There are plenty of great music apps now, with some just focused on playing music, while others also using advanced media library and management functions. But which one is best? Let’s jump in as we discuss the seven best music player software for Windows.
Best music player software for Windows
1. Clementine
Clementine is one of the most versatile music players out there. You can easily add your entire music collection and organize it, thanks to Clementine’s advanced library management features. But that’s not all. Clementine can also directly search for and play songs uploaded to many cloud storage services, such as Dropbox and Google Drive. Log in to the cloud storage service via app preferences, and Clementine will automatically add the detected media to your library/playlist. You can even use it to enjoy streaming music and Internet radio from web-based services like Soundcloud, Spotify, and Jamendo.
Clementine supports many different audio formats (e.g., MP3, WAV, AAC, and FLAC ) and has a powerful playlist management function. Also, it can automatically download lost ID3 tag information (artist name, genre, etc.) and album art from Internet music information databases such as MusicBrainz and Last.fm. There is also support for converting music to formats like MP3 and FLAC. Clementine also includes an Android app that can be used to play music/control apps wirelessly. How cool is that?
Platform Availability: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux (Desktop); Android (Mobile, like the Clementine Remote app)
Price: free
2. MediaMonkey
Using MediaMonkey for the first time can be intimidating, with so many impressive features included, but once you’ve got the hang of it, things get a lot easier. MediaMonkey can handle almost all popular digital audio formats, like MP3, AAC, FLAC, and can even take some video formats like MP4 and AVI. Also, it is capable of ripping Audio CDs and can also download podcasts and track metadata.
Other than that, MediaMonkey continuously scans the library folders for any changes and automatically updates the media collection if they are detected together. One of MediaMonkey’s more important features is that it can sync with multiple iOS and Android devices. Then, of course, you have the usual features like advanced playlist support and automatic metadata tagging. And if you choose to upgrade to the premium version of GoldMonkey, you get many additional features, such as custom music collections, automatic playlists, and more. It can also be (optionally) used as a mobile application.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8, and 7 (Desktop); Android (Mobile)
Pricing: The paid version is $ 24.95. The free version is also available
3. MusicBee
For a free music playback and management app, MusicBee includes a ton of features. In addition to listening to music, MusicBee also helps manage and organize a rich music collection into the library. You can also directly import your Windows Media and iTunes libraries. It can also connect to the Internet and automatically download lost track metadata (e.g., album art, artist name) instantly. There’s a built-in ID3 tag editor that lets you manually tag your music, as well as a variety of game modes suitable for different playback environments.
MusicBee supports nearly all popular formats from MP3 and AAC to OGG and WMA in format support. And if that’s not enough, you can also download a bunch of plug-ins that extend MusicBee’s functionality in multiple ways. Other features include DSP effects, Last.fm scrobbling, Smart Playlists, and then some more. Oh, and MusicBee is also available as a mobile app.
Platform Availability: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10 (Desktop)
Price: free
4.aTunes
Having one of the prettiest interfaces of beauty, aTunes is a pleasure to use. There are no confusing menus, unnecessary options, or anything. But make no mistake about it, aTunes is a pretty powerful application. You need to add multiple media files and folders to the app, and it automatically manages and organizes them, thanks to solid media management functionality. Digital music collection can be viewed after filtering based on metadata, such as album name and genre, and full-screen mode with iTunes like Cover Flow mode looks good. aTunes is compatible with a wide range of audio formats, including popular formats like MP3, AAC, WMA, FLAC, and WAV. There is support for smart playlists and copy tracking deletion.
aTunes can connect to many web-based services, such as Last.fm, and allows you to listen to Internet radio stations and download podcasts. However, one of the downsides of aTunes is that there is hardly any documentation available for it. So if you need some help with the program, you’ll need to dig into the application’s forums.
