Why people leave SoundCloud
- The free tier limits on-demand listening to 30 minutes a month after the first three songs. Free listeners hear ads on every other track.
- Go+ pricing climbed to $10.99/month, matching mainstream services that have larger licensed catalogues. The original “indie cheapness” pitch is gone.
- Track removal happens often. DJ mixes and remixes regularly disappear due to copyright claims, breaking links and playlists.
- Recommendations skew to the same trending artists. Discovery beyond your existing follow list takes work.
If those points are biting, here are seven SoundCloud alternatives worth installing.
Which app should you choose?
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Spotify if you want a deeper licensed catalogue with the strongest discovery engine in the business.
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Audiomack if hip-hop, R&B, and Afrobeats are your lanes. The catalogue and free download model are better than SoundCloud for those genres.
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Bandcamp if you want to support artists directly. Pay-what-you-want and artist-set prices make Bandcamp the best route for indie support.
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Mixcloud if DJ sets and radio shows are what you actually use SoundCloud for. Mixcloud licenses long-form mixes properly so they do not vanish.
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YouTube Music if you want fan-uploaded mixes and remixes alongside a deep licensed catalogue. The UGC overlap with SoundCloud is significant.
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Tidal if lossless audio matters and you also want strong indie editorial coverage.
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Beatport if electronic music and DJ-grade tracks are your scene. The catalogue is curated for performance use.
Stay on SoundCloud if your top use is uploading your own music and connecting with the comment-driven community. The artist-side workflow on SoundCloud remains best in class for early-stage producers.
1. Spotify — best mainstream catalogue with discovery
Spotify covers 100 million tracks across the major and most independent labels. The catalogue overlap with SoundCloud’s licensed material is high, but the discovery engine pulls more aggressively from what you actually play. Discover Weekly, Daily Mix, and Release Radar build personalised playlists across genres.
Premium streams ad-free with on-demand playback, unlimited skips, and offline downloads at 320 kbps Ogg Vorbis. The free tier still hosts the full catalogue with ads but caps on-demand control on mobile.
DJ mix coverage is shallow compared to SoundCloud. Mixes that do exist are usually under 30 minutes and properly licensed.
Advantages:
- 100 million track licensed catalogue
- Deepest recommendation engine
- Free tier with full catalogue access
- 80 million podcasts plus audiobooks on Premium
Disadvantages:
- Premium price climbed to $12.99/month
- Limited DJ mix coverage
- No lossless tier yet
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium Individual $12.99/month, Family $21.99/month, Student $5.99/month.
2. Audiomack — best for hip-hop, R&B, and Afrobeats
Audiomack is the closest spiritual cousin to SoundCloud for hip-hop and R&B listeners. Independent artists and rising names upload tracks and full mixtapes with free downloads enabled. Trending charts highlight what is breaking in the scene before it hits major streaming services.
The Premium tier removes ads and unlocks unlimited downloads at $4.99/month, which matches SoundCloud Go but for a tighter genre slice. Afrobeats, Latin, and Caribbean music coverage is among the strongest in the streaming space.
The catalogue is deep in its lanes and shallow elsewhere. If your listening crosses into pop, classical, or rock, Audiomack alone does not cover it.
Advantages:
- Strongest hip-hop and R&B independent coverage
- Free unlimited downloads on Premium
- Active artist community for early signs of new acts
- Lower-friction discovery for breaking music
Disadvantages:
- Catalogue narrow outside core genres
- Free tier has frequent ad breaks
- Discovery favours US scenes more than European
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium $4.99/month for ad-free and unlimited downloads.
3. Bandcamp — best for supporting artists directly
Bandcamp is built around artist-set pricing. Listeners stream tracks for free, then pay what they want when buying albums or merch. The platform takes a smaller cut than streaming services, so artists keep more of every dollar. Bandcamp Fridays remove their cut entirely on selected days.
The catalogue is shaped by what artists choose to upload. Indie rock, experimental, electronic, jazz, and metal are particularly deep. Major-label content is rare. For listeners who want to feel the financial side of supporting independent music, no streaming service competes.
The mobile app is functional but does not offer SoundCloud-style endless scrolling discovery. Bandcamp is more deliberate.
Advantages:
- Direct artist payment, biggest cut to creators
- Pay-what-you-want pricing on most albums
- DRM-free downloads after purchase
- Bandcamp Fridays push 100% to artists
Disadvantages:
- No SoundCloud-style trending feed
- Major-label content is sparse
- Discovery is editorial-led, not algorithmic
Pricing: Free streaming, individual purchases set by artists.
4. Mixcloud — best for DJ sets and radio shows
Mixcloud is built specifically for long-form DJ mixes, radio shows, and podcast-style audio. Unlike SoundCloud, Mixcloud licenses long mixes properly, which means uploads do not vanish for using a copyrighted track. DJs can upload full sets without worry.
The Mixcloud Pro tier lets DJs and creators monetise their channels with subscriber payments. Listeners can subscribe to favourite DJs directly, sending money to the people they listen to most. Select DJs offer access to exclusive mixes through subscriptions.
