Free Online Services That Identify Unknown Songs

Music identifier websites will help you name that tune

By
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
Writer
  • University of Wolverhampton
Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner.
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Updated on September 11, 2020
Reviewed by
Christine Baker
Reviewed by Christine Baker
Christine Baker is a marketing consultant with experience working for a variety of clients. Her expertise includes social media, web development, and graphic design.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

Wondering what song is playing? Popular music-identification apps such as Shazam and SoundHound are valuable tools that quickly name unknown songs as they play. But what if you want to figure out a song's title when it's not playing?

Online services work like music-identifier apps, referencing an online database to try to match your query. But music-identifier websites have varying methods: some take the audio route by capturing your voice via a microphone, while others use lyrics or analyze an uploaded audio file.

However, before you try any of these services, don't forget about a regular old Google search using the lyrics.

Here are some of the best free online services that will help you name that tune.

01
of 03

Midomi

Screenshot of Midomi music identifier website
What We Like

  • Identifies songs from a 10-second sample that is sung or hummed.

  • Offers a free community experience.

  • Search by lyrics, artist, or song title.

What We Don't Like

  • Need to sing into a microphone in an area with limited background noise.

  • Some songs aren't in Midomi's database.

Not only is Midomi useful for identifying unknown songs, but it's also a community-driven website where users can connect. The service even has a digital music store with more than 2 million tracks.

Midomi uses voice sampling, which can be helpful to identify a song that has already played but is still fresh in your mind. Sing, hum, or even whistle the tune.

Midomi's website is easy to use, and all you need is a microphone, whether it's built-in or an external device attached to a computer. For times when you can't use a music ID app to sample a song in real-time, Midomi comes in handy.

02
of 03

Lyrster

Screenshot of Lyrster music identifier website
What We Like

  • Requires only a few lyrics to identify songs.

  • Searches hundreds of lyric websites.

What We Don't Like

  • News feature is not maintained.

  • Site is ad heavy.

If you can't remember how a song goes but know a few of the lyrics, Lyrester might be able to help. This service works by matching lyrics rather than analyzing actual audio, with the ability to search more than 450 lyric websites.

The website is easy to use and gives good results, even though its music news isn't maintained.

03
of 03

WatZatSong

Screenshot of the WatZatSong music identifier website
What We Like

  • Community-driven song identification.

  • Website visitors listen to your lyrics or song snippet and provide answers or guesses.

  • Active community supplies many answers in minutes.

What We Don't Like

  • Inaudible samples or inaccurate lyrics may not receive answers.

  • No easy way to see if others have already posted about the same song.

If you've tried singing, humming, whistling, uploading samples, and typing in lyrics to no avail, then WatZatSong may be your only hope.

The website is community-based; all you have to do is post a sample, and others listen and quickly offer answers.

The service works well and provides fast results unless your input is obscure or inaudible.

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