# Alternatives to SoundCloud Where independent tracks live. SoundCloud ranks #7 of 10 in Music streaming, with an Alt Score of 64. It is proprietary, freemium from $4.99/month and available on Web, iOS and Android. 6 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/soundcloud/ Category: Music streaming ## Where SoundCloud stands out - **Import playlists from competitors** — 3 of 7 apps with a verified answer have this ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Independent musicians and podcasters who want to upload and distribute their own audio, and listeners who want to discover music outside major-label radio and playlists. - **What you get**: A free streaming catalog of tracks, mixes, and podcasts, including many independent and unsigned artists not found on other platforms. Listeners get on-demand streaming with ads on the free tier, or an ad-free experience with offline listening and higher audio quality via the paid Go/Go+ subscriptions. Creators get upload and hosting tools, a public artist profile, stats on plays and audience, and (on paid creator plans like Next/Next Pro) wider distribution to other streaming services, monetization through Fan-Powered Royalties, and advanced analytics. - **How it works**: Creators upload tracks or episodes to their profile, set them public or private, and share links or embed players; listeners stream directly from artist profiles, playlists, or SoundCloud's search and recommendation feeds, and can follow artists, like, comment, and repost tracks. ## Profile - **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-11) - **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-11) - **Starts at**: $4.99/month (verified 2026-07-11) - **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-11) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [Deezer](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/deezer.md) | 86 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 2 | [Spotify](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/spotify.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 3 | [YouTube Music](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/youtube-music.md) | 78 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 4 | [Amazon Music](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/amazon-music.md) | 73 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 5 | [Apple Music](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-music.md) | 73 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 6 | [Pandora](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pandora.md) | 64 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 7 | [Qobuz](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/qobuz.md) | 60 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 8 | [Bandcamp](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bandcamp.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | | 9 | [Tidal](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/tidal.md) | 37 | Proprietary | Web, iOS, Android | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Music streaming checklist | SoundCloud | Deezer | Spotify | YouTube Music | Amazon Music | Apple Music | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | Subscription | | Starts at | $4.99/month | $11.99/month | $12.99/month | ? | $13.99/month | $10.99/month | | License | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | | Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | | Lossless / hi-res tier | ? | Yes | Partial | No | Yes | Yes | | Free tier with ads | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | Offline downloads | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Family plan | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Artist payout reputation | Yes | Partial | ? | ? | ? | ? | | Podcasts included | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | | Music videos | ? | Partial | Partial | Yes | ? | Yes | | Lyrics | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | | Import playlists from competitors | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes | | Web player | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ## Sources Sources for SoundCloud. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “© 2026 SoundCloud. All rights reserved.” - **Pricing model**: Freemium — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud” - **Starts at**: $4.99/month — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “$4.99 MONTHLY” - **Platforms**: Web, iOS, Android — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “SoundCloud: The Music You Love” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “© 2026 SoundCloud. All rights reserved.” - **Free tier with ads**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Ad-free listening” - **Offline downloads**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Save unlimited tracks for offline listening” - **Artist payout reputation**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “You keep 100% of your royalties - we only take a small processing fee on payouts” - **Podcasts included**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Stream podcasts music | Listen to songs, albums, playlists for free on SoundCloud” - **Import playlists from competitors**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “instantly transfer your entire music library from Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, and Amazon Music.” - **Web player**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-11) - Quote: “Your current browser isn't compatible with SoundCloud. Please download one of our supported browsers.” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/