Best free music apps for your smartphone.

Last updated: 8 January 2016

Best free music apps for your smartphone.

Whatever your taste in music, why not enjoy it on the go with some of the latest free music apps?

Whether you want to listen to your favourite tunes, learn about new artists, get inspiration from radio stations, or download that must-have podcast, all you need is a reliable music app that’s easy to use.

Plus a reliable data connection so you can stream wherever you are. Music to everyone’s ears.

Here’s our rundown of the best music apps that won’t cost you a penny:

  • Deezer

    Deezer - iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry (free)

    Deezer is a streaming service that gives you instant access to more than 35 million tracks over the internet. And don’t worry if you’re feeling uninspired and don’t have any playlists, because the Flow feature is an instant, personalised radio channel that looks at what you listen to and what’s in your library to create a mix of non-stop songs.

    You can get involved too by telling Deezer if you love or hate a track and they can add favourites to your library and adjust the recommendations accordingly. Deezer has a team of music editors based around the world who bring you their pick of the pops based on your listening habits.

  • Shazam

    Shazam - iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry (free)

    Shazam has been kicking around for so long that it could almost be considered old-school. This is the app that will listen to a piece of music and then tell you the name of song and the artist.

    But did you know that, with Shazam, you can also watch the relevant music video, track down the song in Spotify and read album reviews? It really does connect the dots for the average music fan.

  • TuneWiki

    TuneWiki - iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry (free)

    For those who think that Eurythmics wrote a song called Sweet Dreams Are Made of Cheese, this may be the app for you. Besides being an alternative source for playing music on your device, TuneWiki will also scroll the lyrics to the song you’re playing across your screen in time with the music. So you can be sure you’ve got the words right for your hairbrush sessions.

  • TuneIn Radio

    TuneIn Radio - iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry (free)

    TuneIn Radio is ideal if you want a simple, one-stop shop for radio. Pretty much every single radio station in the world is here, all in one place. So you can tune in to more than 100,000 live radio stations and around two million podcasts.

    The app isn’t an on-demand service, but it picks up on your listening habits and recommends stations that are best suited to your musical tastes. One nifty feature is that you can see the previous songs a station has played, so you're never going to tune in and be left guessing what the song is.

  • Songkick

    Songkick - iPhone, Android (free)

    If you’re into your festivals and concerts, then Songkick is the app for you. It lets you create a personalised concert calendar based on your music library and you’ll also be alerted when your favourite bands are doing a gig – local or otherwise.

    You can then make sure you’re first in line for tickets, making sure you’ll never miss that all-important gig again. Music lovers shouldn’t be without this one.

  • Soundhound

    Soundhound - iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry (free)

    There’s nothing more frustrating than when you can’t remember the name of a song that’s stuck in your head. But don’t worry, Soundhound has made that a thing of the past.

    This is the ultimate search engine for anything music-related. You can search for songs by singing them, typing them, or playing the track back. Once Soundhound has worked its magic, you’ll get more than just a name: you’ll get the lyrics, videos, ringtone, iTunes, Spotify and Rdio links – so you’ll never hum aimlessly again.

Many of us assume that streaming is a drain on our data allowance, and that we should rely on Wi-Fi. But if you’ve got All-you-can-eat data on Three, there’s no need to panic.