Free music streaming

Kelvin Goodson and Rhiannon Moorhouse

Updated 1 August 2023

With music streaming services you can listen to the latest and greatest hits whenever and wherever. By putting up with a few ads or making use of free trials, you can do so without paying a penny. Here's our round-up of the best music streaming services that let you listen for free.

Music streaming top picks

Top free music streaming services
- Spotify
- Deezer
- SoundCloud
- Jango

Top paid-only services, with free trials

What is music streaming?

Streaming lets you listen to your favourite tracks and albums instantly. Its main boon is you get instant access to huge catalogues of music, without having hundreds of CDs cluttering up your house or thousands of MP3s filling up the memory of your devices.

These services are legal and above board, but on free services the music is often interrupted every now and then with an advert you can't skip. It can also be difficult to find the exact songs you want to hear, so free streaming services aren't for everyone.

There are two ways to access music online:

Streaming. Here you play tracks while you're online and every time you listen you're effectively 're-downloading' the track (unless you're on a plan with 'offline listening' where you can download tracks to listen to later). You'll only have access while logged in to your profile with the service (though many are free to use).
Paid downloading. Here you download the songs you want to listen to. Once you've paid for a track or album, it's yours to keep and listen to for as long as you like, and you can listen offline as well as online.

This can be costly, especially if you're paying to download a whole album of songs, or you're paying for several albums.

Quick questions

What do I need to watch out for?

Before you consider streaming, a word of warning: ensure your broadband and mobile data connection have a generous data download limit. While you're not actually downloading a track to keep, streaming will use up your monthly allowance. Otherwise you risk being hit with added costs.

As a general rule:

You need a high (or unlimited) download limit, or you could be slapped with gargantuan charges.

For example, if you're going to listen to about six hours of internet radio per week, and that is all you'll be doing, you'll need a monthly download allowance of at least 5GB.

If you're going to be streaming more music, or doing other data-heavy things, like streaming movies, it's worth checking that your broadband package offers unlimited usage (most do these days), so you'll not have the worry of exceeding any limit – full details in the How to get cheap broadband guide.

If you're streaming on a smartphone or tablet, use Wi-Fi whenever possible or switch to a deal that offers you more data if you want to listen on the go to avoid extra charges – see Best Sim-only deals for more info.
Is online music streaming legal?

There are plenty of online music-streaming services that are legal, though thousands more aren't. The Government and internet providers are cracking down on the illegal ones, while some services only work in certain countries due to music licensing restrictions.

All those included below are legal, and will work in the UK.

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Top free online music services

Here are a few music streaming providers with free versions worth considering. These all offer a completely free service you can use on an ongoing basis, though some such as Spotify also offer limited free trials of their paid-for service.

Over 100 million tracks, but can only listen on shuffle

SPOTIFY FREE

Probably the biggest name in online music, the Spotify streaming service has over 500 million users around the world and over 100 million available tracks. While 200 million worldwide use the paid version (see below), it also offers free streaming with ads.

You can listen for free on smartphones and tablets via the Spotify app, but you can only listen on shuffle (you can skip six times per hour) and you must be online.

More info & features

Spotify offers an array of extra features to both free and Premium users, such as being able to follow what friends are listening to and find music already on your computer, phone or tablet and add it to your Spotify library, so you can listen to it on other devices just by logging in to your account.

Spotify automatically generates daily and weekly personalised mixes and playlists based on the artists you follow and tracks you listen to most. This feature is available to free users as well as subscribers.
Need-to-knows
There's a free one-month trial available for Premium newbies – you'll be charged £10.99/month automatically at the end unless you cancel.

Alternatively, you can get a free three-month trial if you go via PayPal, but you'll need a PayPal account to do this.

The Family plan for sharing with up to six others (each with their own profile) costs £17.99/month (first month free for new subscribers).

The Student plan costs £5.99/month (first month free for new subscribers).

Works on PCs, Macs, iOS and Android devices, some smart TVs and TV streaming devices, some game systems, smart speakers, and some car dashboard systems. See Spotify for more information.

Listen to selected songs on curated playlists totally free

AMAZON MUSIC FREE*

Amazon Music Free* provides free access to top playlists and thousands of stations, but includes ads. On Android and iOS, you can listen to selected songs from pre-made playlists on demand, but unlike Spotify Free you can't make your own.

If you have Amazon Prime*, you'll be redirected to its Amazon Music Prime selection, which is included with your Prime subscription and has more features.

