Why people leave Shazam
- Apple-only features keep landing on iPhone first. Auto Shazam, time-synced lyrics on the home screen, and certain Apple Music handoffs miss the Android app.
- The free Android app shows ads and pushes users toward Apple Music. Spotify and YouTube Music links exist but are buried.
- No humming or singing search. If you cannot get the song to play near the microphone, Shazam cannot identify it. Other tools handle this better.
- Lyrics features are limited compared to dedicated lyrics apps. Translation and pronunciation lag behind Musixmatch.
If those caps matter, here are seven Shazam alternatives worth installing.
Which app should you choose?
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SoundHound if you want the strongest direct alternative, including humming and singing search that Shazam still cannot do.
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Musixmatch if lyrics matter as much as song ID. Word-by-word sync and translation are best in class.
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Google app if you prefer not to install a separate app. Saying “what song is this” or tapping the Now Playing widget gets the answer.
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YouTube Music if you already have it installed and want hum-to-search baked into a service you stream from.
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Genius if you want context after identification. Annotations, artist notes, and references are the deepest of any music app.
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Pixel Now Playing if you own a Pixel phone and want continuous identification with no internet roundtrip.
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Spotify if lyric snippets are usually how you find songs. Lyric search inside Spotify is surprisingly accurate.
Stay on Shazam if you mostly identify songs once and tap through to Apple Music for instant playback. The Apple Music tie-in is the smoothest in the category if you are an Apple Music subscriber.
1. SoundHound — best direct Shazam alternative
SoundHound has been competing with Shazam since 2009 and the standout feature has only sharpened with time. Hum, sing, or whistle a tune and SoundHound can match it against its catalogue. Shazam still requires the original recording to be playing.
The voice command flow is faster than Shazam’s tap-to-listen interface. Saying “Hey SoundHound, what’s this song?” works hands-free. LiveLyrics syncs lyrics to the playing track in real time, similar to Apple’s premium Shazam features.
The free tier shows ads. Premium removes them and unlocks unlimited identifications.
Advantages:
- Hum, sing, or whistle search
- Hands-free voice command
- LiveLyrics with real-time sync
- Same publishing-rights coverage as Shazam
Disadvantages:
- Free tier has banner and interstitial ads
- Interface feels more cluttered than Shazam
- Premium pricing has crept up
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium around $6.99/month or $35.99/year.
2. Musixmatch — best for lyrics-focused identification
Musixmatch identifies playing songs the same way Shazam does, then layers the deepest lyric experience on top. Word-by-word synced lyrics, translations into 50+ languages, and pronunciation aids for non-English songs are the headline features.
For listeners who often identify a song specifically because they want to read or sing along to the lyrics, Musixmatch collapses two app switches into one. The Floating Lyrics overlay works on top of Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and other streaming apps.
The free tier limits some advanced sync features. Premium unlocks the full lyric experience.
Advantages:
- Best word-by-word lyric sync on Android
- Translations and pronunciation aids
- Floating Lyrics overlay across apps
- Built-in song identification
Disadvantages:
- Identification is secondary to lyrics
- Some premium features hidden in menus
- Heavier app than Shazam
Pricing: Free with limits. Premium around $5.99/month with regional variation.
3. Google app — best built-in option on most Android phones
The Google app already lives on most Android phones and includes “What song is this?” voice search and the search bar’s tap-the-mic identification. Output mirrors Shazam’s accuracy on mainstream tracks. Hum-to-search is also supported, which Shazam still does not offer.
For users who already trust Google for everything else, the case for installing Shazam separately weakens. The microphone permission is already granted, the recognition runs in milliseconds, and the result links into YouTube Music or any web search you want next.
The trade-off is that there is no persistent log of identified songs the way Shazam saves history. Each query is one-shot.
Advantages:
- Built into most Android phones
- Hum-to-search supported
- No extra app needed
- Voice command works hands-free
Disadvantages:
- No saved song history
- No lyrics features
- Linked into Google’s broader telemetry
Pricing: Free.
4. YouTube Music — best if you already stream from it
YouTube Music added song identification through the same hum-to-search engine the main Google app uses. Tap the search icon, hit the microphone, hum or sing for ten seconds, and the app surfaces matches. Once identified, the song plays inline in the same app.
For Premium subscribers, the workflow collapses identification, look-up, and playback into one app. Shazam needs an external service to play full tracks; YouTube Music plays the identified track immediately.
