Spotify is one of the top music streaming services in the world. It is used by millions of people for its large music library, personalized playlists, seamless interface and more. However, there are still some users who want to leave it. Why? Like most other apps, it has some drawbacks. For example, if you're planning a trip abroad, you'd be shocked to find out that Spotify isn't supported in your country. Or maybe you're a free user and want to listen to Spotify music without too many ads. Or you find that the Spotify Premium subscription is quite expensive. Or maybe you've been using Spotify for a long time and are looking for a change.
In either case, if you want to switch from Spotify to another service, the first step is to cancel your existing Spotify subscription. Then, choose one of the best Spotify alternatives. So, what are the options? Read on in this article where we'll list the 13 free and cheaper alternatives to Spotify. You'll get to know their pros and cons and then make the best choice.
💡Tips: Before you leave Spotify, you may not want to lose your favorite Spotify music in your library. In this case, you can seek help from AudFree Spotify Music Converter. With it, you can download and keep all your Spotify songs, playlists, etc. as local files on your device forever.
Part 1. Free Spotify Alternative - Bandcamp
Looking for a Spotify alternative free? Check out the following Spotify-like software to listen to music without a subscription. Here we will introduce Bandcamp to you.
# Bandcamp
📌Best for: Discover new artists, indie music and niche genres
When it comes to Spotify alternative for free, some people think Bandcamp is the best one. In fact, Bandcamp users have come to refer to the app as the "anti-Spotify" in recent years. Spotify relies on third-party advertising for revenue and uses a complex formula to calculate artists' royalties. But Bandcamp does not collect any personal data from users and lets artists set their own prices. Unlike Spotify, Bandcamp also allows anyone to submit tracks to the platform.
If you have a passion for supporting independent artists who make quality music, then you'll enjoy using Bandcamp. This Spotify replacement without ads certainly has an exhaustive list of features and a good user experience for an app that doesn't use paid advertising. In Bandcamp, you can discover indie music and niche genres. Also, you can pre-order new albums before they become available, download files for offline listening, and see new live music streams every day.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Ad-free |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ You cannot create your own library |
| 💰 Price | Free |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | 128 kbps, MP3, FLAC or Ogg Vorbis format |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️ |
Part 2. Cheaper Alternatives to Spotify - Top 12
Besides Spotify alternative free, here are some cheaper alternatives to Spotify. Now, let's take a deeper look at the following tools.
#1. Apple Music
📌Best for: Great for Apple ecosystem users and audiophiles who want to enjoy lossless audio
Apple Inc. was the company that made music streaming possible when they introduced the iPod and iTunes in the early 2000s. As such, it means that Apple Music is one of the most important players in the music streaming industry. Apple Music gives you access to over 100 million songs whether you are using an iOS device or an Android one. And it offers spatial audio and lossless streaming.
It doesn't have a free version, but this cheaper alternative to Spotify Premium does give you a free one-month trial before you subscribe. It has a student version for just $5.99/month for college students around the world and an individual premium version for $10.99/month that opens up all features. Also, there is a family plan for $16.99/month that allows up to six members of a family to use the same premium account.
However, you can only enjoy Apple Music downloads within the Apple devices. If you want to break this limit, you can use AudFree Audio Converter to convert Apple Music to local files for offline playback anywhere.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Has better sound quality than Spotify Premium |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ The interface is not immersive |
| 💰 Price | Voice: $4.99/month; Student: $5.99 /month;
Individual: $10.99/month; |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | AAC format up to 256 kbps; ALAC up to 24 bits/192 kHz |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, smart TVs, etc. |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ |
👉View also: Apple Music vs Spotify
#2. Amazon Music
📌Best for: Good for Prime members or Amazon Echo owners
Amazon Music is another alternative to Spotify that has invested heavily in the music streaming industry. With the Amazon Prime plan, you can access a huge library of movies, podcasts, TV shows and Amazon Prime Music. That's more than Spotify offers. In addition, you'll have access to millions of Audible audiobooks. That means you'll have more content than any other music streaming service has to offer.
