For many users, offline listening is a must-have feature. Put simply, this means you can download your music to your mobile phone or desktop, so you can listen to music without WiFi or using any of your mobile data. It is an essential feature for listening in areas with bad reception, like on a filght or subway.
But which music streaming service that allows downloads is right for you? With so many music apps on the market, finding the best app to listen to music offline can be tough. In this guide, we will compare 10 popular apps and help you find which music streaming service is best for offline listening. We will look at sound quality, download limits, price, devices, and extra features.
#1. Spotify
SSpotify is the biggest name in music streaming. It has over 236 million people who pay for a subscription and a huge library of over 100 million songs. If you need the best music streaming service for offline listening, Spotify is a top choice.
Spotify lets its paid members download music so they can listen without Wi-Fi or mobile data. This is a very strong feature. However, there are two main rules to know about:
- You can only download up to 10,000 songs per device.
- You must connect the device to the internet at least once every 30 days.
If you understand these limits, Spotify is an excellent app to listen to music offline and a great overall offline music service.
Spotify Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: Spotify Premium subscribers (Individual, Duo, Family, and Student plans). Free users can only download podcasts for offline listening.
- How Much Does It Cost: Individual Plan: $11.99/month, Duo Plan (2 accounts): $16.99/month, Family Plan (up to 6 accounts): $19.99/month, Student Plan (verified status): $5.99/month
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: Albums, playlists, full shows and individual episodes.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 96kbit/s, 160kbit/s, 320kbit/s, and lossless audio (up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC).
- What Devices Support Downloads: iOS and Android mobile devices, Windows and Mac desktops, and compatible smartphones like the Apple Watch and those with Wear OS.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: 5
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, Spotify limits 10,000 tracks per device across the five registered devices, for a potential total of 50,000 tracks per account. Besides, your downloads will be removed once your subscription ends.
With the feature of Offline Mode, you can enjoy Spotify music in Offline mode anytime. Here's how to get Spotify Offline Mode with a Premium or Free account on your computer or phone.
#2. Apple Music
Apple Music is the main rival to Spotify and a massive music streaming service that allows downloads. It offers a vast library of over 100 million songs. Apple Music's key advantage is that it offers Lossless Audio to all subscribers at no extra charge. Unlike Spotify, Apple Music does not offer a free, ad-supported tier with offline access; the feature is entirely subscription-based.
Apple Music Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: Subscribers across all active Apple Music subscription tiers (Individual, Family, and Student).
- How Much Does It Cost: Individual Plan: $10.99/month, Family Plan (up to 6 users): $16.99/month, Student Plan: $5.99/month.
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: Albums, playlists, music videos, iTunes library synced to the cloud.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 256kbit/s and 24-bit/44.1 kHz.
- What Devices Support Downloads: Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Mac, Apple Watch), Windows PCs via iTunes or Apple Music app, and Android devices.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: 10 devices, with a maximum of 6 authorized computers.
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, up to 100,000 songs in cloud library, downloads removed when subscription ends.
Learn how to download and enjoy Apple Music songs offline across all your devices. This guide covers subscription requirements, supported devices, and step-by-step instructions.
#3. YouTube Music
YouTube Music is Google's answer to Spotify and Apple Music, and it's a solid streaming service with offline downloads. It uses the huge YouTube library, meaning you can find official tracks, covers, live versions, and remixes that often don't exist on other services. Plus, it has a unique feature "Smart Downloads" to automate the process of keeping your library fresh and available offline.
YouTube Music Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: YouTube Music Premium and full YouTube Premium.
- How Much Does It Cost: $10.99/month for YouTube Music Premium Individual, $16.99/month for the Family Plan, and $5.49/month for YouTube Premium Student.
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: Official songs, albums, playlists, and music videos. Smart Downloads feature automatically downloads up to 500 songs overnight based on your listening history.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 48kbps (AAC), 128kbps (AAC), and 256kbps (AAC).
- What Devices Support Downloads: YouTube Music mobile app for iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: Up to 10 mobile devices simultaneously with a single account.
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, you need to check in once every 30 days and downloads will be removed once your subscription ends.
Learn how to listen to YouTube music offline for data savings and uninterrupted music enjoyment. Our step-by-step guide provides methods to enjoy your favorite songs without an internet connection.
#4. Audiomack
Audiomack stands out because it focuses heavily on independent and new artists, especially in the Hip-Hop, R&B, and Afrobeats genres. It is one of the few platforms that acts as a music streaming service that allows downloads even for free users. However, not all songs can be downloaded for free; many popular or major-label songs require the paid subscription (Audiomack+).
