Best iOS Music Apps (That Aren't Apple Music)

It’s pretty fair to say that apps have become the premier way to listen to music. They’re convenient, there’s a ton of availability, and, depending on your service, it doesn’t always cost money. However, how do you choose from the long (and probably growing) list of musical applications? Well, that’s why I’m here. To show you the way. Let’s take a look at the best music apps you can get on your iOS device. Outside of Apple Music. Since that’s already on your iPhone.

Pandora

I’ve always thought of Pandora as the simplest option when it comes to listening to music. It’s completely free (with some paid options), and allows you to get right to it and make some stations curated to your favorite band or genre. If you’re not in the mood for one particular song and just want some background tunes, Pandora is the way to go.

Spotify

This is one of those companies that has become the “Google” of what they aim to do. As in, when you think of searching for something on the internet, you think of Google. And when you think of music streaming, you probably think of Spotify. And there’s a good reason for that. The app offers a pretty good deal whether you pay for Premium or not, as the free version has shuffle-able tunes with ads. Additionally, the Premium version allows you to download a wide array of music for offline listening. Even though I’m never offline. But that’s just me.

Google Play Music

Much like Spotify, Google Play Music has some pretty good options for free or if you pay. One of the best things about Google Play Music is the amount of “stations” they have, each offering an interesting genre or subgenre of music. The paid version of the app offers pretty much the same experience as Spotify Premium, along with access to YouTube Red, the ad-free version of YouTube. Unless you enjoy watching an ad before your cute puppy video plays. I don’t judge.