More info & features

Upgrading to Amazon Music Unlimited will let you listen without ads and shuffle-only, plus gives you unlimited skips and lets you download tracks for listening offline.
Need-to-knows
You don't need to have Amazon Prime to use Amazon Music Free.

Over 90 million songs, save with annual plan

DEEZER

On the scene since 2006, Deezer is one of the older music-streaming sites, with around 16 million active monthly users. It's a fully-fledged free service supported by ads.

As with Spotify, free users can only listen in shuffle mode and have to be online, but unlike with Spotify you can't skip tracks at all unless you're willing to fork out for the privilege.

More info & features

Upgrading to Deezer Premium will let you listen without ads and shuffle-only, plus gives you unlimited skips and lets you download tracks for listening offline.

The 'Flow' feature mixes your favourite tracks with new recommendations and old favourites based on your listening habits, creating an "infinite stream" of personalised music.
Need-to-knows
There's also a free one-month trial available for Premium newbies – you'll be charged £11.99/month automatically at the end unless you cancel. You can also sign up for a year for £107.91 (equivalent to £8.99/month).

Deezer Family (£17.99/month) lets up to six people access an account at once.

Deezer Student provides those enrolled at a college or university Premium access for £5.99/month.

There is an app for both PC and Mac as well as iOS, or Android devices. It can also be used with various web browsers, selected smart TVs and smart speakers, smart watches and more. See Deezer for a list of supported devices.

Over 150 million songs, great for new & smaller artists

SOUNDCLOUD

There are over 200 million tracks on SoundCloud, and this continues to grow because of its scale and easy uploading – it was launched as a platform for sharing music between artists.

Its popularity with consumers quickly led it to develop into a full publishing tool for musicians to distribute their tracks to the public, and it now boasts 175 million listeners a month.

More info & features

Because of its focus on artists and getting new material published, SoundCloud is ideal for discovering new or smaller artists that you may not find elsewhere, and exploring trending music.

Since it introduced a paid option back in 2016, the free version has ads and you must pay to listen offline. SoundCloud Go costs £5.99/month and removes the ads and lets you listen offline, while SoundCloud Go+ (£9.99/month) gives you that plus access to every track and better quality sound.
Need-to-knows
Free 30-day trial available for SoundCloud Go newbies – you'll be charged £5.99/month automatically at the end unless you cancel.

Free 30-day trial for SoundCloud Go+ newbies - you'll be charged £9.99/month automatically at the end unless you cancel.

Students can get Soundcloud Go+ for £4.99/month (after a free 30-day trial).

SoundCloud Next Pro, more for musicians/uploaders, costs £6.25/month or £75/year and gives you unlimited track uploads and advanced stats on your tracks.

There are apps for iOS and Android devices, Windows computers and tablets and Xbox One. You can also use it via your web browser.

Over 800 curated playlists, no registration required

JANGO

Jango is an online radio service rather than an on-demand streaming service. You can't listen to particular artists or songs as and when, but you can listen to radio 'stations' by artist or genre.

You don't have to register. Just type in an artist or genre, select a result and the station will start playing right away. For example, type in 'Adele', select 'Adele Radio' and it will play similar artists to Adele, such as Carly Rae Jepsen and Tove Lo, as well as Adele herself.

More info & features

If you just want instant access to music, Jango is a good starting point. It enables you to 'like' or 'ban' songs so they are played more often or not all, and to customise stations, even without registering (although you'll have to if you want to save your stations and preferences). You can also skip an unlimited number of songs, which is rare for a free platform.

The site also provides emerging artists with the opportunity to showcase their music by playing their songs alongside those of similar popular artists.

Jango is free because it's funded by ads, so if you use the service without creating an account, you'll hear an audio ad every so often, though it says it tries to keep these to a minimum. To hear fewer ads, create a Jango account and connect it with your Facebook account and you'll only get one audio ad per day. At present the mobile apps are ad-free.
Need-to-knows
No paid-for version – it's always free.

It'll work through most browsers, and there are apps for both iOS and Android – they have good reviews and are ad-free.

Top paid-for music services, with free trials

If the free services above aren't right for you, the following music streaming services have paid options, but offer free trials for newbies. It's handy for sampling what's on offer before deciding whether you want to stump up the cash.

Over 100 million tracks, packed with features

SPOTIFY PREMIUM

The Spotify Premium streaming service has over 200 million paying users around the world and over 100 million available tracks.

