The most reliable music streaming services make listening to music and podcasts easier than ever. When it comes to music streaming, these are the list of best music streaming services and sites you covered, with everything from a vast catalog of songs to a seamless experience across all of your devices to the ability to make custom playlists and receive tailored recommendations.
There weren’t many choices available until very recently. Spotify had a whopping 365 million users because it was the preferred option because it was enjoyable, simple, and widely used. Today’s listeners, however, can pick from a wider variety of options, each with its own set of advantages.
If the recent backlash against the Joe Rogan Experience podcast and its host’s disinformation, as well as the absence of the promised “Spotify HiFi” tier, has made you hesitant to join Spotify, then you are under no obligation to do so. You may now pick the greatest music streaming service deserving of your monthly subscription with greater ease.
Best Music Streaming Services and Sites
Now more than ever, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd in the internet streaming market. Exactly what is the most dependable online music service?
We undertook significant research and testing to come up with the greatest possibilities for you, just as we did for our lists of free movie websites, sports streaming sites, live TV streaming portals, and all other listings on our best music Streaming Services and Sites. Now, then:
1. Tidal
Lossless 16-bit 44.1kHz audio streams are now included in Tidal’s base plan, making the service more affordable. Tidal has been at the forefront of high-quality streaming for quite some time.
If you subscribe to the newly renamed “Tidal HiFi” plan, you can listen to music without any commercials and at higher CD quality. However, Tidal’s premium subscribers access features that standard subscribers do not.
However, Tidal provides much more than just high-resolution and CD-quality streams. For the first time ever, US customers can benefit from the service’s collection of 80 million tracks at 160kbps with “minimal interruptions” from Tidal that will “attempt to educate consumers about the music industry.” This plan is named “Tidal Free.”
2. Deezer
Despite its French origins, the user-friendly music streaming service Deezer has swiftly become a global phenomenon. More than 73 million songs from every corner of the globe can be found in its music library. Music, videos, and podcasts are just some of the original works that Deezer has released.
Deezer also analyzes your listening habits to compile a list of songs that perfectly suit your preferences. Making a custom playlist out of your preferred songs is also a breeze. While Deezer’s free tier is good, the paid tiers are where the service truly shines.
Every day, more and more songs from all over the world are uploaded to Deezer’s extensive music catalog. Finding a high-quality audio recording of a specific title is a breeze.
3. iHeartRadio
With iHeartRadio, you may listen to any of the country’s top radio stations for no cost and at any time. A list of recommended artist-centric radio stations is also provided. You also have access to its whole podcast archive.
To listen to every song and album on iHeartRadio, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid subscription. You’re free to repeat music playbacks as often as you wish. The freedom to make as many playlists as you like and store music for offline listening are further perks.
If you enjoy listening to the radio, you will appreciate iHeartRadio for all that it offers. The service combines a radio station with a music streaming website and offers both features for free.
4. Spotify
Spotify is widely recognized as the best music streaming service and is accessible in nearly every country. Online music streaming is free, with access to millions of tracks.
The service supports Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Upgrading to a paid plan removes ads, lets you download songs, improves sound quality, and gives you greater control over your playlists and playback.
Unfortunately, not everyone has access to Spotify, given how popular it is. Another downside of traveling is that you might have to give up your usual playlist of tunes. Only in some areas is Spotify available.
5. YouTube Music
When it comes to online video sharing, YouTube is unrivaled. YouTube Music attempts to capture the same glory as its forerunner, and it does it admirably. YouTube Music is a separate entity with its own mobile and desktop software designed specifically for streaming music.
With simple queries like “album name,” “artist,” and “selected recommendations,” the platform simplifies the process of finding new music. Lyrics and song descriptions can also be used to find songs with high accuracy.
Although there are songs and music videos on YouTube, the site was not designed to accommodate them. For this reason, YouTube Music stands out since it can be listened to with the screen off and without interruption from advertisements.
6. Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music Unlimited is one of the most reasonably priced streaming music services, at just £10 a month. This is reduced to just £9 (beginning in May 2022) for Amazon Prime members, which is far less than the competition; a Single Device plan is also available.
Amazon’s Amazon Music HD library is included in Amazon Music Unlimited at no additional cost. Back when it cost an extra £5, we gave it five stars after a thorough evaluation of its 75 million recordings with a CD-quality bitrate of 16 bit/44.1kHz and millions more in 24bit and up to 192kHz.
There are dedicated apps for Android and iOS devices, a web player, and a desktop app for use on computers and Macs so that users can listen to their music library anywhere they go. Some in-car systems and audio products (such as Amazon Echo and Sonos speakers) also support the service and Fire tablets and TVs.
7. Qobuz
Unlike Tidal, Qobuz’s high-quality audio streams do not necessitate a dedicated hardware MQA decoder. They are versatile in that they sound amazing on Android phones and high-end stereos.
You can choose between the high-definition Studio Premier plan (which costs $13 per month or $130 per year) and the standard Sublime Plus plan (which costs $180 per year). Sublime subscribers receive a discount at the service’s own high-resolution download store.
Qobuz’s streaming repertoire of 70 million tracks is comparable to those of Tidal and Spotify, albeit it may lack the rarest artists. Qobuz caters primarily to high-resolution recordings, making it ideal for jazz and classical music aficionados.
8. Apple Music
Apple Music is second only to Spotify in total subscriptions, but it has one significant advantage. While Apple hasn’t specified the number of songs included in the high-quality lossless and spatial audio albums included at no extra cost, they are available.
Music is a fantastic option if you have several smart speakers, whether made by Apple or Google, though it makes the most sense if you’re an Apple user. HomePod, Home Mini, and Nest users can use voice commands to play music from Apple Music.
Apple Music is the only one of our top picks that includes a digital locker where you can store your own library of songs that you’ve purchased digitally; the other music locker option is YouTube Music, which we’ve included below.
9. LiveXOne
LiveXOne is dedicated to the principle of real-time, high-definition video broadcasting of musical performances and concerts. You’ll get fast alerts whenever a new live stream begins. It records all of its live broadcasts so that users can watch them whenever convenient.
They also provide various premade playlists to streamline finding new music. A wide variety of playlists, including “Today’s Top 10,” “Top Electronic Music,” and “Top Hip Hop Albums,” is available to listeners whenever they visit their music website.
On a planet still recovering from the long-term lockdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, LiveXLive is a blessing. The website allows users to watch live performances on their computers or mobile devices. Live music fans will enjoy Pandora.
10. Pandora
Pandora has everything that listeners want in a music streaming service. There’s a free version and a paid one too. The free tier is sufficient for casual listeners, allowing you to play music and podcasts with unlimited skips.
All of your preferences and actions on Pandora are recorded and analyzed. Because of this, it can make custom playlists based on your preferences.
If you’re looking for a free music streaming service that lets you play an infinite number of songs and podcasts with unlimited skips, Pandora should satisfy your needs. Intelligently chosen recommendations are key to its success.