The trade-off is on-demand control. Mixcloud’s licensing requires the platform to play sets in order without scrubbing through a track inside a mix. You can skip to the next mix freely.
Advantages:
- Long-form DJ mixes and radio shows licensed properly
- Mixes do not disappear for copyright claims
- Direct DJ subscriptions on Pro tier
- Exclusive content from select creators
Disadvantages:
- No track-by-track scrubbing inside mixes
- Music-album catalogue is shallow
- Discovery is genre and DJ-focused
Pricing: Free with ads. Mixcloud Premium around $7.99/month.
5. YouTube Music — best fan uploads alongside major catalogue
YouTube Music indexes the full YouTube video library alongside its licensed audio catalogue. Fan-uploaded mixes, live performances, remixes, and unofficial uploads are all searchable in ways no other licensed service offers. The overlap with SoundCloud’s strength in DJ sets and remixes is real.
Premium streams audio-only at up to 256 kbps AAC, plus the full YouTube video catalogue ad-free. The AI radio feature builds playlists from text prompts.
Audio quality is the limit. There is no lossless tier and no plan to add one.
Advantages:
- Largest practical catalogue with UGC
- Fan-uploaded mixes and live performances
- AI radio from text prompts
- Bundled with YouTube Premium
Disadvantages:
- No lossless audio
- Free tier needs screen on for video
- Premium price climbed to $11.99/month
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium $11.99/month, Family $18.99/month, Student $5.49/month.
6. Tidal — best for lossless with indie editorial
Tidal includes Hi-Res FLAC at every paid tier and pays artists the highest per-stream rate of any major service through Fan-Powered Royalties for editorial-supported releases. The catalogue covers 110 million tracks with strong indie hip-hop and R&B coverage.
For SoundCloud Go+ users who pay $10.99/month and now want lossless audio at the same price point, Tidal HiFi is the upgrade. The artist-direct ethos overlaps with what made SoundCloud appealing in the first place.
The user base is smaller than Spotify or Apple Music. Social features and shared playlists are quieter.
Advantages:
- Hi-Res FLAC at $10.99/month
- Highest artist payout rates
- Strong indie hip-hop, R&B, jazz curation
- Cleaner interface than SoundCloud
Disadvantages:
- No free tier
- Smaller user base
- Discovery weaker than Spotify
Pricing: HiFi $10.99/month individual, Family $16.99/month, Student $4.99/month.
7. Beatport — best for electronic music and DJs
Beatport is the largest curated catalogue of electronic music for DJs. Techno, House, Tech House, Dubstep, Drum & Bass, Afro House, Trance, and dozens of other electronic subgenres are organised by experts. Tracks come in DJ-ready WAV downloads with proper metadata.
The streaming Beatport: Music for DJs app covers 12 million tracks, including DJ-friendly Versions edited specifically for clean mixing. For SoundCloud users who relied on the platform for new electronic releases and DJ tools, Beatport is the focused alternative.
The catch is genre. Beatport is electronic music. Period. Anything outside that scope has no presence.
Advantages:
- Largest curated electronic music catalogue
- DJ-ready WAV downloads with metadata
- Genre subcategories organised by experts
- Track Versions edited for DJ mixing
Disadvantages:
- Electronic-only catalogue
- Premium subscription required for streaming
- No social or community feed
Pricing: Streaming subscription tiers from around $14.99/month. Individual tracks priced separately.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free tier | Indie focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | Mainstream catalogue + discovery | Yes | Partial |
| Audiomack | Hip-hop and R&B | Yes | Yes |
| Bandcamp | Direct artist support | Yes (streaming) | Yes |
| Mixcloud | DJ sets and radio | Yes | Yes |
| YouTube Music | UGC and fan uploads | Yes | Partial |
| Tidal | Lossless with indie editorial | No | Partial |
| Beatport | Electronic music | No | Partial |
FAQ
Is there a free SoundCloud alternative?
Spotify, Audiomack, Bandcamp (streaming), Mixcloud, and YouTube Music all offer free tiers. Audiomack is the closest match to SoundCloud’s hip-hop and R&B focus.
Which alternative has DJ mixes like SoundCloud?
Mixcloud is the best DJ mix platform because it licenses long-form mixes properly. YouTube Music carries fan-uploaded mixes alongside its licensed catalogue. Beatport focuses on DJ-ready individual tracks rather than full mixes.
Can I move my SoundCloud playlists to Spotify?
Yes, partially. Soundiiz, TuneMyMusic, and FreeYourMusic transfer SoundCloud likes and playlists where the same tracks exist on Spotify. Tracks unique to SoundCloud (mixes, unsigned uploads) cannot transfer because they are not in Spotify’s catalogue.
Where do independent artists get paid the most?
Bandcamp pays artists the highest percentage of any platform on this list, especially during Bandcamp Fridays when the platform takes 0%. Tidal’s Fan-Powered Royalties also pays above-average rates compared to Spotify and Apple Music.
What is the cheapest SoundCloud alternative?
Audiomack Premium at $4.99/month and Tidal Student at $4.99/month tie for the cheapest paid tier. Bandcamp’s pay-what-you-want model is technically free if you choose to listen without buying.
