Best Free Music Apps 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best free Music Apps compared: Spotify, Deezer, SoundCloud, Audiomack and 2 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 22, 2026.
•3 min read•Audio & Music
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | Free (Free, ad-supported service exists; the Premium page does not list its features); paid from $12.99 per month, Premium Individual after the trial (Student $6.99, Duo $18.99, Family $21.99) | iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS | Mainstream catalogue and playlists | Docs only |
| Deezer | Free (The offers page shows a Free column but the extracted text did not show which features it includes); paid from $11.99 per month, Premium (annual option $9.00 a month billed $107.99); one month free trial | iOS, Android, Web | Spotify alternative with a big catalogue | Docs only |
| SoundCloud | Free (A free tier exists; its upload cap was not confirmed on an official page) | Web, iOS, Android | Emerging artists and mixes | Docs only |
| Audiomack | Free (Free listening exists; the Plus page lists ad-free listening and unlimited downloads as paid extras) | Web, iOS, Android | Discovering new releases from independents | Docs only |
| Mixcloud | Free (Basic: 10 show uploads and 10 track uploads, standard 64kbps AAC+ audio); paid from $11.25 per month, Pro billed yearly ($15.00 billed monthly) | Web, iOS, Android | Radio shows and DJ sets | Docs only |
| Navidrome | Free (Free under the GPL v3; music (and audiobook) libraries only) | Self-hosted, Web browser | Streaming a library you own | Docs only |
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Good fit if
- You want the largest catalogue for free (Spotify is the pick)
- You follow independent artists and DJ remixes (SoundCloud is the pick)
- You listen to long radio shows (Mixcloud is the pick)
- You own thousands of MP3s and hate ads (Navidrome is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
Free music apps give you listening in exchange for ads, limited skips or a smaller catalogue, so decide what you will tolerate. Spotify's free tier is ad-supported with the biggest mainstream catalogue; Premium Individual is $12.99 a month. Deezer also has a Free column on its offers page and sells Premium at $11.99 a month. SoundCloud is stronger for independent and emerging artists, DJ mixes and remixes, and Audiomack serves streaming and discovery in hip-hop, Afrobeats and similar scenes, with ad-free listening and unlimited downloads paid. Mixcloud specialises in radio shows and DJ sets; its Basic account allows 10 show uploads and 10 track uploads at 64kbps. If you own your music files, Navidrome is a GPL-3.0 server that streams your own library to apps on your phone, free apart from your hosting. The trade-off is catalogue versus ownership. Streaming services let you search nearly anything but you rent access and hear ads, while a server like Navidrome gives you full control and no ads but only the music you already have. Pick based on your listening: mainstream pop fits Spotify, independent and remix culture fits SoundCloud, and live sets fit Mixcloud.
Spotify
Free ad-supported tier on web, phone and desktop with a vast catalogue; Premium Individual is $12.99 a month. Free listening has ads and playback restrictions that its Premium page does not detail.
Price: Free (Free, ad-supported service exists; the Premium page does not list its features); paid from $12.99 per month, Premium Individual after the trial (Student $6.99, Duo $18.99, Family $21.99) (Spotify pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: iOS, Android, Web, Windows, macOS. Proprietary.
Best for: Mainstream catalogue and playlists.
Deezer
Free tier exists per its offers page, though which features it includes was not shown. Premium is $11.99 a month.
Price: Free (The offers page shows a Free column but the extracted text did not show which features it includes); paid from $11.99 per month, Premium (annual option $9.00 a month billed $107.99); one month free trial (Deezer pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: iOS, Android, Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Spotify alternative with a big catalogue.
SoundCloud
Free listening and uploads; its upload cap was not confirmed on an official page. Strong for independent artists and remixes.
Price: Free (A free tier exists; its upload cap was not confirmed on an official page) (SoundCloud pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Emerging artists and mixes.
Compare: SoundCloud alternatives
Audiomack
Free listening, with ad-free listening and unlimited downloads as paid extras. Focused on hip-hop, Afrobeats and similar genres.
Price: Free (Free listening exists; the Plus page lists ad-free listening and unlimited downloads as paid extras) (Audiomack pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Discovering new releases from independents.
Mixcloud
Basic account allows 10 show uploads and 10 track uploads at 64kbps AAC+. Pro is $11.25 a month billed yearly.
Price: Free (Basic: 10 show uploads and 10 track uploads, standard 64kbps AAC+ audio); paid from $11.25 per month, Pro billed yearly ($15.00 billed monthly) (Mixcloud pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Radio shows and DJ sets.
Navidrome
GPL-3.0 music server for your own files, with web and compatible mobile apps. Free but you supply the music and the server.
Price: Free (Free under the GPL v3; music (and audiobook) libraries only) (Navidrome pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Self-hosted, Web browser. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 24.4k GitHub stars · latest release v0.64.2 (Sep 24, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Streaming a library you own.
Which one to pick
- You want the largest catalogue for free: Spotify
- You follow independent artists and DJ remixes: SoundCloud
- You listen to long radio shows: Mixcloud
- You own thousands of MP3s and hate ads: Navidrome
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Spotify, Deezer, SoundCloud, Audiomack, Mixcloud, Navidrome: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked 2026-10-22: Spotify, Deezer, SoundCloud, Audiomack, Mixcloud, Navidrome. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.