It also offers free streaming with ads on smartphones and tablets via the Spotify app, but you can only listen on shuffle (you can skip six times per hour) and you must be online.

If you pay to upgrade to Premium you can listen ad-free, play any song or album on-demand, and download and listen to music offline. It has a 30-day free trial for all, or you can get it extended to three months if you sign up via PayPal by 15 September.

Looking to cut the cost of Spotify? See our Spotify MoneySaving Tips.

More info & features

Spotify offers an array of extra features to both free and Premium users, such as being able to follow what friends are listening to and find music already on your computer, phone or tablet and add it to your Spotify library, so you can listen to it on other devices just by logging in to your account.

Spotify automatically generates daily and weekly personalised mixes and playlists based on the artists you follow and tracks you listen to most. This feature is available to free users as well as subscribers.
Need-to-knows
There's a free one-month trial available for Premium newbies – you'll be charged £10.99/month automatically at the end unless you cancel.

Alternatively, you can get a free three-month trial if you go via PayPal by 15 September, but you'll need a PayPal account to do this.

Spotify no longer allows new subscribers to make payments for Premium via Apple's in-app payment system (iAP) – you now have to subscribe direct.

The Family plan for sharing with up to six others (each with their own profile) costs £17.99/month (first month free for new subscribers).

The Student plan costs £5.99/month (first month free for new subscribers).

Works on PCs, Macs, iOS and Android devices, some smart TVs and TV streaming devices, some game systems, smart speakers, and some car dashboard systems. See Spotify for more information.

100 million songs – share with family to slash the cost

AMAZON MUSIC UNLIMITED*

The online retail giant's answer to the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited* is ad-free and lets you listen offline. As with Spotify, there is an ad-supported free version (see above).

Anyone can get it on a free 30 day trial (sometimes Prime members are offered longer). After that, the standard price is £10.99/month or £8.99/month if you've Prime, though you can choose between a few different plans.

Use these tricks to cut the cost
Share with the family and it works out even less per person. The family plan* gives access to up to six household members, each with their own account. One person pays – it's £16.99/month, obviously the more of you there are, the better the value – based on £8.99 a month it would be to £8.50/month equivalent each if there are two of you or £2.83/month with six. But be warned – only one person pays, so you'll be left to collect money from your relatives unless you're happy with paying for everyone.

Check if you need Unlimited. If you already subscribe to Amazon Prime, Amazon Music Prime* is available as part of your £8.99 a month (£95 a year) subscription. There are over 100 million songs (same as Unlimited but lower audio quality), as well as podcasts, but you can't listen offline or skip as many songs as you'd like. Think of it as similar to 'free' versions of other apps, except you pay for Prime membership.

Remember, unless you cancel before your Amazon Music Unlimited subscription or trial is up, you'll be automatically charged to renew. For full help if you forget to cancel, see Reclaim Unwanted Amazon Prime.

More info & features

One nice extra feature of Amazon Music Unlimited is its integration with Echo home speakers. By speaking to it you can request songs by lyrics, year of release or mood. As with other premium music-streaming services, the more you use it, the more personalised your recommendations will be.

Here's a summary of the pricing:

Amazon music-streaming plans

TABLE_CELL_STYLE	PRIME MUSIC	AMAZON MUSIC UNLIMITED	AMAZON MUSIC UNLIMITED FAMILY	AMAZON MUSIC UNLIMITED SINGLE DEVICE
Track library	100 million	100 million	100 million	100 million
Offline playback	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Supported devices	All (1)	All (1)	All (2)	Amazon Echo or Fire TV devices only (1)
Standard price	N/A	£10.99/month	£16.99/month	£4.99/month
Price for Prime customers	Included	£8.99/month	£16.99/month	£4.99/month

(1) Stream on one device at a time. (2) Stream on up to six devices at a time. Table last updated August 2023.

Need-to-knows
You'll automatically be charged at the end of the free trial unless you cancel your subscription.

The family plan lets up to six listen simultaneously for £16.99/month.

The student plan* lets eligible students listen for £5.99/month.

There's a £4.99/month plan for use via an Amazon Echo/Fire TV devices only* – not any other devices. To bag an Alexa device cheaply, see Amazon Echo hacks.

Prime membership gives one-day delivery on many items, film and TV streaming via Prime Video and a few other perks.