Audiomack Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: All free and paid users.
- How Much Does It Cost: $6.99/month for Audiomack+.
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: Free users can download most user-uploaded and emerging artist content provided by the artists themselves. Audiomack+ subscribers can download all content on the platform, including verified artists' major label releases.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 160kbps and 320kbps.
- What Devices Support Downloads: Audiomack mobile app for iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: Audiomack does not publish a specific number.
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, Audiomack+ downloads will be removed once your subscription ends.
Want to download MP3 from Audiomack? Explore solutions like ViWizard Audio Capture and online tools for unlimited Audiomack MP3 downloads.
#5. Terbel
Terbel lets you legally download music for free to listen without Wi-Fi. Terbel's goal is to be the best offline music service for the over 3 billion people worldwide who don't want or can't afford a monthly subscription. It has a catalog of over 75 million licensed songs that users can download to their phones simply by watching a few video ads or engaging with a brand's offer.
As Terbel has licensing agreements with major record labels, such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group, you can also get to download millions of popular and mainstream songs.
Terbel Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: Everyone using the Trebel app.
- How Much Does It Cost: Trebel does not require a monthly subscription fee for offline music access. It is entirely supported by advertising.
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: Albums, playlists, single songs from its licensed catalog.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 160 kbps and 320kbps.
- What Devices Support Downloads: Trebel mobile app for iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: Works for individual mobile use only.
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, not every single song is available for download and the app requires check-in frequently to refresh ads and license agreements.
#6. Amazon Music
Amazon Music is different because it is split into three main tiers: Free, Prime Music (included with Amazon Prime), and Music Unlimited (a separate paid service). Only the paid plans truly function as a full music streaming service that allows downloads for the entire catalog.
If you have a Prime membership, Prime Music gives you the full 100 million song catalog, but it limits your downloads to only "All-Access Playlists". To download any song you want, you must upgrade to the full Music Unlimited plan.
Amazon Music Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: Amazon Music Prime users get to listen to "All-Access Playlists" offline only, while the Unlimited users get the full offline access to the catalog on Amazon Music.
- How Much Does It Cost: As a Prime user, Amazon Music Unlimited is $10.99/month or $109/year. If you are not a Prime user, the Unlimited costs you $11.99/month. For a Family plan, it costs $19.99/month or $199/year.
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: 15 "All-Access Playlists" for Prime users and the full catalog of over 100 million songs, albums, and playlists for the Unlimited users.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 320kbps, 16-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, and 24-bit/192 kHz FLAC.
- What Devices Support Downloads: iOS, Android, PC (via the Amazon Music app), and Mac.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: 1 device at a time for the Unlimited Individual Plan. 6 streams simultaneously for the Family Plan.
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, the downloads will disappear when your subscription expires. When your subscription is still active, your device must connect to the internet occasionally to verify your subscription status and prevent the downloads from expiring.
How to listen to Amazon Music offline? And what to do when Amazon Music won't play offline? This article will give you the detailed answers.
#7. Tidal
Tidal is one of the best music apps for who care deeply about the sound quality of the downloads, as its entire brand is built around high-fidelity music. If you have a paid membership on Tidal, you will have the high-quality even lossless audio for 100 million tracks. This makes Tidal a better option when it is competing offline audio experience with Spotify and Amazon Music.
Tidal Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: All TIDAL subscribers (Individual, Family, or Student).
- How Much Does It Cost: $10.99/month for Individual, $16.99/month for Family, and $5.49/month for Student.
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: Songs, albums, playlists, and music videos from Tidal's catalog of over 100 million tracks and 650,000 videos.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 16-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC and 24-bit/192 kHz Master Quality Authenticated (MQA).
- What Devices Support Downloads: Tidal mobile app for iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: 1 device at a time for the Individual Plan. 6 different authorized devices simultaneously for the Family Plan.
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, the downloads will disappear when your subscription expires. Tidal also has the required check-in to keep the high-quality downloads active.
Wanna enable Offline Mode on Tidal? Come check this out! We'll show you how easy it is to enable this feature on your device.
#8. Deezer
Deezer is a big music streaming service that is popular all over the world, especially in places like Europe and Latin America. It has a massive library of over 120 million songs. It's known for having strong audio quality and a cool feature called "Flow," which is like a personalized radio that always plays music you love.
Like the other major players, Deezer offers a great streaming service with offline downloads, but you have to pay for a subscription to use it.
