Best Alternatives to Google Play Music
Music is something that’s enjoyed by almost everyone around the world, and with today’s smartphones and other mobile devices, it’s easier than ever to take our favorite tunes with us wherever we go.
Whether you’re a fan of locally-stored tracks or convenient, hassle-free music streaming, there are a ton of options out there for music lovers everywhere when it comes to what you use to listen to music. For most people, the app that had the most to offer was Google Play Music.
What is Google Play Music?
Google Play Music is a smartphone app available on both Android and iOS. Included in most Android and Android-based devices as part of the Google Play ecosystem, Google Play Music let you stream songs, organize playlists, and play locally stored music files to give you a simple, intuitive way to stay on top of your tracks.
Announced in 2011, Google Play Music enjoyed a ton of popularity especially among Android users who typically had it pre-installed on their devices as the default music player.
However, lately Google announced that it would be discontinuing the Google Play Music service in favor of newer music and audio endeavors, namely YouTube Music and Google Podcasts.
While users around the world are heartbroken over the loss of one of the most celebrated smartphone music players of all time, there are plenty of alternatives out there that are sure to fill the void left by Google Play Music.
Top 5 Google Play Music Alternatives
If you’re looking for a music player that’ll cater to all of your musical needs, you may soon find that the Google Play Store and the App Store are chock full of options. However, not all music players are made equal. To help you along your way to finding your next music haven on your smartphone or mobile device, we’ve taken the liberty of sifting through the hundreds of options out there to provide you with this list of the top Google Play Music alternatives.
1. YouTube Music
Download on Google Play | Download on the App Store
YouTube Music – Google Play Music Alternatives
Google Play Music was a great music player but its successor, YouTube Music, promises to take your music into the 21st Century with a cloud-based offering that can keep up with direct competitors like Apple Music and Spotify.
Although it took a while to really take off, YouTube Music is quickly becoming one of the most popular music streaming platforms out there with an absolutely massive collection of songs, music videos, and live performances.
One of the ways YouTube Music stands on top of the competition is that it’s powered by Google, and therefore has access to one of the smartest data-driven systems in the world.
While most music apps today utilize all kinds of machine learning methods to facilitate the way you explore your musical tastes, YouTube Music is so much more refined.
You’ll find that it’s constantly serving up great music to suit your mood and your activities, and the more you use it, the more it learns about your music taste and the better the recommendations get.
YouTube Music also serves up music videos and live performance recordings instead of just the usual audio-only tracks, so you’re getting plenty of variety, too.
That said, YouTube Music does fall a little flat in some aspects, especially when compared to the competition. Apple Music and Spotify both have higher audio quality standards, for example, so staunch audiophiles may find YouTube Music lacking somewhat in that regard.
If you already use YouTube as your primary source of music, then YouTube Music is a much more polished experience for all music lovers.
2. Amazon Music
Download on Google Play | Download on the App Store
Amazon Music – Google Play Music Alternatives
Developed by Amazon, Amazon Music is another great Google Play Music that offers music streaming and a ton of other great features.
It features a huge library of songs and the highest audio quality you can get your hands (or ears) on. You can listen for free with ads, or get Amazon Music Unlimited – the premium tier – for $9.99 per month ($7.99 per month if you have Amazon Prime).
Amazon Music doesn’t have it all, but if you’re interested in high-quality music and a top-notch podcast experience, then this platform won’t disappoint.
With audio quality up to Ultra HD and millions of audio tracks from the latest chart-toppers to the most popular podcasts, Amazon Music is a solid choice for music lovers who don’t care too much about non-audio content like music videos or live performances.
One of the biggest reasons to choose Amazon Music over other music streaming platforms is how it so seamlessly integrated with the Amazon ecosystem.
If you own a pair of Amazon Echo speakers or have an Amazon Fire TV-powered smart entertainment center in your home, Amazon Music offers amazing integrations with the services and devices that Amazon has to offer. For a seamless experience on your Amazon smart devices, Amazon Music is unbeatable.
If you’re interested in Amazon Music Unlimited but aren’t ready to shell out cash for the service just yet, don’t fret! Amazon Music has one of the longest trial periods we’ve seen on a premium music app. Try the service absolutely for free – cancel anytime, no hidden fees – for 90 days!
Enjoy your favorite music now!
3. Apple Music
Download on Google Play | Download on the App Store
Apple Music – Google Play Music Alternatives
Apple Music takes the concept of premium music services to the next level. Apple has always taken the lead when it comes to music streaming, harkening back to its days pioneering uncharted audio playback territory with the App Store, but Apple Music is an entirely different animal.
Built to compete directly with Spotify – the current reigning King of Music Streaming – Apple Music comes off strong with a massive library of songs and a ton of great features.
That said, Apple Music is just about on-par with Spotify; even though its much newer, the Apple experience is helping it catch up to the current music streaming giant with no hangups. Great audio quality, lots of accessibility, top-notch music discovery, and the kind of super-refined, polished user experience you can only expect from Apple combine into this music streaming app that’s a top-tier choice, especially for fans of the Apple Ecosystem.
4. Spotify
Download on Google Play | Download on the App Store
Spotify – Google Play Music Alternatives
If you want to subscribe to the music streaming service that stands on top in terms of sheer popularity and industry-leading features, look no further than Spotify.
One of the biggest things to happen to music since casette tapes, Spotify is a music streaming app that’s used by millions of people around the world to access one of the biggest music libraries that has ever existed.
Let’s face it – everybody who’s into music has heard of Spotify. It’s undoubtedly the most popular, most widely-used, and most subscribed music streaming app there is.
Free users get to enjoy all the music they could ever want from Spotify’s absolutely massive library of songs and in as high audio resolution as they want without having to pay a dime. Granted, there are some limitations – advertising, limited skips per hour, and no offline playback – but for just $9.99 a month, you can unlock everything Spotify has to offer, ad-free.
Although it started out as just a music streaming app, Spotify is now an entire social experience that revolves around our shared love for music.
You can check out what your friends are listening to, you can collaborate on playlists, you can follow your favorite artists, and if you’re on Spotify Premium, you even get early access to the latest albums before they ever even go live.
If you’re looking for the best Google Play Music alternative out there, Spotify is tough to beat. It’s an incredible value offering that’s one of the most affordable, most popular, and most feature-rich music streaming apps you’ll find anywhere, and there’s a reason why millions of people around the world use it day in, day out for all of their music needs.
Enjoy your favorite music now!
5. TIDAL – Higher-quality and more Ethical Alternative
Download on Google Play | Download on the App Store
TIDAL – Google Play Music Alternatives
A newcomer to the battle of music streaming apps, TIDAL is also one of the best alternatives to Google Play Music.
Despite its recent entrance into the fray, TIDAL has already made quite a name for itself because of how the platform is owned and operated by artists themselves.
On TIDAL, artists and songwriters receive higher royalties than what’s offered by other music streaming apps. Plus, with their CD-quality audio and high-resolution audio streaming, TIDAL is the go-to for music lovers and audiophiles who refuse to compromise on the quality of their tracks.
One downside of TIDAL is that’s also one of the more expensive options out there coming up at $19.99 a month – double what you would pay for a service like Spotify, and quite literally $19.99 more expensive than Google Play Music.
However, if you’re a fan of supporting up-and-coming artists and musicians and are fine with spending a little extra towards that cause, TIDAL is a solid music streaming app, especially when it comes to audio quality.
