After almost two decades, Apple phased iTunes out with MacOS Catalina, rolling out Music, TV and Podcasts apps in its place. This change was done to simplify the experience for consumers in line with the modern content consumption trends. However, iTunes already had some issues such as irregular backup functioning to high syncing time and compatibility issues, which made many users look for iTunes alternatives.
Best iTunes Alternatives
Thankfully, you don’t have to use Apple’s software to manage your music and transfer them to your iOS device. Below, we’ve listed a selection of the best iTunes alternatives you can use instead.
1. MusicBee
MusicBee is an impressive alternative for iTunes with an easy to use interface and many features including some that are useful for the web. The music manager sports an impressive feature set that includes an equalizer and DSP effects to fine-tune sound, and gapless playback to listen to your music uninterrupted. You also get beautiful skins to personalize MusicBee to your liking, and you can make your own skin or download more skins from the add-on section. The software also supports web radio stations, podcasts and SoundCloud integration so you can play the music you want. Plus, you can turn your device into a jukebox and play music any time. It lets you use auto-tagging to organize your collection, and create or discover playlists based on your preferences using the Auto-DJ function. MusicBee is available for Windows and it supports Groove Music, audio books, playlist and podcast syncing.
2. MediaMonkey
If you have a large digital music collection, you can use MediaMonkey to manage your library. The music manager and audio converter is compatible with non-Apple MP3 players, iOS devices and portable media players too. The standard (free) version comes with several useful tools you can use to add album art, tag music files, rip CDs, and burn discs. You can also convert different audio file formats. You can manage a music library with as few as 100 tracks to more than 100,000 audio or video files and playlists. MediaMonkey also lets you organize, browse or search through your collection by artist, genre, rating, year and other parameters. An Auto-DJ feature is included that lets you create any casual or professional DJ party mix automatically based on your preferences. If you like listening to podcasts, MediaMonkey’s integrated Podcatcher allows you to download audio content or you can use the web downloader and download files from websites. MediaMonkey syncs with most Android or iOS mobile devices and other portable audio/video devices. If you want to immerse yourself in your music, you can use MediaMonkey’s visualization plugins to visualize your music with funky effects and customize with skins and other add-ons.
3. Vox MP3 & FLAC Music Player
If you’re a Mac user and want an iTunes alternative that isn’t Apple Music, you can try the Vox MP3 and FLAC music player app. Not only do you get to play music from a variety of sources including your old iTunes library, but you also get to enjoy its sleek interface and ability to play various audio formats. The app features Hi-Res audio and supports audio from YouTube, SoundCloud and Last.FM scrobbling. With the Vox Premium player service, you get support for online radio and access to more than 30,000 radio stations, support for Sonos wireless speaker systems, and unlimited music cloud storage. You also get gapless playback support, CarPlay support, a parametric equalizer with 30 presets, and the ability to stream music via AirPlay.
4. VLC Media Player
VLC media player is a free multimedia music player that sports a minimalist design and is easy to use. The open-source player is compatible with a laundry list of audio and video file formats, which makes it easy to use with your Windows computer, Mac, Android and iOS devices. If you have an album or movie in a rarely supported format that won’t load in iTunes or even in QuickTime, it will play in VLC. VLC media player can also create playlists, stream music, and offers Blu-ray support. Moreover, if you’re an internet streamer, you can enjoy an ad-free experience when using web channel streaming services.
5. Amarok
Amarok works with Windows, Linux, macOS, and Unix operating systems, making it one of the best iTunes alternatives available. The player’s feature-rich interface allows you to sync your existing music library to your device, use integrated Web services to discover new music, and access services like Last.fm, Magnatune and Jamendo. You can also get more functionality through other integrated Web services like OPML Podcast Directory and Librivox to stream audiobooks. With Amarok’s powerful API, you can access music directly from anywhere but also download and upload to MP3 tunes Locker and connect to Ampache service remotely to browse and playback media files. Creating playlists is also easy with Amarok as they’re automatically updated. The player also lets you customize more information on your music files and manage your collection using tags, sorting or renaming capabilities. The main drawbacks with Amarok are that it has a confusing download page and lacks an appealing user interface compared to other iTunes alternatives on this list.
6. Fidelia
Fidelia is a premium audio player with an elegant interface and sleek intuitive controls that appeal to the sophisticated music lover. The player offers features such as high-definition audio, a customizable music player experience, AirPlay support for external speakers, and 64-bit Audio Unit plugin support. You can download Fidelia separately as an iOS app and turn your iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control for the Fidelia player. However, you’ll have to purchase the iOS app separately before downloading it to your device. Fidelia makes it easy to import your music collection from iTunes, but also supports various high-quality formats like FLAC, which you won’t find in iTunes. You can also browse your playlists and library, adjust playback volume, and navigate within or between music files from as far as your wireless network allows. The main drawback is that Fidelia doesn’t support AAC files with DRM-protection.
7. Winamp
Winamp is a full-featured, classic media player that brings together all your music, podcasts, and streaming services in one place. The player supports syncing of DRM-free media to iPod and other devices, making it an excellent alternative to iTunes. However, Android users can also enjoy Winamp on their devices and move their iTunes library easily. Winamp is free to use and supports a wide range of features and essential tools that you’ll need to manage and relish your iTunes collection. These features include a large selection of third-party extensions and plugins, and an intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface. Plus, you can enjoy several online radio stations, rip and convert music even from DRM-free CDS, scan websites for downloadable MP3 media files and add them to your collection. Winamp also offers syncing capability so you can wirelessly manage your device’s media and various customization and skin options to tailor its appearance to your liking.
Manage Your Music and Listen to It
While there are more music media players and manager apps than we could ever go through in one post, these seven iTunes alternatives are good places to start. The media players are completely compatible with different operating systems and allow you to sync your collection between devices so you can listen to your music anywhere and at any time. If you want a dedicated iTunes alternative for Windows and Mac, check out our in-depth MobiMover review. Do you have a favorite iTunes alternative? Tell us about it in the comments.
