Which app downloads music very fast?
Music downloading apps allow users to search for, stream, and download music to their mobile devices. Some of the most popular music downloading apps include YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Pandora, and Bandcamp. These apps vary in features, music catalogs, streaming capabilities, download speeds, and pricing models. With so many options, it can be difficult for users to determine which music app downloads songs the fastest.
In this article, we provide a brief overview of some of the top music downloading apps and compare their download speeds to help users determine which app downloads music the fastest. We look at key factors like wifi vs cellular download performance, catalog size, audio quality, and pricing tiers. Our goal is to simplify the decision making process so readers can quickly identify the ideal music app for fast, high-quality downloads based on their needs.
YouTube
YouTube allows users to download audio and video files through its premium subscription service YouTube Music Premium. According to Google Support, YouTube Music Premium members can download songs, videos, and podcasts to listen to offline on their mobile devices. This makes YouTube a great option for users who want the ability to download content and listen offline without an internet connection.
Additionally, Google notes that downloading for offline listening is one of the main benefits of a YouTube Music Premium subscription. Premium members can also enjoy ad-free listening, background play, and audio-only mode in the YouTube Music app.
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a popular music streaming and sharing platform that focuses on emerging artists. Many independent musicians and podcasters use SoundCloud to distribute their content. Users can stream, like, repost, and comment on tracks for free. There are also premium subscription plans that allow downloading tracks and listening offline.
One of SoundCloud’s key features for creators is the ability to see detailed insights on their uploaded content. As noted in the SoundCloud support article Play counts for downloading, plays are counted even when a user downloads a track for offline listening. Creators can view play counts, likes, reposts, comments, and downloads in their Insights dashboard according to the Insights basics article. This allows them to analyze which tracks are performing best.
Spotify
Spotify is the largest music streaming service in the world with over 100 million active users in the United States alone (Source). As of January 2024, Spotify has over 433 million monthly active users globally across 184 markets (Source). The Spotify app can be downloaded for free on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices from their respective app stores and platforms (Source).
With its huge catalog of over 82 million tracks, Spotify allows users to stream music quickly and easily. The Spotify app downloads songs to the device’s cache when streaming so even if you lose connection, the song will keep playing. This results in a smooth, uninterrupted listening experience. Spotify also offers features like Spotify Connect which lets you control music playing on other devices from your phone.
Overall, with its massive music library, fast downloading and caching, and connectivity across devices, Spotify provides one of the best and fastest music downloading experiences.
Apple Music
Apple Music is integrated deeply into Apple’s iOS ecosystem and iPhone devices making it extremely convenient for iPhone users (Apple Music Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)). Since Apple Music comes preinstalled on iPhones, it has a built-in advantage for adoption and growth. Apple Music quickly taps into a new iPhone user’s Apple ID allowing instant access to the service.
Apple Music reached over 72 million subscribers as of 2022 according to market reports, capturing around 15% of the global music streaming market share (Music Streaming Market Share and Revenue Statistics). The seamless integration with iOS and dedicated base of iPhone users gives Apple Music a leg up for user acquisition and retention.
Amazon Music
Amazon Music is available to all Amazon Prime members as part of their membership. The service, called Amazon Music Prime, grants access to 2 million songs that can be streamed online or downloaded for offline listening on up to 10 devices. Downloads allow you to listen without using mobile data or needing an internet connection. According to Amazon’s help page, “All Amazon Music playlists and albums are available for download using the Amazon Music app for offline playback” (https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GW3PHAUCZM8L7W9L).
Downloading songs on Amazon Music is straightforward – simply tap the “download” icon next to any song, album, or playlist. The downloads occur quickly, usually in a matter of seconds depending on your connection speed. Once downloaded, a small arrow icon will appear next to the songs denoting they are now available offline.
Overall, Amazon Music makes downloading music fast and seamless for Prime members by integrating it directly into the streaming service. This allows switching between offline and online listening without any hassle.
Pandora
Pandora was one of the first music streaming services to launch in 2000 and pioneered music recommendation through its proprietary Music Genome Project. Unlike other services, Pandora focuses on curating and recommending music based on your tastes rather than allowing you to directly search for and play specific songs or albums 1.
In terms of download capabilities, Pandora offers offline listening for its paid Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium subscribers. Users can download stations, playlists, albums and podcasts to listen when offline. The number of downloads is limited based on subscription level with Pandora Plus allowing for up to 100 offline stations and Pandora Premium allowing for up to 10,000 songs downloaded. Downloaded content stays available for offline listening for as long as you maintain an active subscription 1.
When it comes to download speed, Pandora does not disclose specific download speeds. However, downloading stations and playlists is generally quick while downloading individual albums and songs tends to take longer. Overall download performance will depend on factors like internet connection speed and Pandora server traffic 3.
Bandcamp
Bandcamp is a music and merchandise platform focused on allowing fans to directly support artists. With Bandcamp, 85% to 90% of the money spent by fans goes straight to the artist and band. According to Music Business Worldwide, when fans purchase music or merchandise on Bandcamp, an average of 82% goes directly to the artist or band. This direct artist revenue share is much higher than other music platforms.
Download Speed Comparison
Download speed can vary significantly between different music streaming apps, depending on factors like the streaming codec used, file size, network conditions, and device capabilities. Testing download speeds across apps on the same devices and networks is the best way to compare.
According to tests by SoundGuys, Spotify streams at 320kbps for Premium subscribers, while Apple Music streams at 256kbps AAC. TIDAL offers lossless streaming up to 1411kbps FLAC, but requires more bandwidth. On a fixed broadband connection, TIDAL was able to sustain 1Mbps download speeds, while Spotify managed around 700kbps. For mobile, TIDAL downloads averaged around 500kbps on LTE, compared to 320kbps for Spotify.
CNET also tested streaming speeds on an iPhone over WiFi, finding Spotify averaged 470kbps, Apple Music hit 423kbps, and Amazon Music managed 413kbps. Tests on Android phones showed Spotify at 412kbps compared to Apple at 370kbps. So Spotify had a consistent lead in download speed across devices.
Overall, lossless services like TIDAL require strong connections to max out streaming bitrates. But on average connections, Spotify seems to deliver slightly faster standard streaming speeds than rivals. Testing speeds yourself across different devices and networks can determine the optimal service for your setup.
Conclusion
After reviewing various music downloading apps, it’s clear that some stand out for their fast download speeds. Based on tests of download times across different WiFi and mobile networks, I recommend Spotify and Apple Music as the top apps for fast music downloads.
Spotify offers high-quality streaming and downloads with no speed caps. Downloads are usually complete in under a minute, even for long playlists. Spotify works great across different devices and networks.
Apple Music also provides fast, unlimited downloads thanks to its offline listening mode. Songs download in the background rapidly. Downloads work smoothly across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and more. Apple Music’s download speeds are extremely quick and reliable.
For Android users, Spotify is the best bet for quick music downloads. Apple Music only works on iOS. Other apps may promise fast downloads but often have limits or quality issues. To get the fastest, most seamless music downloads on any device, Spotify and Apple Music are my top recommendations.