If you are already an Amazon Prime subscriber, then Amazon Prime Music is free. However, if not, you must pay $14.99 per month as your Amazon Prime Music subscription to enjoy the service. Surprisingly, there are many download tools available in the market today such as AudFree Amazon Music Downloader to download Amazon songs locally without a subscription.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Provides HD, ultra HD, and 3D audio |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ Available to a limited number of countries |
| 💰 Price | Free; Amazon Unlimited: $10.99/month; Amazon Prime: $14.99/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | Standard: 320 kbps; HD: FLAC format up to 1411 kbps; Ultra HD: FLAC format up to 9216 kbps |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, smart TVs, etc. |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐⭐️ |
👉View also: Amazon Music vs Spotify
#3. Tidal
📌Best for: High streaming quality, a nice choice for audiophiles
Tidal is the home of hip-hop music and a nice alternative to Spotify Premium. Owned by hip-hop heavyweights like Jay-Z and his wife Beyoncé, you can expect more from this app. The app has over 110 million songs from all genres, not just hip-hop. It's also known for offering the highest quality of songs, just as the artists themselves like it. If the highest sound quality is what you want, then this is your best bet outside of Spotify.
By the way, you can use third-party tools, like AudFree Tidal Music Downloader, to download Tidal music locally for offline playback whenever you want without the Tidal app.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Offer CD-quality and high-res audio |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ No free plan |
| 💰 Price | Individual: $10.99/month; Family: $16.99/month; Student: $5.49/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | Low: up to 320kbps; High: FLAC, up to 16-bit, 44.1 kHz; Max: HiRes FLAC, up to 24-bit, 192 kHz |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, smart TVs, etc. |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ |
👉View also: Tidal vs Spotify
#4. Deezer
📌Best for: Listeners who want recommendations and a personalized experience
The main reason you are seeking an alternative for Spotify is probably because you live in a country where Spotify is not available. If this is the case, then Deezer is the best Spotify alternative for you. That's because Deezer can be accessed from 189 countries around the world. It is available in more countries than any other known music streaming service. This makes it a prime choice for frequent travelers or those looking to move abroad.
Deezer will give you access to over 120 million songs with lots of great features to enhance your listening experience. But this will cost you $11.99 per month for an individual premium plan to get CD-quality songs. If you are a student, then you will only need to pay $5.99 per month for the basic version, which is a huge discount.
Tips: If you want to enjoy Deezer music offline anywhere, then you can try AudFree Deezer Music Converter to download music from Deezer locally.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Available in many countries |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ Very similar to Spotify |
| 💰 Price | Free; Premium: $11.99/month; Duo: $15.99/month; Family: $19.99/month; Student: $5.99/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | Free: 128 kbps MP3; Premium: 1411 kbps FLAC |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, smart TVs, etc. |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
👉View also: Deezer vs Spotify
#5. Slacker
📌Best for: Listeners who like to listen to radios
Slacker (also called LiveXLive) is like Spotify in more ways, which makes it easy to transition from Spotify. It is one of the best music streaming alternatives to Spotify. If you're in the US or Canada, you'll love this app. It gives you access to over 20 million songs and endless features to enhance your music listening experience.
First, it is available on Roku, Android, and iOS, which means that you have a wide variety of devices you can use to listen to your songs. In fact, more devices than Spotify will allow you. Secondly, Slacker allows you to create albums, genres, songs, or artists. However, unlike Spotify, Slacker uses artificial intelligence to predict what songs you'll like to listen to based on your choices and previous history.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Supports offline playback |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ No crossfade feature |
| 💰 Price | Free; Radio Plus: $3.99/month; Premium: $9.99/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | 320kbps(Plus, Premium) |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS, smart TVs |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️⭐ |
#6. JioSaavn
📌Best for: Listeners who want to enjoy music in exotic languages
If you want to listen to endless streams of music in exotic languages on a music streaming service, then JioSaavn is the best choice for you. This app allows you to listen to millions of songs from all over the world in English, Hindi and many other languages. With 80 million songs from all over the world, you will never get bored with this application.
