Rythm ran on more than 20 million Discord servers before Google’s legal team put an end to it in September 2021. Groovy went the same week. Hydra shut down not long after. The takedown wave scared off almost every big public Discord music bot that leaned on YouTube. The bots that survived either lawyered up, moved to Spotify and SoundCloud, or went fully self-hosted.
We tested seven Rythm alternatives for desktop that still play music in Discord voice channels in 2026. The list runs from the public replacements everyone landed on after Rythm died, to the open-source self-hostable bots that no takedown notice can reach.
Quick comparison
| Bot | Best for | Hosting | Free plan | Paid tier | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jockie Music | The obvious replacement | Public | Yes, one bot | Premium unlocks queue length and multiple instances | Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music, Deezer |
| Aiode | Self-hosting Spotify playback | Self-hosted | Free, open source | None | Spotify, SoundCloud, direct URLs |
| JMusicBot | Zero-friction self-hosting | Self-hosted | Free, open source | None | Local files, direct URLs, some streams |
| Tempo | The Spotify-first public bot | Public | Basic playback | Premium for filters and queue features | Spotify, SoundCloud |
| Green-bot | A defunct-bot survivor | Public | Yes | Optional donation perks | Spotify, SoundCloud, Deezer |
| ChipBot | Simple public playback | Public | Basic | Premium for higher quality | SoundCloud, direct URLs |
| MEE6 | Servers that already run MEE6 | Public | Limited music | Premium unlocks full music module | YouTube-ish, SoundCloud |
Why Rythm and the rest disappeared
Google sent takedown notices to the biggest YouTube-backed music bots in August and September 2021. Rythm, Groovy, and Hydra shut down within weeks, each citing a request from YouTube. Server owners lost their queues overnight. The replacements pivoted away from YouTube, most now pull from Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music, or Deezer, which sit under different licensing. Public free tiers got tighter on the survivors as they took on Rythm’s traffic and had to bill for the extra compute. That is why almost every big Rythm alternative today has a premium plan attached.
Jockie Music — Best straight replacement
Jockie Music was already the second-most-used music bot when Rythm was king, and it inherited most of Rythm’s user base after the shutdown. It runs from Spotify, SoundCloud, Apple Music, Deezer, and a couple of niche sources, and behaves in Discord voice channels the way Rythm did: queue, skip, loop, seek, playlist saving.
Where it falls short: The free tier caps queue depth and blocks features like effects and multi-bot instances. Popular servers hit the queue limit quickly.
Pricing:
- Free: One Jockie bot, capped queue.
- Premium: Unlocks longer queues, multiple Jockie bots at once, and audio filters. Sold per server or per user.
- vs Rythm: Rythm was free forever. Jockie’s free tier is thinner.
Migrating from Rythm: No queue import because Rythm is gone. Add the Jockie bot to your server, teach the community the new /play syntax, done in an afternoon.
Download: Jockie Music — add to server from the site
Bottom line: If your server just wants the old Rythm behavior back, this is the smallest change.
Aiode — Best for self-hosting Spotify in Discord
Aiode (formerly Botify) is an open-source Java bot you host yourself. Once running, it pulls from Spotify, SoundCloud, and direct URLs, and gives you every feature the public bots put behind premium: unlimited queue, playlists, per-server settings.
Where it falls short: You are running the bot. That means a JVM, a Spotify developer app for API keys, and a small VPS or a home server. If you have never deployed anything, budget a Saturday.
Pricing:
- Free, open source. Your only cost is whatever hosting you pick.
- vs Rythm: Free with no upsell path once it is running.
Migrating from Rythm: No import path. You set up the bot fresh and rebuild your saved playlists. Aiode reads Spotify playlists directly, which shortens the rebuild.
Download: Aiode — self-host on Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker
Bottom line: The right pick for a technical admin who wants a bot that will not disappear because someone else’s legal team said so.
JMusicBot — Best zero-config self-hosted option
JMusicBot is an open-source single-file Java bot that has been the standard “just make it work” self-hosted option for years. Download the jar, drop a token in a config file, run it, done. It plays from direct URLs, local files, and a handful of streaming sources.
Where it falls short: YouTube support is on-again, off-again depending on the extractor version. Public streaming service support is thinner than Aiode or Jockie. One bot instance per server.
Pricing:
- Free, open source.
Migrating from Rythm: No import. Point it at your existing playlists as URLs.