Deezer Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: Subscribers of Deezer Premium, Deezer Family, and Deezer Student plans.
- How Much Does It Cost: $11.99/month for Deezer Premium Individual, $15.99/month for Duo, $19.99/month for Family, and $5.99/month for Student.
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: Songs, albums, playlists, and podcast episodes.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 320 kbps MP3 and 16-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC.
- What Devices Support Downloads: Deezer mobile apps for iOS and Android, desktop applications for Windows and Mac.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: Premium users can connect up to 3 different devices but can only listen on 1 device at a time. The Family plan users can connect to 13 devices and listen across up to 6 user profiles.
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, Deezer limits downloads up to 10,000 Favorite Tracks and 4,000 Albums you can save to your library. Downloads will disappear when your subscription expires. Deezer also requires the app connected to the internet periodically to keep your downloads.
Can you listen to Deezer? Yes! This guide explains how to listen to Deezer offline on Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and other devices step by step.
#9. SoundCloud
SoundCloud is known as the go-to place for remixes, DJ sets, independent artists, and tracks you can't find anywhere else. While you can stream millions of tracks for free, to get full access to the licensed music and download feature, you need a paid plan, unless the uploader has enabled the free download button.
SoundCloud has two paid tiers, but only SoundCloud Go+ makes it a true streaming service with offline downloads, giving you access to over 135 million tracks for saving on your device.
SoundCloud Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: SoundCloud Go and Go+ users.
- How Much Does It Cost: $10.99/month for SoundCloud Go+, $4.99/month for SoundCloud Go, and $5.49/month for Student.
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: Songs, albums, and playlists. Only Go+ users can download the Go+ exclusive songs.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 128kbps MP3 for the Go plan, and 256kbps AAC for the Go+ plan.
- What Devices Support Downloads: SoundCloud mobile apps for iOS and Android.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: 3
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, you should log in to the SoundCloud app once every 30 days and once your subscription ends, your downloads will also expire.
Does SoundCloud work offline? Yes! This article shows you two ways to listen to SoundCloud offline and troubleshooting tips for common SoundCloud offline issues.
#10. Pandora
Pandora is famous for its powerful music "radio stations," which are created by an algorithm that suggests music based on your "Thumbs Up" and "Thumbs Down."
Pandora splits its paid plans into Plus and Premium. Only the Pandora Premium plan lets you manually download any song or album you want. The cheaper Plus plan only downloads a few of your top radio stations for you.
Pandora Offline Mode Details:
- Who Can Listen Offline: Pandora Plus and Premium users.
- How Much Does It Cost: $4.99/month for Pandora Plus, $10.99/month for Pandora Premium, and $17.99/month for Pandora Family.
- What Content Can Be Downloaded: Songs, albums, and custom playlists from over 60 million song catalog for the Premium users; four top radio stations for the Plus users.
- What Is the Sound Quality of the Downloads: 192 kbps MP3
- What Devices Support Downloads: Pandora mobile app for iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Android.
- How Many Devices Can I Use Simultaneously: 1
- Are There Any Download Limits: Yes, you use the Pandora app online occasionally to keep your downloads active, but once your membership ends, the downloads will be grayed out.
Learn how to download Pandora songs, playlists, albums, podcasts, and stations without a Premium account.
Conclusion
After comparing 10 different platforms, the answer to "Which music streaming service is best for offline listening?" is: It depends entirely on your needs.
- If you care most about the download quality, choose Apple Music or Tidal.
- If you want to get free downloads, choose Trebel.
- If you want to download on your desktop, choose Deezer or Spotify.
- If you want the best value for offline mode, choose Tidal or YouTube Music.
No matter which music app you choose to offline listening, you may notice that most of them have one shared limitation: your downloaded music does not belong to you and will disappear once your membership ends. To bypass this restriction, you can use ViWizard All-In-One Music Downloader.
Download playlists, songs, albums, and your library from 9 streaming music services to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, M4A, and M4B formats with original audio quality and full metadata information.
This powerful tool allows you to download songs, playlists, albums, and even podcasts from Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, Deezer, Qobuz, Line Music, and Pandora. Unlike the downloads locked inside the music app, ViWizard converts your music into universal formats like MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, M4A, and M4B, all while preserving the original quality. The most important benefit is that you can keep these files forever and listen to them on any device you want, with no expiration date.
Click the Download button to give it a shot and try ViWizard for free!
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Nick Orin, a software developer at ViWizard, focuses on providing solutions for software-related challenges, including reviews, troubleshooting, and optimization tips.
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