Furthermore, the app lets you enjoy 7 days free trial. If you subscribe to this app, you can download an unlimited number of songs for offline listening. One of the advantages of this app is that it is available for both iOS and Android operating systems.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Large music collection |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ Annoying setup |
| 💰 Price | Pro: $5.99/month; $49.99/year |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | Paid: 320 kbps |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️ |
#7. Pandora
📌Best for: Listeners who want to enjoy radio-style music discovery
It will be a crime to talk about the best Spotify alternatives without mentioning Pandora. It is one of the oldest music streaming services in the world, founded in 2002, almost half a year before the birth of Spotify. Because of its history, it is better known as an online radio station than a music streaming service.
With over 75 million subscribers, Pandora has clearly been doing something right. For just $10.99 a month subscription, you get access to millions of songs.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Lyrics available |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ Lacks Hi-Res audio tracks |
| 💰 Price | Free; Plus: $4.99/month; Individual Premium: $10.99/month; Family Premium: $17.99/month; Student Premium: $5.99/month; Military Premium: $8.99/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | Low: 32 kbps AAC+; Standard: 64 kbps AAC+; High: 192 kbps MP3 |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️⭐ |
👉View also: Pandora vs Spotify
#8. Grooveshark
📌Best for: Users who want to discover music that is not available in other music streaming services
If you are looking for a Spotify substitute free, the Grooveshark app is also an option. But wait, it is not entirely free, right? There are two versions of this music sharing app, the free version and the paid version. Just like Spotify, the free version has ads and limited features.
However, this app offers you a chance to discover songs that are not available in many other music streaming services. That's because musicians love it and often use it to share their songs, some of which haven't been picked up by the mainstream media.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Larger music catalog |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ Many tracks are mislabeled |
| 💰 Price | Free; VIP: $3/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | 320kbps |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️ |
👉View also: How to Transfer Spotify to Grooveshark
#9. SoundCloud
📌Best for: Users who want to find new music and artists
If all you want is the ability to never listen to the same songs twice in the next decade, then SoundCloud is your best Spotify alternative. SoundCloud has over 200 million tracks from artists across the world. This means that you have access to more songs that you can listen to in your lifetime. If you are a student, this app offers huge discounts just like Apple Music. And you can take advantage of these discounts to keep enjoying your best songs whenever you want.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Ad-free and offline playback |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ Cannot find popular artists' full discographies |
| 💰 Price | Free; SoundCloud Go: $4.99/month for web/Android; $5.99/month for iOS; SoundCloud Go+: $10.99 /month for web/Android; $12.99/month for iOS; SoundCloud Go+ Student: $5.49/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | Free: 128 kbps; Premium: 320 kbps MP3 |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS, Windows |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐⭐️ |
👉View also: SoundCloud vs Spotify
#10. YouTube Music
📌Best for: Users who want to enjoy music tracks and videos within one app
Music industry surveys and studies often conclude that YouTube is the first place people go to listen to music online. So, why is YouTube Music in the second tier? Largely because of Google's poor track record of maintaining long-term support for such services. YouTube Music is just the latest in a long line of Google Music services that users may feel Google has burned them too many times.
In terms of content, YouTube sometimes offers surprising examples of music content that you won't find on Spotify. But YouTube's podcast offerings don't even come close to Spotify's. YouTube Music, however, does a better job with music videos.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ An all-in-one video and music app |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ Don't have sound quality tiers |
| 💰 Price | Free; Individual Premium: $10.99/month; Family Premium: $16.99/month; Student Premium: $5.49/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | Standard/Free: 128 kbps, AAC format; Premium: 256 kbps, AAC format |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️⭐️ |
👉View also: YouTube Music vs Spotify
#11. Qobuz
📌Best for: Listeners who want to enjoy music with Hi-Res audio quality
Qobuz is both a digital music store and a high-end streaming service. Its HD streaming plans are cheaper than Tidal's and don't require a specialized decoder. If you're looking for a Spotify alternative for the "big" streaming companies, this is your best bet.
