The Best Free Music Apps for Android and iOS

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Photo Credit: Morning Brew

Looking for the best free music apps for your new smartphone? Whether you want music apps for Android or iOS, we’ve got you covered.

The best music apps on Android and iOS offer free music listening, podcasts, radio stations, and more. You can download several apps on your device to listen for free, any time and anywhere. Free music apps are usually ad-supported, so be prepared to listen to lots of ads. Several free music apps offer paid upgrades if you ever decide you’re sick of listening to the advertising.

Digital Music News has compiled a recent list of the world’s best free music apps for you to check out.

Pandora

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Pandora has evolved drastically in its multiple years of streaming to offer more than just customized music playlists. Listeners can now find podcasts, album commentary, and artist tour information available. Thanks to SiriusXM’s acquisition of Pandora, some satellite radio DJs are now available on the service. The app occasionally offers free Premium unlocks that last for an hour or so – after watching a video advertisement. It’s one of the best free music apps available on Android and iOS.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

iHeartRadio

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If you want access to your favorite local AM and FM radio stations, then the iHeartRadio app is probably your best best. It’s one of the best free music apps with radio stations and podcasts included. iHeartRadio also creates personalized playlists for users among hand-curated playlists. You can browse playlists organized by your mood, activity, and even the decade and genre of music to find the right sound for the moment.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

BBC Sounds

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The BBC Sounds app is the best way to listen to live UK BBC radio stations on mobile devices. You can pause and rewind live radio and discover new podcasts and music mixes in the app. For fans of BBC content, this is one of the best free music apps you can have on your smartphone. The app also generates personalized recommendations for playlists and podcasts to enjoy.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

Spotify

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Spotify remains the king of best free music apps on iOS and Android. The ad-supported free version features playlists and recommendations. Some songs are not available to Spotify’s free user base. While the desktop and mobile versions are supported on Spotify’s free plan, you can only shuffle and listen to pre-organized playlists on mobile. It’s a limitation that Spotify hopes will turn its free users into paying Premium subscribers. Despite the constant barrage of ads, Spotify remains one of the best free music apps for mobile devices.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

Amazon Prime Music

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Amazon Prime subscribers get access to two million hand-curated songs as part of that subscription. The Amazon Music Prime offers thousands of radio stations and playlists for its users. Prime members can listen offline and have unlimited skips on any songs on their radio stations. The service is also compatible with Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa, for hands-free music listening.

Amazon is competing with Pandora with this offering. But it’s also hoping users will consider upgrading to Amazon Music Unlimited for access to on-demand music streaming. Despite being limited to two million songs that come and go, Amazon Music Prime is one of the best free music apps on Android devices.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

YouTube Music

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Google is shifting away from Google Play Music with slow and steady improvements to YouTube Music. The service now sports real-time lyrics, playlists, radio stations, and music videos. The Google Play Music import tool for YouTube Music is now available – but some users report it’s a little wonky. If you’re just now getting started with YouTube Music, it’s the best free music app on Android if you can stomach the ads. If not, there’s a paid upgrade path that removes them.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

Musi

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Musi is one of the best music apps on iOS if you’re okay with listening to what’s available on YouTube. This app allows you to create playlists from YouTube videos and organize them how you want. The interface is miles better than YouTube Music, making it a decent alternative for iOS users. While there is a free music app called Musi available on Android, it is not from the same developer.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

TuneIn Radio

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TuneIn Radio is the best place to find free radio stations from across the globe. The service offers more than 50,000 radio stations, searchable by genre. It’s a great option for free music apps to hear music from different parts of the world. The service offers unlimited ad-free listening, but for DVR recording of live radio, you’ll need a premium account. Still, TuneIn Radio offers a great free radio app for AM and FM fans alike.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

LiveXLive (formerly Slacker Radio)

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LiveXLive offers a free music app experience powered by Slacker Radio. The live events company acquired Slacker Radio and now the app promotes live shows and past performances. It’s a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in the live music industry across the country. Slacker was often mentioned in the best free music apps lists and its tenure under LiveXLive is no different.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

SoundCloud

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SoundCloud offers a full music catalog of over 150 million original songs from creators across the globe. It’s one of the best free music apps for listeners and creators alike – since it offers creation tools on the fly. Music fans can like and comment on their favorite tracks, while creators can grow their audience. SoundCloud’s recommendation system also helps with music discovery. SoundCloud is one of the best music apps on both iOS and Android for creators to access an audience that loves indie music.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

Audiomack

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Audiomack is another free music app that is similar to SoundCloud. It allows users to upload their favorite tracks for listeners across the globe to enjoy. It is a completely free platform where content creators like J. Cole share their content for free. Audiomack focuses on new and up-and-coming artists, so it’s not a full-catalog streaming service. It is intended to cater to music lovers who want to hear the best free music from new and upcoming artists. Users can choose to support their favorite artists through an optional subscription service to listen ad-free.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.

Deezer

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Deezer is often overlooked as one of the best free music apps, but it does have an ad-supported tier for listeners to enjoy. Free users can listen to 56+ million songs with ads after every third track. The app also includes personal recommendations based on your listening habits and a Songcatcher tool.

The Songcatcher tool can help you identify new music and save it to your favorites for listening later. Deezer is also one of the only free music apps to offer lyrics support to its free listeners. Certain playlists support unlimited skips and selecting songs included, while others don’t. Deezer also only allows up to six skips on mobile from the same artist or album per hour.

Download it here for your iOS from the App Store.

Download it here for your Android device from the Play Store.