Download: JMusicBot — self-host anywhere Java runs
Bottom line: Pick this if you want a self-hosted bot online in ten minutes and you mostly stream from direct links.
Tempo — Best public Spotify-first bot
Tempo rose fast after Rythm shut down and now runs on a large chunk of the servers that used to run Rythm. It pulls from Spotify first, with SoundCloud as backup, and keeps the command syntax simple.
Where it falls short: Free tier is basic playback only. Audio filters, longer queues, and 24/7 mode are premium. The bot has been on and off a couple of times during outages.
Pricing:
- Free: Basic playback.
- Premium: Filters, queue features, higher quality.
Migrating from Rythm: Add the bot, learn the new command syntax, keep going.
Download: Tempo — add to server from the site
Bottom line: A reasonable public option if Jockie is offline or you prefer Tempo’s command syntax.
Green-bot — Best "still running after all this" survivor
Green-bot is a public bot from the Groovy fallout that has stayed online, keeps a generous free tier, and supports Spotify, SoundCloud, and Deezer. It sits in a similar spot to Tempo but with a slightly friendlier free plan.
Where it falls short: Smaller team, so outages happen. Feature set is narrower than Jockie’s.
Pricing:
- Free with most features usable.
- Donation-tier perks are optional.
Migrating from Rythm: Add the bot, new syntax, done.
Download: Green-bot — add to server from the site
Bottom line: A solid free-tier option if you want to avoid premium upsells.
ChipBot — Best minimal public bot
ChipBot is a smaller public bot with a simple command set aimed at servers that want playback without a full feature laundry list. SoundCloud and direct URLs are the primary sources.
Where it falls short: Source list is thinner than the big three. Not the pick for servers that queue Spotify playlists all day.
Pricing:
- Free basic tier.
- Premium for higher audio quality and a couple of extras.
Migrating from Rythm: Add and go.
Download: ChipBot — add to server from the site
Bottom line: Fine for a small server that mostly plays one song at a time.
MEE6 — Best if you already run MEE6 for moderation
MEE6 is a moderation bot that also has a music module. If your server already runs MEE6 for welcomes, roles, and moderation, activating the music module saves adding another bot.
Where it falls short: The music module has been rocky, and full features are behind MEE6 Premium. If you are only here for music, a dedicated bot is better.
Pricing:
- Free with limited music.
- MEE6 Premium unlocks the full music module along with the rest of the premium moderation set.
Migrating from Rythm: Enable the module in the dashboard.
Download: MEE6 — add to server from the site
Bottom line: Only worth it if you are already paying for MEE6 for something else.
How to choose
Pick Jockie Music if you want the smallest possible change from Rythm. The command style, queue behavior, and free-tier limits sit closest to what your server was used to.
Pick Aiode or JMusicBot if you have a spare Raspberry Pi and you are done with public bots disappearing on you. Self-hosted bots do not get takedown notices.
Pick MEE6 only if you are already using it. Stacking a dedicated music bot on top of a moderation bot is usually the cleaner setup.
Stay away from any bot that claims to still play YouTube for free with no paid layer. That is exactly what got Rythm killed, and the pattern tends to repeat.
FAQ
Why did Rythm shut down?
Google’s YouTube team sent a takedown notice in September 2021, citing terms-of-service violations for using YouTube as a music source. Rythm shut down within days rather than fight it. Groovy and Hydra received similar notices around the same time.
What is the closest thing to Rythm now?
Jockie Music is the closest match in behavior and popularity, and it is what most former Rythm servers moved to. Green-bot and Tempo are the next-closest public options.
Can I still get a free music bot for Discord?
Yes. Jockie’s free tier still plays music with a queue cap. Green-bot and Tempo have free tiers. JMusicBot and Aiode are free if you self-host.
Is there a Discord music bot that plays YouTube in 2026?
Not reliably and not for long. Any public bot that offers unrestricted YouTube playback is either self-hosted or living on borrowed time.
Which Discord music bot has the best sound quality?
Public bots tend to cap bitrate on the free tier and unlock higher quality on premium. Self-hosted Aiode or JMusicBot can push whatever bitrate Discord accepts, since you own the pipeline.
Do these work on the Discord mobile app too?
Yes. Discord’s voice channels behave the same on desktop and mobile, so the bots work regardless of what client your users are on. These articles focus on the desktop Discord experience because that is where server admins usually add bots.
