Best Music Apps for Android

With the spread of smartphones, searching for music has become easier thanks to music apps from various streaming services. Let's consider the most popular programs among music lovers, their competitive advantages, and features.

Amazon Music

The music streaming platform with the ability to purchase compositions from Amazon Corporation was launched in the US in 2007. In the fall of 2019, Amazon Music HD was launched with more than 50 million tracks at up to 24-bit 192 kHz.

Amazon Music has both a full client for PC and mobile applications for Android and iOS, as well as TVs supporting SmartTV technology.

The features of the mobile application include:

• 100+ million compositions;
• audio podcasts, including TV shows;
• exclusive music shows;
• enhanced search function;
• profiles for music artists;
• and more.

The Amazon Music mobile application is popular in the US, South America, and Europe. In Russia and the CIS countries, the service is not as popular due to the lack of local representation and the corporation's internal policies.

Monetization of the service and application is done through subscription - Amazon Prime Music and Music Unlimited+. The first provides full access to the audio library and playlists, while the second offers extended access to high-quality music.

Apple Music

Apple Music is a streaming service from the company of the same name, launched in 2015, which provides access to the full audio file library of the internal iTunes Store.

The competitive features of the Apple Music application include:

• 90+ million compositions and 30,000+ playlists;
• the ability to download and listen to tracks offline;
• voice control through the virtual assistant Siri;
• radio shows, podcasts, and broadcasts;
• synchronization across all devices.

The application is designed in Apple's signature flat design with smooth lines, bright images, and smooth animation. It is convenient to use with one hand.

The service is monetized through a paid subscription. The cost of one month in Russia is 169 rubles. New Apple users are offered a free trial version for one month with access to all features.

YouTube Music

This is a mobile application that allows users of the video hosting platform to access the music library uploaded to YouTube. The application was launched in the US in 2015 and in Russia in the summer of 2018.

YouTube Music completely replaced Google Play Music All Access, which closed in 2020. The service is available on Android and its variations such as Google Home, Sonos, Android TV, and Android Auto.

Among the advantages of the Google Music application are:

• a recommendation system - the user's personal radio station is updated every week, including tracks that the user liked during that period;
• playlist formation - individual playlists are formed based on the user's preferences, as well as new collections with fresh releases;
• presence of underground content - the service promotes many young and lesser-known artists, including their old tracks.

The application design is strict and corresponds to the design of YouTube. Compared to competitors, it is relatively austere, too simple, and a bit clumsy, but this is the corporate style of all Google products, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Subscribing to YouTube Music will cost 169 rubles for the basic version and 199 rubles for the extended version, which will include a subscription to YouTube Premium.

Deezer

The Deezer music streaming service first appeared in late 2007 in France. As of 2022, the service has more than 14 million users in over 30 countries worldwide.

In addition to the Android application, Deezer is available on multiple platforms, including PC and iOS.

Like its competitors, Deezer has a rich library with over 56 million music tracks and other audio files. Its main competitive feature is lossless audio streaming, support for Sony 360 immersive sound. The developers plan to provide users with Hi-Res audio in the future.

The service and its application are great for audiophiles who have a quality set of equipment, monitors, studio headphones, and more.

The application design is minimalistic and flat. It has two color schemes - light and dark. The scrolling is smooth, the navigation within the application is convenient, and the touch response is clear. The images are of high quality, the text is localized, and the Cyrillic looks organic.

In the free version of the application, the audio quality is limited to 128 kbps. The cost of a standard subscription is 169 rubles per month, and a family subscription is 255 rubles per month. New users are offered a free trial month.

Spotify

Spotify is a streaming service from Sweden that offers access to a vast music library, audiobooks, and podcasts. The service is available on desktop as a website and on Android and iOS.

On June 15, 2020, the service was launched in Russia but suspended indefinitely in the spring of 2022. Direct subscription purchase is no longer available, but it can be obtained by installing a VPN on a smartphone and changing the region of the account. The subscription price is $9.99 per month. A trial period is available.

Among the features of the Spotify application are:

• friend list - you can add acquaintances, friends, and relatives to track their music tastes and preferences;
• virtual headphones - joint listening to audio tracks through a QR code;
• link to tracks - you can provide a direct link to any audio track, playlist, or account;
• recommendations - artificial intelligence accurately selects compositions based on your taste;
• cross-platform functionality - switching between devices happens in real-time without delays or waiting.

In the future, the developers promise to add song lyrics and podcasts. The latter are already available on a trial basis in some countries. Even in the free version of the application, there is not as much advertising as with direct competitors, and it doesn't interfere much with regular use.

SoundCloud

SoundCloud is a social online platform created in 2007 in Sweden for the distribution of audio information. It has a website, a PC application, and mobile applications.

Other features of the SoundCloud mobile application include:

• the ability to leave comments on audio files;
• private messaging function;
• the ability to mark favorite moments in a track;
• support for various music formats: AIFF, WAVE, FLAC, AAC, WMA, etc.;
• direct or plugin-based track downloads.

Unlike its competitors, SoundCloud is primarily a free service and does not focus on paid features for regular users. For musicians, there are two pricing plans costing $7 and $15 respectively.

Yandex Music

Yandex Music is a domestic music streaming service launched by the eponymous company in 2010 on Windows, iOS, and Android platforms. It now also works on smartwatches.

The service is primarily aimed at promoting Russian music, but it also includes international classical and contemporary compositions in its database.

The key feature of Yandex Music is its playlists and compilations, which are updated every day. In the settings, users can choose how recommendations are formed - based on mood, track analysis, critic and musician opinions.

There is no fine genre selection, but after analyzing the user's preferences, the service offers similar tracks without adding radically different compositions. The subscription costs 299 rubles per month, which also includes a subscription to the online cinema "KinoPoisk".

VK Music

VK Music is a streaming service from VKontakte, launched in 2016. Thanks to the legalization of music tracks, the application of the service is available on Apple Market and Google Play.

Unlike the social network, the VK Music application is completely devoid of news and messages, which does not distract from listening to the personal library.

Other advantages of the application include:

• speed and smooth operation;
• similar design to VKontakte;
• promotion of domestic artists;
• publication of tracks and playlists on VKontakte pages.

In VK Music, it is convenient to track the music preferences of friends from VKontakte. The service displays a playlist of tracks they listen to, which can be opened for further exploration.

The free version of the application is monetized through ads, which, to be honest, is quite intrusive. It is recommended to purchase a subscription. Its cost is 159 rubles per month.

Shazam

Shazam is a pioneer among online music track and song lyrics search services. The company was founded in 1999 in England. There are versions for iOS, Android, and smartwatch operating systems.

To search for a song title, Shazam uses the microphone. The user needs to bring their smartphone or other device to the sound source. The application records a music snippet and performs a search through a database of over 11 million tracks. The result is displayed as the title of the composition and a link to YouTube/Apple Music.

Shazam has analogs in the form of SoundHound and Musixmatch. The latter is the largest online song lyrics library. It works in integration with YouTube and SoundCloud.

These are not all music applications for Android. Some of them did not become popular in Russia and the CIS countries, for example, iHeartRadio and Pandora Music. Others are not interesting in terms of functionality and only repeat more successful analogs.

Comparison table

Below is a comparison of music services based on several criteria. Some of them temporarily left Russia in 2022, but they can still be used. Therefore, the payment cost in dollars is additionally indicated.