The 6 Best Music Apps for Android

The best free music apps, MP3 players, and streaming services

By
Jody Emlyn Muelaner
Jody Muelaner
Jody Emlyn Muelaner
Writer
  • University of Bath
Dr. Jody Muelander is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire who's writing has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and aerospace industry reports.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on July 10, 2020

The best music apps for Android play the music you own and offer a streaming service where you can find and play new tunes. Here are some Android music apps that can improve your overall music experience, whether you're interested in using your existing music library or discovering something new.

01
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Google's Standard: YouTube Music

Free Music Videos on YouTube
What We Like

  • Free to use.

  • Automatic upgrade for YouTube Premium subscribers.

  • Can download songs.

  • Watch music videos along with songs.

What We Don't Like

  • The free version plays ads between songs.

  • Must purchase a subscription to download tracks.

  • The app must be open to play in the background (in the free version).

YouTube Music brings its song library to a new app that spins off its popular video service.

Like YouTube, the music version has an ad-supported free version and a premium tier. The monthly subscription drops the commercials and unlocks features like background playing and downloads. Whether you pay or not, you can choose to watch music videos instead of only listening to songs.

Listeners who have memberships to YouTube Premium receive the upgraded version of YouTube Music automatically.

02
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Best Free Music App for Android: MediaMonkey

MediaMonkey Android music app
What We Like

  • A simple and clean interface.

  • Powerful features are easy to use.

  • No ads in the free version.

  • Good browsing options.

What We Don't Like

  • No streaming service.

  • Podcast subscriptions require PC sync.

  • Pay a fee for Wi-Fi sync and folder browsing.

If you want to play MP3 files from your Android device, MediaMonkey is the best free music player for Android. The Pro version is the best overall player. It has an easy to use and clean interface, and loads of powerful features, including a great graphic equalizer.

MediaMonkey has different browsing modes for albums, classical composers, podcasts, and audiobooks. It also has a full-featured MP3 tag editor supporting multiple genres for a single track. For a small, one-time fee, you can upgrade to the Pro version and sync your music collection with a PC over Wi-Fi, browse by folders, and more.

The PC version of MediaMonkey is also great and worth using to sync your music collection. It can also be used to download podcasts you subscribed to.

03
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Most Playlists: Spotify

Spotify Android music app
What We Like

  • Browse your library by playlists, artists, and albums.

  • Lots of playlists available.

  • A better selection of podcasts than other services.

What We Don't Like

  • Fewer songs than YouTube Music or Amazon Music Unlimited.

  • The podcast selection is limited.

  • No genres in your library.

Spotify is the original music streaming service, and it continues to have a strong following. If you've been using it for some time, you don't need to switch. However, YouTube Music provides a better app experience. The Spotify app also lacks some of the features of YouTube Music, such as browsing your library by genre.

04
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Biggest Library: Amazon Music

Amazon Music app on Android
What We Like

  • The most songs of any music streaming service.

  • Some music is included with a Prime subscription.

  • Works with Alexa.

What We Don't Like

  • Limited library browsing options.

  • Not as well integrated as YouTube Music.

  • Subscription service for the main library.

Amazon Music connects to two music services: Prime Music and Music Unlimited. Prime Music has two million songs and is included with an Amazon Prime subscription. Music Unlimited has a larger selection, but you pay for it as a separate subscription service.

The app isn't as polished as YouTube Music. For example, when you select a genre, you're presented with a complete list of all songs in that genre, which can make browsing difficult if you have a large collection.

If you don't want to pay for a streaming service, but you have a Prime subscription, it's worth looking at Prime Music. It may also be worth a look if you use Alexa for voice commands on your Android device.

05
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Best Free Player: Musicolet

Musicolet Android music app
What We Like

  • Free.

  • No ads.

  • Browse by folder, album, artist, or composer.

What We Don't Like

  • No option to browse by genre.

  • No sync.

  • No podcast subscriptions.

Musicolet is another fully featured MP3 player you can use to browse your music collection by folder, album, artist, or composer. If your music is organized into folders, and you don't want to pay for a streaming service, this app may be a good alternative to MediaMonkey.

06
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Free and Simple: BlackPlayer

BlackPlayer on Android
What We Like

  • Simple interface.

  • Free.

  • No ads.

What We Don't Like

  • Can't browse by artist or genre.

  • Not many features.

  • Doesn't work great with large music libraries.

If you want a simple MP3 player to listen to songs stored on your Android device, BlackPlayer may be for you. It doesn't let you browse by genre or artist, meaning it probably isn't suitable for large music collections. If you only need a basic MP3 player, though, consider YouTube Music; it works fine as an MP3 player without the subscription.

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