There's an Amazon Music app* for iOS, Android and Amazon's own 'Fire' devices, and for Macs and PCs.

100 million tracks, plus live radio stations hosted by well-known artists

APPLE MUSIC

There's no free ad-supported version of Apple's music streaming service, but those new to Apple Music and either AirPods, AirPods MAx, AirPods Pro, Beats or HomePod (here's the full list of eligible devices) can get a free six-month trial up to 90 days after first pairing them when signing up on an iPhone or iPad.

You'll get all the features of paid membership for the duration of the trial, including access to the library of 100 million songs. The paid version is £10.99/month if you don't cancel before the trial ends.

More info & features

The most-touted feature of Apple Music is its live and on-demand radio station Apple Music 1, with shows hosted by DJ Zane Lowe and a range of well-known artists such as Nile Rodgers, Elton John and Alanis Morissette.

As you'd expect from a paid-for service, you can listen ad-free online and offline and use the service across your compatible devices. Also, any music you've bought in the iTunes store will be synced to Apple Music so it's available to stream on all your devices.

If you don't take the trial and/or pay to subscribe, you can still listen to Apple Music 1 for free, but this is a very limited option – you can't listen to songs on demand or skip tracks – which is why it didn't make it into our top free music services.
Need-to-knows
The paid subscription automatically begins when the free trial ends, so cancel before the trial period is up if you don't want to pay £10.99/month.

The Family subscription lets up to six listen for £16.99/month.

The Student subscription costs £5.99/month.

You can pay for Apple Music using iTunes and App Store vouchers, which can often be found discounted (check these are UK vouchers – overseas vouchers can't be redeemed in the UK).

Works on Apple devices running iOS 8.4 or later, Macs and PCs with iTunes, and Android devices.

Over 100 million tracks, plus cloud storage for your existing songs and albums

YOUTUBE MUSIC

Launched by Google in 2015, YouTube Music has now replaced the search engine's previous music service, Google Play Music, which was shut down in 2020.

While there is a free, ad-supported version of YouTube Music that even lets you listen on-demand, it doesn't let you listen without loading a video and, on smartphones and tablets, only lets you listen if you keep YouTube Music on-screen and your screen unlocked. Because of that, we haven't included it in our top free online music services.

It costs £10.99/month to subscribe to YouTube Music Premium, but much like its rivals it lets newbies try it for free (you need to have or create a free Google account to use it) before having to pay.

Those on the free 30-day trial will get the same as paying members – on-demand access to its library of music ad-free, background and locked-screen listening on smartphones and tablets, offline listening and audio-only listening.

More info & features

The feature that most sets YouTube Music apart from its competitors is that enables you to store up to 100,000 tracks you already own in the cloud, for listening to (or downloading) anywhere you've got an internet connection. This makes it ideal for those who already have a significant collection of songs.

Interestingly, this feature is available to non-paying users as well as Premium subscribers, so by all means use it for this function alone if you want to back up your songs and listen to them online without paying a penny.
Need-to-knows
You'll be charged at the end of the free trial unless you cancel.

The family plan lets up to five family members aged 13+ listen for £16.99/month (first month free for new subscribers).

The student plan costs £5.49/month (first month free for new subscribers).

You can listen via desktop and laptop computer, and on iOS and Android devices.

How to complain about a provider

If you're not happy about the service you receive from an online music service, you should contact the company first. And if you're still not satisfied after doing that, escalate your complaint to the relevant ombudsman or trade body – for full help, see our Consumer Rights guide.

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Amazon Music App, Amazon Music Free, Amazon Music Prime, Amazon Music Unlimited, Amazon Music Unlimited Family Plan, Amazon Music Unlimited Single Device Plan, Amazon Music Unlimited Student Plan, Amazon Prime

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Music streaming top picks

What is music streaming?

You need a high (or unlimited) download limit, or you could be slapped with gargantuan charges.

Top free online music services

Over 100 million tracks, but can only listen on shuffle

Listen to selected songs on curated playlists totally free

Over 90 million songs, save with annual plan

Over 150 million songs, great for new & smaller artists

Over 800 curated playlists, no registration required

Top paid-for music services, with free trials

Over 100 million tracks, packed with features

100 million songs – share with family to slash the cost

100 million tracks, plus live radio stations hosted by well-known artists

Over 100 million tracks, plus cloud storage for your existing songs and albums

How to complain about a provider

Share this guide

Have your say in our forum!

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