How to Listen to Music Online for Free Without Downloading in 2024

If you’re looking to access free music online, you’ve come to the right place. I’ll go over the best free music streaming services, custom radio stations, and other places to find the best songs without paying a penny. Music is literally my jam (see what I did there?), so I’m beyond excited to get into these top listening options and give you the ins and outs of each. I’ve had a lot of experience with them and boy howdy do I have opinions!

Before we get carried away, if you’re looking into music download options, here are the most trusted sites for free music downloads.

iHeartRadio

This is one of the first free music streaming services I ever delved into and it still holds up today. It has a wide, impressive range of genres and artists and it is extremely intuitive to use. In my day as a receptionist at a doctor’s office, I’d open the clinic early, put on the 60s channel and jam out to the Beatles before patients started to arrive. They also had enough playlists to choose from and enough variety that day after day at work at least didn’t mean getting sick of the music.

Pros

·         You can listen to thousands of AM/FM live radio stations from around the world

·         Lots of radio genres, like sports, comedy, news, talk radio, etc.

·         Podcast app with some of the top popular podcasts available

·         You can create personalized music stations based on a particular artist

·         Available on almost any mobile device, PC, TVs, gaming consoles, etc.

·         Don’t need an account to use

Cons

·         Ads can be intrusive

·         Limited amount of skips, 6 skips per hour per station capping out at 15 skips per day total

·         Often if you switch stations it can trigger ads

·         Can be a bit buggy. There was many a time at the clinic one of us would have to run back to refresh the app because it stopped working

Summary: With a free music streaming service you should expect some ads. This app is no different. That said, it has a wide variety, lots of podcasts and radio on top of music offerings. If you go bonkers over ads, they do have paid tiers in which you can avoid them and eliminate your skip limit. It all depends on what features are most important to you.

Link: https://www.iheart.com/content/welcome-to-iheartradio/

YouTube Music

YouTube Music is separate from their regular video site, though there are music videos that play with the music quite often. This is a great place to find free music and even cater it to your personal preferences. Here’s the breakdown.

Pros

·         Many songs come with music videos to watch

·         You can make playlists and get recommendations to your tastes

·         You can skip tracks without the limitations of other streaming services

·         Wide variety of genres and artists

·         Great device compatibility

Cons

·         Lower sound quality than other choices

·         Can’t download and listen offline with the free version

·         Not as many additional features or as many playlists as some

·         Ads are particularly intrusive

Summary: YouTube Music has a lot to like. You’re probably already using YouTube for video purposes anyway so you’re likely familiar with it. It gives you a lot for the free tier, such as the generous skips and access to music videos. That said, there are some limitations and the ads are relentless.

Link: https://music.youtube.com/explore

Spotify

I personally use Spotify every single day. I was gifted the paid version years ago for my birthday and it’s honestly my favorite present I’ve ever received. But then, I’m a music fiend, what can I say? Luckily, the app has a free version for those trying to avoid those pesky monthly fees. Here’s what to expect:

Pros

·         Over 80 million songs

·         Access to podcasts and audiobooks

·         You can download podcasts even with the free version

·         New music discovery suggestions

·         Social capabilities such as shareable links, posting songs to social media, and collaborating on playlists with other users

·         More songs than many competitors

Cons

·         Can’t just pick and play any track except on certain playlists

·         Can’t play songs in any order, usually shuffle is the default, especially for mobile devices

·         Need to make a free account to listen

·         Lots of ads (what else is new?)

·         Can’t download music

·         The free version doesn’t have as good of sound quality as the paid ones

·         Limited song skips

Summary: One of Spotify’s biggest strengths are the collaborative, social features such as being able to listen to your friend’s playlists. It also has a great AI DJ, so to speak, in terms of offering you personalized suggestions based off your past listening. Still, for a free application, there is a lot to love. If you end up being bothered by the limitations and ads, however, these are eliminated with paid versions.

Link: https://open.spotify.com/?

Want more Spotify tips? Here’s how to listen to Spotify on your Chromebook.

Pandora

I have a lot of experience with Pandora. Before I was gifted a Spotify subscription, this was my usual stop for free music. In fact, writing this article marks the first time I’ve opened the app in about 5 years. All my old stations greeted me, reminding me what impeccable taste in music I have! The ability to have different radio stations based off certain artists and genres is one of my favorite features of Pandora.

Pros

·         Intuitive “radio stations,” based off a specific song, genre, mood, theme, etc.