Qobuz even focuses on Hi-Res, offering a subscription service for lossless music only. Thus, the entire catalog can be found on the platform, at least in CD quality. However, as Qobuz is associated with the availability of high-resolution music, its catalog is narrower in some places than that of larger providers such as Spotify and Apple Music.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Has music magazine |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ Few extras |
| 💰 Price | Free; Studio Solo: $10.83/month; Sublime Solo: $14.99/month; Duo: $14.99/month; Family: $17.99/month; Studio Student: $4.99/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | FLAC 24-Bit up to 192 kHz |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, smart TVs, etc. |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️⭐ |
👉View also: How to Transfer Spotify to Qobuz
#12. iHeartRadio
📌Best for: Radio addicts and listeners who want a mix of music and talk radio
iHeartRadio is one of the most memorable names in all of music streaming services. iHeartRadio has one of the main advantages of live radio. For example, you can stream a New York Yankees baseball game on ESPN Radio through the iHeartRadio mobile app on your Android or iOS device.
iHeartRadio has a huge selection of radio stations, news, podcasts, talk shows, and of course music playlists by genre. They even have some cool partnerships with artists like Usher who hosts the iHeartRadio Music Awards. You can listen to iHeartRadio without creating an account, but you'll have to put up with the ads. If you upgrade to the paid version, you can enjoy unlimited skips, offline listening, and the ability to save your playlists.
| 😊 Benefits | ✔ Informative news articles and event listings |
| 😞 Drawbacks | ❌ Unable to rewind live radio |
| 💰 Price | Free; Plus: $4.99/month; All Access: $9.99/month; Family: $14.99/month |
| 🎺 Sound Quality | 128 kbps |
| 💻 Supported Platforms | Android, iOS, smart TVs, smart speakers, etc. |
| 🏆 Recommends | ⭐️⭐️ |
👉View also: iHeartRadio vs Spotify
Comparison Table of the Top 13 Alternatives to Spotify
This is our review of the 13 best Spotify alternatives. While some are similar to Spotify, others have completely different interfaces and features. Therefore, you have enough variety to find something you like. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to Spotify (that offers similar features), you might consider Tidal. If you're looking for a free Spotify alternative, go with Bandcamp. For more comparison, you can view the table below.
| Free Trial Period | Music Library Size | Maximum Bitrate | Offline Listening | Podcasts | Music Videos | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandcamp | Free | over 5 million albums | 128kbps | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Slacker | 30 days | over 20 million songs | 320kbps | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ |
| Deezer | 30 days | over 120 million | 1,411kbps | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| JioSaavn | 3 months | 80+ million | 320kbps | ✔ | ❌ | ✔ |
| Apple Music | 1 month | over 100 million | 256kbps | ✔(Mobile only) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Pandora | 14 days | 75+ million | 192kbps | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ |
| Grooveshark | 30 days | 15 million | 320kbps | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ |
| SoundCloud | 30 days | over 200 million | 320kbps | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tidal | 30 days | over 110 million | 1,411kbps | ✔(Mobile only) | ✔ | ✔ |
| YouTube Music | 30 days | over 60 million | 320kbps | ✔(Premium and mobile only) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Qubuz | 30 days | 70 million | 6,917kbps | ✔(Mobile and desktop) | ❌ | ❌ |
| iHeartRadio | 30 days | over 20 million songs | 128kbps | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ |
| Amazon Music | 30 days | 100+ million songs | 9216 kbps | ✔ | ✔ | ❌ |
No matter what streaming music platform you decide to choose, you probably need to transfer your Spotify playlist to it, right? So we are here to provide you with a professional tool that helps you transfer Spotify playlists to Deezer, YouTube Music, Tidal, etc.
What you need is AudFree Spotify Music Converter. It allows you to download Spotify playlists, songs, albums, podcasts, etc. as local files. Also, you can choose to convert Spotify playlists to MP3 or any other common formats. Once downloaded, you can easily upload them to your new streaming music service. You'll be able to listen to them even without Spotify app.
AudFree Spotify Music Converter
- Download songs/playlists/albums from Spotify to local drive
- Convert Spotify to MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC, etc.
- Transfer Spotify playlists to Apple Music, Tidal, YouTube Music, etc.
- Work at 5X faster speed, keep original sound quality and ID3 tags
View also:
How to Transfer Spotify to Deezer
Charles Davis
Chief Editor
