YouTube Music

Google's music streaming service, mixing official albums with YouTube's videos, covers and live recordings.

Free plan + paidMusic streaming services

Verified facts: 0 of 0
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About YouTube Music

YouTube Music is Google's streaming service, built on top of YouTube's enormous music library. Alongside official albums and singles it can surface live performances, covers, remixes and rare uploads that never reach other services, and you can switch between a song and its music video. Recommendations draw on your YouTube history, and it has replaced Google Play Music, letting you upload your own files to the library. The free tier is ad-supported and limits background playback on mobile, while YouTube Music Premium adds ad-free listening, background play and downloads; it is also included with YouTube Premium, which removes ads across YouTube, so many people get it as part of that bundle. Audio quality tops out at 256kbps AAC with no lossless option, and the interface mixes music videos and audio tracks in ways some find messy. It runs on the web, Android and iOS, and on smart TVs, speakers and Wear OS.

Best for: People who already pay for YouTube Premium or want music videos, covers and live versions.

What works

Access to live versions, covers and remixes from YouTube
Included with YouTube Premium
You can upload your own music files

Why people leave

No lossless or hi-res audio
Free tier restricts background playback on mobile
No official desktop app

Top YouTube Music alternatives

See all 5

1
Spotify
Stronger personalised playlists and a proper desktop app.
66.5
2
Apple Music
Lossless and Dolby Atmos included in the subscription.
62.6
3
SoundCloud
Another home for remixes, DJ edits and independent uploads.
59.6
4
Amazon Music
Lossless with Unlimited, and some access already included with Prime.
57.2
5
Deezer
Free tier plus lossless on paid plans and easy playlist transfer.
55.3

Why people left YouTube Music

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YouTube Music: common questions

Is YouTube Music free?

YouTube Music has a free plan and paid plans.

Is YouTube Music open source?

No, YouTube Music is not open source.

What platforms does YouTube Music run on?

YouTube Music is available for Web, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to YouTube Music?

The highest-ranked YouTube Music alternatives right now are Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 YouTube Music alternatives