·         You can unlock skips by listening to ads

·         Can rate songs with thumbs up or down to further curate your radio

·         Podcasts

·         Wide library of music

Cons

·         It’s all about the ads. Even unlocking certain features requires you to sit through ads

·         Skips are claimed to be unlimited but that’s really dependent on licensing restrictions

·         No offline listening

·         No playlists

Summary: Most of the problems in the cons list can be rectified through a paid plan. Though that does defeat the whole, “free music online,” point of this article, it should be noted that their paid plans are more reasonably priced than many, if that’s a direction you decide to go. Regardless, even the free tier has a lot to offer. I can honestly say that I’ve discovered some rather obscure, wonderful music from the suggestions on my Pandora stations through the years. I really don’t know if I ever would have been exposed to these elsewhere.

Link: https://www.pandora.com/

SoundCloud

Ah, yet another music streaming app I have experience with. One of the best parts about SoundCloud is the ability to upload your own music if you’re a musical artist. You can then link it to your social media or other accounts and allow listeners to find you, for free. It’s a great resource for up and coming artists and also for music lovers who want to find truly unique, undiscovered talent.

Pros

·         Up to 3 hours of track uploads

·         You can share private tracks with other collaborators

·         You can post public tracks

·         Basic fan insights

·         Listeners can comment on what they listen to and repost songs on their social media

·         Listeners can mark tracks as their favorites

·         Lots of songs available in foreign languages

Cons

·         Some functions are hidden behind a paywall, so whether you’re an artist or a listener you’ll need to pay attention to limitations

·         Most of the music is by unknown or new artists so music quality is all over the place

·         Because it is a community, it attracts bots and spam accounts

·         Software can be a bit buggy

Summary: This is obviously a more niche music streaming service, but it is a great way to expose yourself to new artists or use to promote your own work.

Link: https://soundcloud.com/discover

Jango

Jango is more obscure than the other free music options, but it is very well liked. The ads and interruptions are truly minimal and it has great music discovery features comparable to Pandora only without all the advertisements.

Pros

·         You don’t need an account to listen, though you get a better user experience if you do

·         Creates a customized radio station based on the music you listen to or rate

·         Site/app is easy to navigate

·         Can remove tracks you don’t like from your station with banning function

·         Has a variety feature scale so you can customize how varied the music you hear is

·         Very minimal advertisements, if any. Depending on which platform you’re using the app from, the service will have more or less ads. That said, Jango is said to have far fewer ads than other free music online options. Some even claim to only have one ad per day, though that seems to be inconsistent.

·         Unlimited skips

Cons

·         In lieu of ads, Jango has a partnership with Radio Airplay, a music promotion service. Independent and emergent artists are promoted to listeners in place of advertisements. So you’ll be listening to your station and frequently unknown artists will be featured. Fortunately you can rate their music, which affects the frequency of their airplay

·         Claims to be ad free but that isn’t always the case

Summary: This free service has changed greatly through the years, seeming to take user feedback to heart. The fact that it is one of the least commercial heavy ways to listen to free music makes it a heavy hitter on this list.

Link: https://www.jango.com/browse_music/genre/Top%20Stations

Hoopla

What’s the hoopla about Hoopla? This service is available through your public library, completely free so long as you have a library card. Thing is, not only can you borrow books, Hoopla also lets you borrow ebooks, audiobooks, movies, and yes, music. Unlike most of the other music streaming websites, you don’t have to worry about being bombarded with commercials, either.

Pros

·         You can stream music from most mobile devices

·         A wide variety of genres, like rock, pop, jazz, etc.

·         All your favorite artists and albums, like Taylor Swift, the Hamilton soundtrack, even Disney

·         Because you’re streaming it, you don’t have to worry about returning the physical album

·         Can temporarily download the music

·         Hoopla is cloud based, so you can start listening on one device and pick up where you left off on another

·         Offers far more than just music

Cons

·         Music selection depends on the library catalogue

·         You can only borrow the music for 7 days

·         Limited borrowing amount per month, even if you return it early

·         Some limitations on what systems and devices are compatible

Summary: Hoopla is a great way to take advantage of your local library system. Even if you just want to listen to an album before buying, it’s a free way to try before you buy. New selections are being added all the time, so there’s always something new to borrow.

Link: https://www.hoopladigital.com/browse/music/popular

Conclusion

If you’re looking for websites to listen to music, free of charge, hopefully this list gave you some good ideas. Depending on which site you choose to stream music, you can find radio stations, create playlists, discover new bands, even listen to new releases and specific songs. As annoying as commercials can be, free is a very good word, these days. If you want tips on more free online content, here’s the best free movie streaming apps of 2023.