Is there a totally free music app?
With the rise of music streaming services, there are now many options for accessing free music right from your smartphone or computer. While premium services like Spotify and Apple Music charge a monthly fee, there are several free alternatives that allow you to listen to millions of songs with no subscription cost. These free music apps typically monetize through advertisements or limited features, but they provide an easy way to enjoy music streaming without paying.
In this article, we’ll provide an overview of the most popular free music apps available today, highlighting the key features and differences between them. Whether you use an iPhone or Android device, we’ll cover top picks that work across platforms. From household names like Pandora and YouTube Music to up-and-coming apps like SoundCloud, there are quality free options for every music listener.
Spotify
Spotify offers both a free ad-supported tier as well as paid subscription options without ads. The free tier provides access to Spotify’s full music catalog but with restrictions (Source). Users are limited to six skips per hour and can only listen to songs in shuffle mode without the ability to select specific tracks (Source).
There are audio and banner ads that play at regular intervals. However, the free tier still provides access to Spotify’s entire catalog of over 80 million songs, playlists, and podcasts. For unlimited skips and on-demand playback, users must upgrade to a paid Premium subscription which offers additional features like high quality audio, offline listening, and no ads (Source).
YouTube Music
YouTube Music offers an ad-supported free tier that allows users to stream both music and music videos (Your content & YouTube Music – YouTube Help). On the free tier, users can search for and play songs, albums, playlists, and music videos. However, they cannot download music for offline listening or listen to music in the background.
One advantage of YouTube Music’s free tier over some competitors is that it combines music streaming with video streaming (Big changes are coming to free version of YouTube Music). Users can seamlessly switch between watching music videos and just listening to the audio of songs. The platform also provides concert footage, live recordings, and access to major music events.
Overall, the free tier of YouTube Music allows users to stream a extensive music catalog with the option of video. However, listening is interrupted by ads and lacks features like offline downloads and background playback.
Amazon Music
Amazon Music provides access to a catalog of over 100 million songs to Amazon Prime members at no extra cost [1]. This includes ad-free streaming of a selection of 2 million songs that can be downloaded for offline listening. With an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, Prime members get access to the full catalog ad-free and can download any song for offline listening [2].
The Amazon Music app allows Prime members to stream their free selection of 2 million songs on any device, with the option to upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited for full catalog access. Downloaded songs can be listened to offline, making Amazon Music a versatile free option for Prime members looking for music on the go without ads [3].
Pandora
Pandora (source) offers a free, ad-supported radio option that allows users unlimited listening. The free tier provides access to Pandora’s full music catalog and stations, but with limitations. Users are allowed a certain number of skips per hour, and cannot play songs or albums on-demand. There are also audio and display ads.
The free Pandora radio includes handy features like thumbs up/down buttons to personalize your stations, bookmarks to save songs and artists, and personalized music discovery powered by the Music Genome Project. However, skips are limited to only 6 per station, per hour (source). If you want unlimited skips and on-demand playback, Pandora offers paid subscription upgrades.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a popular free music streaming app that lets users upload and share original music. One of the main benefits of SoundCloud is the ability for musicians to upload their own songs and share them with listeners. According to SoundCloud’s help center, free users can upload up to 3 hours of audio content. The maximum file size for a single track is 4GB.
While SoundCloud offers free accounts, there are some limitations compared to paid options. Free users are limited to uploading 3 hours of audio in total. Once this limit is reached, you won’t be able to upload more tracks unless you upgrade to a paid plan. Free accounts are also limited in the number of listens per month. According to SoundCloud’s website, free users get 120 minutes of listening per month.
TuneIn Radio
TuneIn Radio (TuneIn) is one of the most popular free music apps, providing access to over 100,000 live radio stations spanning a variety of genres. Users can stream major stations in genres like pop, rock, hip hop, classical, news, sports, talk radio and more. Some of the most notable stations on TuneIn include 102.7 KIIS-FM, KOST 103.5, ALT 104.5, Power 105.1, and many other major U.S. stations.
In addition to live radio, TuneIn offers a selection of podcasts and audiobooks. The app provides personalized recommendations based on listening history and favorite teams/artists. It also features a useful alarm clock function and ambient sounds to help users relax or sleep.
Overall, TuneIn is one of the top options for free streaming of live radio across nearly every genre imaginable. With its huge catalog of stations and customization options, it’s a great choice for music and talk radio fans looking to listen for free.
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio offers a free, ad-supported version of their app that gives you access to thousands of live radio stations covering music, sports, news, podcasts and more. With a free account you can create custom stations based on your favorite artists, songs or genres. The free service does limit you on things like skipping songs and downloading playlists for offline listening, but overall it provides a robust free option for streaming music and radio.
Conclusion
To summarize, there are several excellent free music apps to choose from. Spotify offers a robust free tier with shuffle play and on-demand playback of select playlists. YouTube Music also has an ad-supported free option with full access to its expansive catalog. Amazon Music allows Prime members to stream over 2 million songs at no extra cost. Pandora provides a free ad-supported radio service. SoundCloud gives free access to a large library of user-generated content. TuneIn Radio offers free streaming of live radio stations. And iHeartRadio lets you listen to radio stations and custom artist stations for free with ads.
While the free tiers of these apps provide a lot of value, upgrading to paid subscriptions unlocks premium features like unlimited on-demand playback, offline listening, high quality audio, and ad-free listening. The paid plans remove most of the limitations of the free versions for a relatively low monthly fee. So if you want the full streaming music experience without restrictions, the premium offerings are worth considering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many people wonder if there are truly free music apps that provide access to streaming music without any cost or ads. Here are some common questions about free music apps:
Do free music apps have ads? Most free music apps like Spotify and Pandora have free tiers that include advertisements between songs. Upgrading to a paid premium version usually removes ads. However, some apps like Free Music Archive and Free To Use Music provide completely ad-free listening without any subscription.
Is the music quality good? While free tiers of paid services like Spotify restrict quality, free apps focused on providing free music like Free Music Archive allow full-quality streaming for free. However, catalog sizes are often smaller.
Are there usage limits? Most free music apps limit usage in some way, like only allowing a certain number of skips per hour. However, apps like Free Music Archive and Free To Use Music have no limits on streaming.
Can I download the music? Usually downloading is restricted to paid subscribers. However, Free Music Archive and similar free apps allow downloading music files to use offline.
Is it legal? As long as the music apps properly license the music, it is legal to stream. Reputable services only offer music licensed for free streaming.
By understanding the differences between freemium and completely free music apps, listeners can find services that provide unlimited, legal music streaming at no cost.
