SoundCloud
A music streaming and sharing platform where artists upload directly and fans find new and underground tracks.
- Verified facts
- 3 of 3
- Alternatives ranked
- 5
- Approved reviews
- 0
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About SoundCloud
SoundCloud, founded in Berlin in 2007, is both a streaming service and an upload platform. Anyone can post tracks, which makes it the home of bedroom producers, DJ mixes, remixes, bootlegs and early releases from artists who later break through, and many genres, such as SoundCloud rap, grew up there. Listeners can stream for free with ads, comment on specific moments in a track, follow artists and build playlists, while the Go and Go+ subscriptions remove ads, add offline listening and unlock the full catalogue of major-label music. Creators can use free accounts or Artist and Artist Pro plans for more upload time, distribution to other services, monetisation and fan insights, and SoundCloud has introduced fan-powered royalties that pay artists based on their actual listeners. The flip side of open uploads is inconsistent audio quality and metadata, plenty of noise to sift through, and a smaller library of mainstream releases than Spotify. It runs on the web, iOS and Android.
Best for: Fans of underground, independent and DJ music, and artists who want to upload directly.
Pros and cons
What works
- Anyone can upload, so lots of music found nowhere else
- Timed comments and a strong artist community
- Free listening with ads
Why people leave
- Inconsistent audio quality and track metadata
- Mainstream catalogue needs a Go+ subscription
- Discovery can be noisy
Top SoundCloud alternatives
See all 5- 1
Audiomack66.5Free streaming and uploads with a strong hip-hop and Afrobeats community.
- 2
Bandcamp62.6Lets fans buy music directly from artists, with a bigger cut going to the artist.
- 3
Mixcloud59.6Licensed home for DJ mixes and radio shows, which SoundCloud often takes down.
- 4
Audius57.2Decentralised streaming platform that also lets artists upload freely.
- 5
Spotify55.3Far bigger mainstream catalogue and better personalised playlists.
Why people left SoundCloud
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
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Reviews
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SoundCloud: common questions
Is SoundCloud free?
SoundCloud has a free plan and paid plans.
Is SoundCloud open source?
No, SoundCloud is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Audius.
What platforms does SoundCloud run on?
SoundCloud is available for Web, iOS and Android.
What are the best alternatives to SoundCloud?
The highest-ranked SoundCloud alternatives right now are Audiomack, Bandcamp and Mixcloud. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.