Best App for Listening to Downloaded Music

Best free music apps: free music on Android and iPhone

Included in this guide:

All-time free music apps: Welcome to What Hello-Fi?'s circular-up of the best free music apps y'all can go in 2022.

Millions of songs in the palm of your manus, no storage woes and you don't even have to pay – that's the hope of the best free music apps. The only tricky part is deciding which streaming service to go for. But don't fret, nosotros're here to help.

Near major music streaming services have a free tier, disallowment Tidal (unless you're lucky enough to alive in the US), Qobuz and Apple Music, and while these costless services inevitably include adverts and accept more limited functionality and audio quality than their paid-for stablemates, they're still pretty tempting. Keep your ear to the ground and you'll oftentimes find one, two, three or fifty-fifty four month free (or nearly free) deals on your chosen streaming service's paid-for tiers to attempt the sonic goods before you buy, too.

While we would ever nudge you towards better quality streams (for which you'll pay a fee), if you're but an occasional listener, free streaming services likewise brand more sense than paying for something you barely use.

We've rounded up the best complimentary options around so you tin can meet which suits you. Nevertheless looking for a worthy alternative post-obit the news of Google Play Music'southward expiry on 24th February this twelvemonth? Here you go.

  • All-time headphones 2022: all styles, all budgets

Best free music apps: listen on the move for free

(Prototype credit: Spotify)

1. Spotify

All the same summit of the game, though there's plenty of hi-res competition effectually.

Specifications

Quality of costless tier: Upwards to 160kbps

Library size: 70 1000000+

Platforms: iOS and Android apps, desktop app, web player, smart Television set apps, connected speaker back up, cars

Reasons to buy

+

Enough of ways to discover new music

+

Easy to apply

+

Works on lots of platforms

Reasons to avoid

-

Non the best sounding

-

No lossless audio

The best-known free streaming service is besides one of the all-time. Yous volition have to put up with ads if you don't want to pay and you volition also have to listen to most playlists on shuffle mode, but there'south notwithstanding plenty to like: decent sound quality, around 75 million songs (a predicted 90 million past the end of 2021 if its library keeps growing at the aforementioned rate), offline listening, bags of podcasts, new features arriving daily and it all works on almost whatever device imaginable. If you desire free music streaming, Spotify should be your first port of telephone call.

Read the full review: Spotify

Best free music apps: listen on the move for free

(Image credit: Amazon)

2. Amazon Prime Music

The best streaming service you didn't know you had.

Specifications

Quality: 256kbps

Library size: 2 million

Platforms: iOS and Android apps, Echo and Fire TV devices

Reasons to buy

+

2 meg songs for gratuitous

+

No adverts

+

Works with Alexa

Reasons to avoid

-

But free to Prime subscribers

You might non know information technology, but if you have Amazon Prime so y'all can access Amazon's entry-level music streaming service. That's right, also as complimentary one-day delivery and Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime entitles you to Amazon Prime Music, which gives y'all over 2 meg songs to stream on-demand at no additional cost. And the all-time scrap? They're advertising-free.

Equally yous would expect, the selection is pretty mainstream, and the sound quality isn't going to blow you away, simply Prime number customers can't actually mutter. And if you're not happy, you lot can always footstep up to Amazon Music Unlimited, which costs £9.99/$9.99(or £7.99/$7.99 with Prime) a month and now includes HD, its how-do-you-do-res tier, for costless!

Read more: Amazon Prime Music

Best free music apps: listen on the move for free

(Prototype credit: Hereafter)

iii. Deezer

An extensive catalogue makes this free service a compelling prospect.

Specifications

Quality of costless tier: 128kbps

Library size: 56 million

Platforms: iOS and Android apps, desktop app, spider web player

Reasons to buy

+

Lots of pick

+

Good podcasts

+

Elementary to utilize

Reasons to avoid

-

Non peachy for discovery

Deezer'southward free tier means you take to endure ads, and the track quality is but 128kbps. The mobile app for this tier is besides a niggling limited, though no more so than any of its rivals. Notwithstanding, when it comes to what to listen to, there'due south a ton of choice, and the layout is pleasingly simple to navigate. There are also lots of podcasts and other non-music content to get your ears into. A great choice for anyone looking across but music. If yous practice sign-up for the full service, you lot tin relish lossless (though annotation, CD-quality, non hello-res) sound, too.

Read the total review: Deezer

Best free music apps: listen on the move for free

(Image credit: Time to come)

iv. YouTube Music

The video-sharing giant'due south free music streaming service is surprisingly decent.

Specifications

Quality of free tier: 128kbps

Library size: N/A

Platforms: iOS and Android apps, web actor

Reasons to buy

+

Uncluttered

+

Plenty of rareties

+

Lots of videos

Reasons to avoid

-

Iffy audio quality

-

Discovery could exist improved

YouTube isn't just for videos. Launched back in 2015, YouTube Music is the video-sharing site's effort to take on Spotify et al. And, simply like Spotify, it offers a free tier. Sure, there are adverts, as you would expect, simply not every bit many as you would fear.

Extras like downloading for offline listening are pay-only, so you lot're limited to streaming the service'south pick, but in that location's a considerable catalogue to cull from, the layout is nice and clean, and its selection of music videos is, of course, unrivalled. Well worth a heed.

