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The Best iPhone Apps For Free Music [2023 Edition]

A list of all the best iPhone apps for streaming free music on your smartphone! Pandora, SoundCloud and more!



Quick Guide: Top Free Music Apps for iPhone 📱

  1. Spotify: Apple Music’s fiercest competitor offers a free music tier.
  2. Pandora: Another major Apple Music competitors offers feww ad-supported music.
  3. 8tracks: Over 3 million playlists makes this a great music app.
  4. TuneIn Radio: Listen to raido from over 197 countries.
  5. SoundCloud: One of the best apps to discover free, new music.
  6. Amazon Music: Free music for Amazon Prime subscribers.
  7. Heart: Stream major global radio stations for free.
  8. LiveXLive: Stream live music performances.
  9. 80s Radio+: Love 80’s music? This app is for you.
  10. Christmas RADIO: In the festive spirit? Use this to stream Christmas music radio.

Remember CDs? MP3 downloads? Digital singles? All that is old school now.

Digital music in the third decade of the 21st century is all about streaming. And if you’ve got an iPhone, your streaming options are virtually limitless.

Of course, Apple hopes most iPhone owners are going to opt for its own Apple Music streaming service.

However, if you want to do so, it’ll cost you an annual fee.

But fear not, there are plenty of free ways to streaming music to your iPhone. And its no shocker why. The iPhone has TONS of amazing apps in nearly every category, so there is alway and app, or ten, for you.

Here are the best iPhone apps for free music!

Best iPhone Apps For Free Music

Spotify

Best iPhone Apps For Free MusicPin
Image credit: App Store/Spotify
  • The app’s official description: Spotify is the best way to listen to music and podcasts on mobile or tablet. Search for any track, artist or album and listen for free. Make and share playlists. Build your biggest, best ever music collection. Get inspired with personal recommendations, and readymade playlists for just about everything. Spotify also offers thousands of Podcasts, including originals that you can’t find anywhere else. Spotify for your Apple Watch gives you the ability to seamlessly access and control your favorite music and podcasts from your wrist.
  • What it does: Spotify is Apple Music’s biggest competitor. And while it does offer paid subscription tiers, anyone can listen to its catalog for free (with ads, natch).
  • How to get it: iOS

Pandora

Best iPhone Apps For Free MusicPin
Image credit: App Store/Pandora
  • The app’s official description: Create stations from your favorite songs, artists or genres, search or browse to find recommended stations for your mood or activity, and discover podcasts that speak to you. Download today and get instant access to your favorite artists and podcasts, while staying up to date on the most recent singles and releases. From rap and pop to rock and country, play your favorite artists and stay up to date on today’s top hits and releases. Start streaming all of the current global hits and enjoy your own personalized music experience.
  • What it does: Pandora, too, has a paid service. But it also offers free plans. One of the biggest strengths of Pandora is its station creation feature, which lets you access new songs that match your taste one after the other.
  • How to get it: iOS

8tracks

Best iPhone Apps For Free MusicPin
Image credit: App Store/8tracks
  • The app’s official description: Imagine if every time you wanted to listen to a good playlist, someone gave you the perfect handmade mixtape. Welcome to 8tracks – the best place to discover & share playlists made by people. Explore more than 2 million free playlists, all handcrafted by real people who love music as much as you. Need music for a study, workout, or chill session? Want happy, dance, or dating songs to fit your mood? A DJ on 8tracks has a mix for whatever you’re feeling. Each playlist on 8tracks tells a story, and the person who crafted it represents a soul and personality behind the music.
  • What it does: 8tracks is a crazy good music streaming platform. Use it for its 3 million playlists. It’s outstanding.
  • How to get it: iOS

TuneIn Radio

Best iPhone Apps For Free MusicPin
Image credit: App Store/TuneIn Radio
  • The app’s official description: TuneIn brings together live sports, music, news, podcasts and AM & FM radio from around the world in one free app. Featuring the world’s largest library of live, on-demand and original audio at your fingertips, hear what matters most to you, discover new moments that move you. With live sports, exclusive music channels, fast-breaking news, more than 5.7 million podcasts and over 100,000 AM and FM radio stations globally, you’re never without something amazing to listen to.
  • What it does: TuneIn Radio is a music streamer, but its big draw is that it lets you tune into radio stations from around the world. If you’re sick of only hearing the national hits, give TuneIn Radio a try. You won’t regret it.
  • How to get it: iOS

