
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    7
  9. YouTube Music icon

    YouTube Music

     197 likes

    YouTube Music has an important advantage over Spotify, in addition to its extensive music catalog, it includes millions of videos and uses the extremely intelligent and powerful YouTube search engine, which means that you just have to type or say some word that identifies a song or part of the lyrics and you will surely find it.

    Its interface is really easy and familiar to navigate, on its main page you will find different playlists according to your mood. Thus, if you need more energy, need to focus, or need to relax or cheer up, you can use them to forget about looking for specific genres or songs.

    But beyond the content, there are two main advantages: you can have your music offline or watch videos without having to be connected to WiFi or mobile data. In addition, you can have YouTube videos in the background and continue using other applications without the music being cut until you decide. You can purchase YouTube Music Premium from $10 USD.

    188 YouTube Music alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    • Android Auto
    • Android TV
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Wear
    • US flagUnited States
    YouTube Music screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    15
  10. TIDAL icon

    TIDAL

     91 likes

    Tidal is a great alternative to Spotify if what you are most interested in is audio quality, as it has standard sound options but also HiFi quality ($19 USD/month). It also has support for official videos in a big part of its catalog. In addition, it offers you the option to select your playlists from other platforms and transfer them to Tidal, which is a great advantage if you want to change your usual streaming music app and try Tidal without losing your music. On the other hand, on many occasions you will be able to access exclusive events with artists and buy tickets for their shows before they go on sale to the general public.

    119 TIDAL alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Android Auto
    • Apple TV
    • Flathub
    • Android TV
    • Chromecast
    • NO flagNorway
    TIDAL screenshot 1
    TIDAL screenshot 2
    TIDAL screenshot 3
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    5
  11. Fastpotify icon

    Fastpotify

     24 likes

    Spotify, native and fast. One lightweight Rust app for your whole library, local playback, and Spotify Connect on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

    20 Fastpotify alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Homebrew
    • Nix Package Manager
    • Arch Linux
    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU
    Fastpotify screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
  12. Apple Music icon

    Apple Music

     172 likes

    Apple Music leads over Spotify with a catalog of just over 50 million songs. If you are within the apple ecosystem, you will find Apple Music really interesting due to its integration with the OS without the need for third party apps. In addition to its well balanced user interface design, you have the option to dive through recommended lists, hits, genres or personalized and updated playlists. It's also possible to follow artists, as well as compare and comment on songs, a significant advantage over Spotify.

    You can use the service not only on devices with MacOS or iOS, but also on Android and Windows, but keep in mind that it doesn't give you the possibility of listening to music with advertising, you can only use the service by paying a $10 USD membership.

    158 Apple Music alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    • Apple Car Play
    • Xbox
    • US flagUnited States
    Apple Music screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    8
  13. iTunes icon

    iTunes

     1051 likes

    Serves as a media player and library for music, videos, and playlists, streams Internet radio, imports CDs, syncs content and manages iPhone or iPad, offers purchasing and downloading of music, TV shows, movies, supports podcasts, audiobooks, and works on macOS or Windows.

    251 iTunes alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • US flagUnited States
    Personal library Album view
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    1
  14. Pandora icon

    Pandora

     666 likes

    Pandora offers a free, ad-supported internet radio, analyzing over 400 song attributes through the Music Genome Project. Customize your listening with Pandora One for $4.99/month, featuring high-quality streaming, unlimited skips, no ads, and enhanced user interaction across desktop applications.

    209 Pandora alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    • Apple TV
    • Kindle Fire
    • Android Auto
    • Apple Car Play
    • US flagUnited States
    Pandora screenshot 1
    Pandora screenshot 2
    Pandora screenshot 3
    Good alternative?
     
    |
    4
12 of 294 Spotify alternatives