Best Music Player Apps for Android 2021

Over the years music fans have gradually changed how they listen to their music and what they listen to it on. With the rise of the smartphone, it's only natural that now the one device we carry with us everywhere is also our primary media player. On Android, we're also fortunate that there's a huge community of developers that create some of the best Android apps that can better the experience we're provided by the folks who made our phones.

So it's time dive deep into the depths of the Play Store and find out which options are the best music player apps on Android.

These are the top three best music player apps for Android

When finding the best music player apps for Android, it would be pointless to not recommend Spotify. This is the best music streaming service available today, and works with all of your devices with its vast library of music.

Poweramp is the de-facto option for those with their own music library who are looking for a great app to enjoy it with. The audio engine and processing has been improved, and you can even use this app to play your hi-res audio files.

While you can use CloudPlayer by DoubleTwist to listen to the music files on your phone, it does so much more. Sync up your Google Drive or OneDrive folders, and stream your music from the cloud, while enjoying the great interface offered by CloudPlayer.

1. Spotify

There are a lot of the best music streaming services that have tried to take Spotify's crown, but none have been able to do so. This service has expanded into the world of podcasts, but it's still easy to find new music to listen to, or play the tunes that fueled your childhood.

One of the best aspects of Spotify is that you can sign up for free and listen to your favorite music, albeit with limitations (including ads). Spotify Premium removes any of those limitations and provides curated playlists to help you find some new music, or to help you power through that workout session.

Since Spotify is available everywhere, you can start listening on your phone then pick up where you left off on your Assistant-enabled speaker. Spotify is the champ, and is one of the best music player apps for Android, so why don't you give it a shot?

2. Poweramp Music Player

If you already have a vast library of music files and just want a fantastic app to play it, then Poweramp Music Player is the way to go. The app has been around for years on the Play Store and is still being actively developed with new features.

The latest of these updates not only adds a new equalizer and UI, but also bring support for hi-res output. Audiophiles will be more than pleased with what Poweramp can produce, and you can adjust the EQ to help your library sound great.

In addition to offering a great interface and the ability to play all of your music files, Poweramp also has Google Assistant integration, and supports Chromecast and Android Auto. If you have a huge music library and are looking for the best music player app, this is the way to go.

3. CloudPlayer by doubleTwist

We've talked about DoubleTwist a lot around these parts and with good reason. DoubleTwist became a favorite among Android users that had deep roots in the iTunes ecosystem, and it still is. The base app has been replaced on this list by Cloudplayer, a newer offering that looks great and has hooks into some of the most popular cloud storage services to deliver your music.

We're not talking about hooking into streaming services, either. Create your own cloud streaming library with your own music, a Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive account, and DoubleTwist Cloudplayer. Access to these is unlockable via an in-app purchase, but the basic app is free. Even the free version will play your lossless FLAC files.

That in-app purchase also unlocks AirPlay support and equalizer tools to help you get the most from your music. Like the older app, you can still use it to listen to radio and podcasts, as well as now having support for both Android Wear and Android Auto. It's a pretty well-stocked, one-stop shop for all your audio needs.

These almost make the cut, but not quite

There are a lot of great music player apps on the Play Store, so it's pretty tough to only pick three. We have found some of the other "best" apps you should try out if one of the aforementioned options doesn't necessarily fit the bill for you.

Musicolet Music Player

Those who are concerned with privacy, even for their music files, will enjoy Musicolet. This music player is privacy focused in that it only supports your local audio files, and doesn't even have any internet permissions built-in.

With Musicolet, you can play your music and enjoy a simplistic interface, but there's even the ability to arrange and organize your music library with tags. Are you missing the album artwork for some of your music? Use Musicolet to fix that up so you don't get the boring music icon.

Nyx Music Player

There are two factors to take into consideration when it comes to handling your precious music library. The first of which must be the actual organization of your library so you won't have to worry about oddball ways to find a specific artist, genre, or album. Another, less important aspect has everything to do with the visuals of the app. A lot of the best music player apps for Android do one or the other, but few of them combine for a fantastic experience across the board.

Nyx Music Player is an app that can do both. It has a smooth and beautiful interface for playing your downloaded songs and playlists. It allows for some customization, with three different themes to choose from, along with the ability to change up the accent color.

One of the best features of Nyx is called Looper, which allows you to select a specific part of a song and play it over and over again. Whether you're trying to nail the lyrics or just are feeling the vibe from a song, this does something we don't really have available with other music players.

Phonograph Music Player

The Material Design days were so wonderful, and while there are still some apps that keep this aesthetic, many have moved away. Phonograph Music Player falls into the former category, giving you the Material Design we all knew and loved back in the day. The interface is clean, and the UI changes automatically to match whatever album artwork is being shown.

Are you really into customizing the look of your apps? Phonograph has you covered, with the ability to change the aesthetics of just about every facet of the app. Plus, you'll be able to edit the tags and information for songs that are missing vital info.

GoneMAD Music Player

GoneMAD is another one of those apps that has been making its rounds on the Play Store for years. The app has been consistently updated, but got its start as a "holo design" for Android. There are templates that make it possible to relive the Holo or Material Design days, along with an updated interface to match apps of today.

In fact, there are more than 1,000 themes to download and over 250 customization options, making this one of the most customizable music player apps for Android. It also has support for a whole bunch of formats including lossless audio, smart playlists, an equalizer, multi-window and much, much more.

AIMP

If you don't care about customizing your music app and just want something that will scan your phone, locate the music files, and present them quickly, then AIMP is perfect. This music player app has been around for quite awhile on both Android and Windows, and continues to see active development with new features and bug fixes.

The app itself includes support for a wide array of file types, ensuring that just about every file you have is supported. AIMP also puts a focus on playlists, with the ability to set a custom playback queue based on your library, along with smart-playlists based on folders, and more.

While the goal of AIMP is get your music playing quickly and easily, you can theme and customize the app to your liking. There are are an array of built-in themes at your disposal, suppoort for switching between day and night mode, along with the ability to create custom themes. This app really has it all, as there are some added goodies such as a graphic equalizer and even a sleep timer.

More Streaming Services

Spotify is the clear choice for those looking for the best music player app, along with being the best music streaming service. However, the truth is that Spotify isn't the best option for everyone, so we've rounded up some of the other best music streaming apps that you'll find on Android.

YouTube Music

It's time to say goodbye to Google Play Music (GPM), but it's been replaced with YouTube Music. Many of the same features from GPM have been ported over to YouTube Music, including the ability to import your own music files and playlists. Then, you can download them to your phone and listen offline.

The music streaming service aspect makes it easy to get tailored recommendations based on what you like or even the time of the day. If you sign up for YouTube Music Premium, then you'll never have to worry about ads, and will get access to "The Hotlist" to see what's trending.

Apple Music

An entire generation grew up depending on Apple for their music needs thanks to iTunes. While you may not have a lime green iPod anymore, you can still access your library from your Android phone with Apple Music.

Your subscription will give you access to the music streaming service, but your library will still hold all the music you already know and love. You can purchase and download music right to your phone, edit which items show up in your library when you open it, and you can add music to your Library if you listen to them while music is streaming.

Amazon Music

Another music streaming service? Amazon Music has continued to surprise us, even though it flies under the radar. Amazon Music now boasts more than 60 million songs in its catalog, and if you're already a Prime subscriber, you don't have to do anything else but download the app.

If you're an audiophile, you will be pleased to know that Amazon Music HD provides access to millions of songs in high-res quality. Those who just want something better than the traditional streaming bitrate will enjoy streaming even more songs at CD quality.