Read the full review: YouTube Music

Best free music apps: listen on the move for free

(Prototype credit: Time to come)

5. TuneIn Radio

Radio lover? Tune in to TuneIn. You won't be disappointed.

Specifications

Quality of free tier: N/A

Library size: Due north/A

Platforms: iOS and Android apps, web player, smart speakers, cars, wearables, smart TVs, games consoles

Reasons to buy

+

Broad spread of content

+

Big proper noun stations

Reasons to avoid

-

Not music-focussed

This isn't a pure music streaming service – rather the focus is on radio stations, so remember of information technology every bit getting your music fix that way. Information technology offers a range of stations, including some BBC Radio, NPR, All India Radio and C-Span, as well as news from the likes of CNN and Fox News and a host of podcasts. There are fifty-fifty local and genre-specific radio stations to cull from, so at that place should be something for anybody. Featuring a wide option of radio apps, this is the all-time we've come beyond.

Best free music apps: listen on the move for free

(Prototype credit: BBC)

6. BBC Sounds

The new app to supersede iPlayer Radio.

Specifications

Quality of free tier: 48-320kbps

Library size: N/A

Platforms: iOS and Android apps, web thespian, internet radios, smart speakers, Virgin Media, YouView

Reasons to buy

+

Diverse content

+

Splendid radio stations

+

Useful features

Reasons to avoid

-

Buggy

-

Not music-axial

BBC Sounds has taken the place of the Beeb'south iPlayer Radio app and information technology feels like a skillful decision. Besides as the usual BBC radio stations (Radio 1, Radio 4, 1Xtra, etc) which y'all can listen to live or on-demand, it brings together all sorts of podcasts, music mixes, alive sets and more than.

You tin can search past genre, download and mind on-the-go and continue listening where yous left off on another device. The app had some teething problems, only has blossomed into a suitably rich and slick home for the BBC's excellent audio output.

Best free music apps: listen on the move for free

(Image credit: Future)

7. SoundCloud

If your sense of taste is more off the beaten rails, SoundCloud could be for you...

Specifications

Quality of free tier: 64kbps

Library size: 200 million

Platforms: iOS and Android apps, web player

Reasons to buy

+

Great for emerging artists

+

120 million+ tracks

+

Great UI

Reasons to avoid

-

Some annoying pop-ups

SoundCloud is known as the home of emerging artists, then if you want to check out acts and predict which bands are going to make it large, this is the place to exercise so. The free tier offers over 120 million tracks, mixes, podcasts and more, though we tin can't vouch for the quality of each (that's the trouble with 'up-and-coming' artists).

The upside is you can connect with friends and even the artists directly on the platform, make playlists, and go curated tracklists based on your taste. The downside is that, like many free services, you exercise have to put up with adverts.

If you lot tire of the mainstream, peradventure it'due south time to take a trip to SoundCloud.

Tidal

(Image credit: Apple tree / Tidal)

8. Tidal

What Hullo-Fi? Awards 2021 winner, at present with a complimentary tier in the U.s.a.

Specifications

Quality of costless tier: 160kbps

Library size: 80 meg tracks

Platforms: PC, desktop, iOS and Android apps, Apple and Android Idiot box apps, Apple CarPlay, Roon, Tidal Connect

Reasons to buy

+

Great sound quality

+

Hi-res Tidal Masters

+

Intuitive and expansive

Reasons to avoid

-

Hi-res tier undercut by Amazon, Apple

In the United states? Lucky you. U.s. customers can now proceeds access to the service's first-always free programme, chosen (unsurprisingly) 'Tidal Free', which offers streams of the complete library of eighty 1000000 tracks at 160kbps with "limited interruptions". It launched in November 2021 and, at the time of writing, we have not yet reviewed the defended Gratuitous plan.

For anyone non domiciled in usa, a fee is still involved. The 'Tidal Premium' tier (£9.99, $nine.99, AU$11.99 per month) that offered 320kbps quality has now been rebranded as 'Tidal HiFi' and gets you audio at up to 1411 kbps (i.east. CD quality), as well equally offline capabilities and access to features such as Tidal Connect, for that same monthly price. Tidal'due south basic Family Tier has too seen the aforementioned increase in standard bit rate streams.

The top tier, formerly 'Tidal HiFi', is now known every bit 'Tidal HiFi Plus' and remains £19.99 ($19.99, AU$23.99) per month. It brings sound quality upwardly to 9216 kbps (i.e. hi-res) by supporting Tidal Masters via Primary Quality Authenticated (MQA) technology. It is also the tier you lot accept to subscribe to in club to listen to immersive music in Dolby Atmos Music and Sony 360 Audio.

This new subscription model puts Tidal's CD-quality offering more in line with the competition from Amazon and Apple, although its howdy-res streaming remains at a premium that might put some people off. That said, Tidal has ensured its HiFi Plus tier has extra appeal for audiophiles and, besides, will no doubt however entreatment to those with MQA-supporting hardware.

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Becky has been a full-time staff writer at What Hi-Fi? since March 2019. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, she freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 20-year career as a professional person dancer and aerialist – whatever love of dance is of course tethered to a beloved of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo, This is Cabaret and The Stage. When not writing, she dances, spins in the air, drinks coffee, watches football or surfs in Cornwall with her other half – a football writer whose talent knows no premises.

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