Platform Availability: Windows, Mac OS X; Linux (Desktop)
Price: Free
5. Foobar2000
It’s easy to mistake Foobar2000 for a computer program stuck in the early 90s, with its incredibly compact (and a bit boring) interface. But that can’t be far from the truth, as Foobar2000 is probably one of the most highly customizable, extensible, and feature-packed music software available. And the fact that it manages to do so while being super lightweight makes things better. You can fine-tune the Foobar2000 user interface by selecting which modules, such as playlist view, sound balance, etc., are displayed. For example, the companion screenshot above shows Foobar2000 (latest version 1.3.9) with frequency clock, spectrum clock, and album and artist viewing modules along with the main interface.
When it comes to features, Foobar2000 is just about everything covered, with OGG, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, and SND just some of the many audio formats it supports. You can add all the media library folders you must manage your collection, and Foobar2000 can automatically monitor them for any library changes at set intervals. Adding metadata to songs is simple, and you can either add it manually or have Foobar2000 grab it from Internet-based music databases like Freedb. This can also rip audio CDs and even read ZIP and RAR archives. Foobar2000 can also be installed as a portable application.
Platform Availability: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10 (Desktop); Development for all major mobile platforms are planned through crowdfunding support.
Price: Free
6. Audacious
If all you want is a pointless way of enjoying your music, Audacious will do the job well for you. With a simple interface but single-window functionality, getting started with Audacious is easy. Just add your music library folder, and the app will load songs for playback, with track details (e.g., artist name, album) showing up in separate columns. The horizontal playback status bar at the bottom shows Discovery information, complete with album art and a visual slideshow.
Audacious has a powerful search function and allows you to find the track you are looking for in seconds. It supports all popular audio formats, including FLAC, WMA, AAC, WAV, and OGG. Other general features like advanced playlist support, remove duplicate tracks, mix/mix, tag editor… are all there. Audacious’ can be extended by adding various plug-ins (which can be added directly through the program settings), bringing features like voice removal and sample rate conversion into the application.
Platform Availability: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, and 10; Linux (Desktop)
Price: Free
7. AIMP
Perhaps the best thing about AIMP is how simple it is to use. No gallery scans, menu options, subsections, or anything like that. You need to launch the app, add a few songs, and let it do its thing. AIMP’s default interface (or skin) looks a bit like Winamp (which we’ll be coming, soon) and includes only the current play module and a playlist editor. The playlist has a quick search bar to search for any song easily. All standard functions like shuffle, crossfade, equalizer, and playback button are easily accessible.
AIMP supports a wide variety of audio formats, including FLAC, MIDI, MP3, DTS, and OGG. Other than that, it also allows you to listen to Internet radio stations and even catch radio waves in different formats. There are library management features, audio encoding, and smart playlist generation also mixed in. Finally, AIMP supports the same plug-ins and uses. It can also connect to web-based services like Last.fm. You can even tweak the UI using a variety of downloadable and pre-loaded skins.
Platform Availability: Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7 and XP; Android (Mobile)
Price: Free
Besides
- Windows Media Player – If you don’t want to install any other music app, you can use Windows’ native Windows Media Player. It’s solidly built, features a powerful library manager, and works well.
- Winamp Can’t talk about music player software without mentioning Winamp, arguably the best music player ever. Although the veterans of music software are no longer being developed, you can download the latest stable version on the Winamp forums.
- VLC Media Player – We all know how incredibly impressive VLC Media Player is. It’s all in one playable music app that is just about any format you throw at it. And you can be sure that it will cater to your music playback needs. Please get it here.
Conclusion
Easy music playback is one of the most common activities performed on any computer. And the music apps discussed above are perfect for all of your music consumer needs. If you are looking for advanced library management features, try Clementine or MusicBee. Want something that can sync and manage music on your iOS and Android smartphones? MediaMonkey is for you. And if you’re looking for something simple yet very customizable, Foobar2000 is your friend. Try these out, and find out who works best for you. Know some apps that might have made it to the list? Statements in the comments below.
