Music · alternatives
Alternatives to YouTube Music
23 music tools sit alongside YouTube Music in this directory. Below is what separates each from YouTube Music on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 23
- With a free tier
- 12
- Cheaper to start
- 3
- YouTube Music starts at
- Free, then $11.99/month
Why people look past YouTube Music
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the YouTube Music entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
Cost climbs steeply across the tiers
YouTube Music publishes 4 tiers, from Free up to $18.99/month. Teams that outgrow the entry plan can find the next rung a large step, the YouTube Music pricing page breaks each one down.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Music for everyone
- Starts $5 a month cheaper, at $6.99/month.
- 5 tiers to YouTube Music's 4.
All the ways you love music. All in one place.
- No free tier, where YouTube Music has one.
- Starts $1 a month cheaper, at $10.99/month.
- 2 tiers to YouTube Music's 4.
Unlimited music for every moment
- Starts $2 a month cheaper, at $9.99/month.
- 2 tiers to YouTube Music's 4.
Free digital audio workstation bundled with macOS and iOS, with no paid tier or upgrade path of its own
- 1 tier to YouTube Music's 4.
Avid digital audio workstation with four tiers gated by track count and simultaneous I/O rather than by feature
Priced and rated the same as YouTube Music on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
Free, browser and mobile-based collaborative DAW, with optional Pro and Max membership tiers for sample libraries and extras
- 3 tiers to YouTube Music's 4.
Every YouTube Music alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube Music (this page) | Free, then $11.99/month | - | 4 | |
| SpotifyMarket-leading music streaming service with superior music discovery algorithms and artist tools. | Free, then $6.99/month | Freemium | 5 | vs YouTube Music |
| Apple MusicPremium music streaming integrated with Apple ecosystem offering lossless audio and exclusive content. | $10.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs YouTube Music |
| Amazon MusicMusic streaming service bundled with Amazon Prime membership offering competitive value. | Free, then $9.99/month | Freemium | 2 | vs YouTube Music |
| GarageBand | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs YouTube Music |
| Pro Tools | Free | Per user per year | 4 | vs YouTube Music |
| BandLab | Free | Per user per year | 3 | vs YouTube Music |
| rekordbox | Free | Per user per year | 4 | vs YouTube Music |
| Serato DJ | Free | Per user per month | 3 | vs YouTube Music |
| Shazam | Free | Free, no ads and no in-app purchases; funded as an Apple Music discovery funnel | 1 | vs YouTube Music |
| Traktor Pro | Free | One-time purchase | 2 | vs YouTube Music |
| MuseScore | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 3 | vs YouTube Music |
| Soundtrap | Free | Per user per month | 5 | vs YouTube Music |
| SoundHound | Free | Free with ads; no consumer subscription, company revenue comes from enterprise voice AI licensing | 1 | vs YouTube Music |
| Dorico | On request | One-time purchase | 3 | vs YouTube Music |
| LANDR | On request | Per user per month, separate mastering and distribution subscriptions | 4 | vs YouTube Music |
| Sibelius | On request | Per user per year, or one-time purchase with a separate upgrade plan | 3 | vs YouTube Music |
| DistroKid | On request | One-time purchase | 4 | vs YouTube Music |
| TuneCore | On request | Per year, subscription or pay-per-release | 5 | vs YouTube Music |
| Splice | On request | Per user per month, credit-based | 3 | vs YouTube Music |
| CD Baby | On request | One-time purchase plus ongoing commission | 3 | vs YouTube Music |
| Bitwig Studio | $99/one-time | One-time purchase | 3 | vs YouTube Music |
| Cubase | $99.99/one-time | One-time purchase | 3 | vs YouTube Music |
| Studio One | On request | Quote | 2 | vs YouTube Music |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the YouTube Music badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (12)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Spotify , Free, then $6.99/month
- Amazon Music , Free, then $9.99/month
- GarageBand , Free
- Pro Tools , Free
- BandLab , Free
- rekordbox , Free
- Serato DJ , Free
- Shazam , Free
Cheaper than YouTube Music (3)
Entry price under YouTube Music's $11.99/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Spotify , Free, then $6.99/month
- Apple Music , $10.99/month
- Amazon Music , Free, then $9.99/month
What you would be giving up
YouTube Music is most often brought in for music streaming, video watching, discovery. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If YouTube Music is broadly right and the question is cost, the YouTube Music pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Music category lists everything the directory holds, and best music tools ranks them.
YouTube Music runs on web, ios, android, smart-speakers. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about YouTube Music alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to YouTube Music?
- 23 other music tools are listed in this directory, led by Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, GarageBand. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to YouTube Music?
- 12 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Spotify, Amazon Music, GarageBand, Pro Tools, BandLab.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to YouTube Music?
- Yes. 3 of the alternatives below start under YouTube Music's $11.99/month: Spotify at Free, then $6.99/month, Apple Music at $10.99/month, Amazon Music at Free, then $9.99/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to YouTube Music?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: cost climbs steeply across the tiers. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from YouTube Music?
- YouTube Music is most often brought in for music streaming, video watching, discovery. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to YouTube Music?
- None of the music tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these YouTube Music alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Music, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare YouTube Music against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against YouTube Music covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every music tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Music category, 23 tools beside YouTube Music. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.