Identification accuracy on humming is solid for major-label tracks. Niche indie and DJ mixes still fare better with SoundHound or Shazam.
Advantages:
- Hum-to-search built in
- Identified track plays in the same app
- Bundled with YouTube Premium
- 100 million track catalogue
Disadvantages:
- Premium needed for ad-free identification flow
- No persistent identification history
- Catalogue depth on indie matches Shazam, not exceeds
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium $11.99/month, Family $18.99/month.
5. Genius — best for song context after identification
Genius does not lead with audio identification. It leads with context. Once you know a song’s title, Genius shows verified annotations, sample sources, lyric explanations, and producer credits. For listeners who care about hip-hop, R&B, and lyric-heavy genres, Genius is where the conversation actually happens.
The app reads playing tracks and surfaces lyric pages automatically when paired with Spotify, Apple Music, or other streaming services. Identification is a side effect of that integration, not the headline feature.
For a Shazam user who wants more than a song title, Genius is the upgrade.
Advantages:
- Verified annotations on most popular tracks
- Producer and sample credits
- Strong hip-hop and R&B coverage
- Auto-lyrics with streaming app integration
Disadvantages:
- No standalone audio identification
- Coverage is shallow on global pop and indie
- App design dated compared to Shazam
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium subscription removes ads.
6. Pixel Now Playing — best for Pixel phone owners
Pixel Now Playing is built into the Pixel system software. The phone continuously listens for music when Now Playing is enabled, identifies tracks using a small on-device model, and shows the result on the lock screen with no internet roundtrip required.
For Pixel owners, this is genuinely the best song identification experience on Android. The history view keeps a log of every track Now Playing has heard. Privacy is respected, all matching happens on-device.
The catch is hardware. Now Playing only ships on Pixel phones. The on-device model also lags slightly on niche or recent indie releases that the cloud-trained Shazam catches.
Advantages:
- Continuous on-device recognition
- No internet required
- Privacy-friendly, no audio leaves the device
- Persistent lock-screen history
Disadvantages:
- Pixel phones only
- Catalogue smaller than cloud-based Shazam
- No singing or humming search
Pricing: Built into Pixel devices.
7. Spotify — best for lyric-snippet search
Spotify does not identify audio in the microphone, but the search bar will find a song if you type in a phrase from the lyrics. The lyric search index covers most of the catalogue and is surprisingly forgiving on rough phrasing.
For listeners who often “remember” a song by a single phrase rather than the melody, Spotify is the fastest path. The search returns the track, the album, and one tap plays it. No microphone identification needed.
The limitation is obvious. If you can hear the song but cannot make out the lyrics, this approach fails. Pair it with one of the actual identification apps for full coverage.
Advantages:
- Lyric search works on rough phrasing
- Plays the identified song instantly
- 100 million track catalogue
- No extra app needed if you already use Spotify
Disadvantages:
- No audio identification
- Requires understanding at least some lyrics
- Premium needed for on-demand playback
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium $12.99/month.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Hum/sing search | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| SoundHound | Direct Shazam alternative | Yes | Free with ads |
| Musixmatch | Lyrics-focused | No | Free with ads |
| Google app | Built-in convenience | Yes | Free |
| YouTube Music | Identify and play instantly | Yes | Free with ads |
| Genius | Context after identification | No | Free with ads |
| Pixel Now Playing | Pixel-only continuous ID | No | Free on Pixel |
| Spotify | Lyric-phrase search | No | Free with ads |
FAQ
What is better than Shazam?
SoundHound matches Shazam’s audio identification accuracy and adds hum, sing, and whistle search. For Pixel owners, Now Playing is the best built-in experience.
Can I identify a song by humming?
SoundHound, the Google app, and YouTube Music all support hum-to-search. Shazam does not.
Is there a free Shazam alternative?
Yes. SoundHound, Google, YouTube Music free tier, Genius, and Spotify free tier all identify or find songs at no cost. The Google app is built into most Android phones already.
Does Shazam still work offline?
Shazam can queue songs heard offline and identify them when reconnected. Identification itself requires an internet connection at some point. Pixel Now Playing is the only entry on this list with truly offline on-device identification.
Which app has the best lyrics?
Musixmatch leads on Android for word-by-word sync, translations, and pronunciation aids. Genius leads on annotations and song context.