SoundCloud

Best iPhone Apps For Free MusicPin
Image credit: App Store/SoundCloud
  • The app’s official description: What’s next in music is first on SoundCloud. SoundCloud is more than a streaming service, it’s an open global community for anyone to upload any sound for immediate discovery. Be the first to hear new tracks, connect directly with fellow fans and your favorite artists in real time, and support the future of music with every play, like, repost and comment.
  • What it does: Love indie music and up and coming artists? SoundCloud is your app then. It’s an amazing platform to find new artists, and if you’re a musician too, you can even upload your own music so millions can listen to it around the world.
  • How to get it: iOS

Amazon Music

The Best iPhone Apps For Free Music [2023 Edition]Pin
Image credit: App Store/Amazon Music
  • The app’s official description: We’re changing the way you find and play the music and podcasts you love. Listen with your Prime membership or get more with Amazon Music Unlimited. Amazon Music included with Prime: Ad-free listening, Offline listening, Unlimited Skips, Streaming podcasts, Hands-free Listening on your Favorite Devices.
  • What it does: Technically, this app’s music is not free by itself. However, if you have an Amazon Prime account, you get access to the entry tier of Amazon Music for free. That’s millions of ad-free songs.
  • How to get it: iOS

Heart

The Best iPhone Apps For Free Music [2023 Edition]Pin
Image credit: App Store/Heart
  • The app’s official description: With the new Heart App powered by Global Player we’ve made it easier than ever to turn up the feel good! Listen to Heart in HD quality, live and on the move. Catch up / listen again to all your favorite shows whenever you like. Download and listen to shows offline, perfect for listening while you’re traveling.
  • What it does: This app allows you to stream major global radio stations for free.
  • How to get it: iOS

LiveXLive

The Best iPhone Apps For Free Music [2023 Edition]Pin
Image credit: App Store/LiveXLive
  • The app’s official description: LiveXLive Powered by Slacker, formerly Slacker Radio, is a totally reimagined music streaming app that lets you listen to your favorite music and watch live streaming performances for free, all in one place.
  • What it does: A terrific app for streaming live music–and, more importantly–live musical performances.
  • How to get it: iOS

80s Radio+

The Best iPhone Apps For Free Music [2023 Edition]Pin
Image credit: App Store/80s Radio+
  • The app’s official description: Streaming Internet 1980s Radio Stations. Why is 80s Radio+ the best? 1. More Stations YOU Want To Hear. 2. Background Audio to surf the Web while you listen. 3. Diverse Selection Of Channels (New Wave, Hair Bands, Pop, Yacht Rock, and More).
  • What it does: Puts dozens of streaming radio stations together in one app. If you love 80s music, you’ll go crazy over this app.
  • How to get it: iOS

Christmas RADIO

The Best iPhone Apps For Free Music [2023 Edition]Pin
Image credit: App Store/Christmas Radio
  • The app’s official description: Holiday music lovers across the globe are getting an early Christmas gift because of the massively popular Christmas Radio app. Featuring a streamlined interface and designed for iPhone and iPad, the app allows you to enjoy a wide variety of Christmas hits from over 180 (during season) unique stations. Some of this year’s more popular stations include: Mistletoe, Christmas Carols Radio and Kristmas Kountry. There’s also North Pole Radio, which broadcasts directly from the North Pole – a detail that is sure to delight even the most skeptical of Santa-doubting kids; and probably more than a few adults, too.
  • What it does: If you’re a fan of Christmas music, download this app now. It gives you instant access to Christmas streaming radio stations.
  • How to get it: iOS

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to stream free music on the iPhone, Apple’s Apple Music subscription service isn’t for you since it has no free tier. However, other major music services like Spotify, Pandora, and SoundCloud do.

Also, if you are an Amazon Prime subscriber already, you get access to a free tier of music with the Amazon Music app.

If you’re more into niche music, give 8tracks a try. 

And if you love listening to the radio, TuneIn Radio, Heart, LiveXLive, and 80s Radio+ could be for you.

Finally, if you are in the mood for holiday music, give Christmas RADIO a try.

Michael Grothaus

Michael Grothaus is an American author and journalist with a flair for exploring the intersection of technology, creativity, and digital culture. With a background in film, journalism, and creative writing, he brings a unique perspective to the world of mobile technology. His work has been featured in renowned publications like Fast Company, The Guardian, and Engadget. At KnowYourMobile, Michael leverages his extensive knowledge to guide readers through the complexities of mobile devices, helping them make informed choices in the fast-paced tech landscape.

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