For many of us, listening to music on our daily commute or humming to our favorite tunes while making dinner is an integral part of our daily routine, thanks to music streaming services. While there are plenty of popular music streaming services to choose from, finding a quality plan isn’t easy, especially one that’s free!
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Check out our breakdown of some of the best free music streaming services below.
Spotify
As the most popular music streaming service in the world, you can probably recognize the Spotify logo anywhere at this point. While Spotify is mainly known for its paid subscription, many listeners opt to skip the monthly fee and use the free version. Spotify’s free version requires you to listen to periodic ads, doesn't let you listen without a wifi connection, and the mobile version sometimes requires you to listen to songs on shuffle, but for many people, these drawbacks are worth it to avoid the subscription price.
Another perk is that you can enjoy Spotify Premium for 3 months free (although you will have to enter your credit card information to sign up), giving you full access to both the Spotify app and the Spotify web player. If you’re interested in testing out the paid version, the free trial is a great option.
SoundCloud
If you’re a fan of finding new artists, SoundCloud is probably the best option for you. As a free music platform, you’ll get access to the work of new artists and even have the ability to upload your own music–something you can’t find with most of the other big streaming services. However, if you’re a budding artist, beware of scams–some websites will offer free SoundCloud plays to boost your visibility on the site, but this is against SoundCloud’s rules and should be avoided.
If you’re tired of ads and want to download your songs for offline listening, you can upgrade to SoundCloud Go, which is SoundCloud’s paid, ad-free subscription service.
Pandora
No list of free music streaming services would be complete without mentioning Pandora. As one of the first major music streamers, Pandora quickly became popular and is still a fan favorite today. While there is a paid subscription option with more versatility, the original features that made Pandora so beloved are still free for users.
Just keep in mind that Pandora doesn’t allow listeners without a paid subscription to create playlists, and listeners have to put up with a lot of ads. However, if you’re looking for new music recommendations, Pandora is still one of the best music streaming services for discovering new artists. To get started, simply download the Pandora Radio App and get listening.
StreamSquid
Although less popular, StreamSquid is another option for free music streaming. StreamSquid was born after GrooveShark was shut down following a major lawsuit, and is a good alternative for people who were crushed by GrooveShark’s loss. If you were a GrooveShark fan, you might prefer StreamSquid, but otherwise it’s less polished and user-friendly than some of the other popular streaming services you can also use for free.
iHeartRadio
If you love music but sometimes miss the traditional radio experience, it doesn’t get better than iHeartRadio. With iHeartRadio, you can stream millions of songs and hundreds of radio stations for free. However, you will have to deal with ads and skip limits. If you don’t mind paying a monthly fee, you can try iHeartRadio Plus or iHeartRadio All Access to avoid these limitations. If you’re not sure that you’re ready to commit, try iHeartRadio’s free trial.
Another unique benefit of using iHeartRadio is the opportunity to win prizes. iHeartRadio contests require no money to enter–you just have to listen. Win one of their frequent $1,000 prizes or go big and win tickets for a dream vacation. The possibilities are endless!
Final thoughts
When it comes to choosing the best free music streaming service, it really depends on what you're looking for. If you are a radio fan or love entering contests, you can’t go wrong with iHeartRadio. If you love to discover new artists or are interested in creating music yourself, joining the SoundCloud community is probably your best option. If simply listening to your favorite pop songs is all you need, Spotify is a great choice.
Ultimately, the best part of free music streaming services is that there are no strings attached–you can try them all and decide what works best for you!
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