Shazam is free to download, but the Android experience has gaps a free user notices fast. The app shows banner and interstitial ads, routes every identified track toward Apple Music, and reserves features like Auto Shazam and time-synced lyrics for iPhone. If you stream on Spotify or YouTube Music and never plan to pay for Apple Music, a few other apps identify songs just as well — sometimes better — at no cost.
This list covers seven free Shazam alternatives that run on Android. Each entry notes whether the free tier has ads, what it actually does without a paid upgrade, and where it beats the original.
Quick comparison
| App | Free identification | Ads on free tier | Hum / sing search | Lyrics included | Standout free feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoundHound | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Real-time | Hands-free voice command |
| Musixmatch | Unlimited | Yes | No | Word-by-word sync | Floating Lyrics overlay |
| Genius | Unlimited | Light | No | Annotated | Crowd annotations on every line |
| Google app | Unlimited | None | Yes | Search-page result | Hum to Search inside Search |
| YouTube Music | Unlimited | Yes (audio + visual) | Yes | Per-track lyrics tab | Hum search baked into search |
| BeatFind | Unlimited | Yes | No | None | Disco mode (light + visualiser) |
| Pixel Now Playing | Unlimited | None | No | None | Runs continuously, offline, no tap needed |
Which app should you pick?
- SoundHound if you want the closest direct Shazam replacement that adds hum/sing search.
- Google app if you want zero ads and Hum to Search with nothing extra to install.
- Musixmatch if you mostly identify songs to read or sing along to the lyrics.
- YouTube Music if you already stream there and want hum-to-search inside the same app.
- Genius if knowing what the song means matters more than knowing the title.
- BeatFind if you want a lightweight, focused identifier with a fun party mode.
- Pixel Now Playing if you own a Pixel phone — it identifies songs continuously, on-device, no internet needed.
Stay on Shazam if you subscribe to Apple Music — the tap-through to playback is the smoothest in the category, and the rest of this list cannot match it.
1. SoundHound — best free direct Shazam alternative
SoundHound was identifying songs before Shazam was acquired and the free tier still does the basics without a paywall. Tap the orange button to identify a song playing nearby, or hum, sing, or whistle the melody and SoundHound can match it. Shazam on Android still cannot do the hum part.
“Hey SoundHound, what’s this song?” works hands-free, which makes it the better option in the car or kitchen. The free tier shows banner and interstitial ads but never limits identifications.
Advantages:
- Free, unlimited identifications
- Hum, sing, or whistle search
- Hands-free voice command
- Real-time lyrics on identified tracks
- Spotify account connection for one-tap playback
Disadvantages:
- Banner and interstitial ads in the free tier
- Interface is noisier than Shazam
- Some premium upsell prompts after long sessions
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium removes ads at around $6.99/month or $35.99/year.
2. Google app — free, no ads, Hum to Search built in
The Google app is the unsung hero of free song identification on Android. Open the Search widget, tap the mic, say “what’s this song” — Google identifies the track from playing audio. Or skip the playback and hum, sing, or whistle the melody for ten seconds. Hum to Search ships with the Google app and costs nothing.
No ads, no upsell, no separate install. If you already use the Google app for voice search or AI Mode, you also have the most polished free music recognizer on the phone.
Advantages:
- Completely free, no ads, no premium tier
- Hum to Search rivals Shazam’s regular fingerprint match
- Recognises far more tracks than Shazam in some genres (regional, indie)
- No new app to install on most Android phones
- Result links into Search, YouTube, and shopping for the song
Disadvantages:
- Lyrics show only as a Search-page block, not synced
- Requires online connection for every identification
- No history view dedicated to identified songs
Pricing: Free, no upsells.
3. Musixmatch — free identification with the best lyric layer
Musixmatch identifies a playing song with one tap, then drops you straight into word-by-word synced lyrics. The free tier keeps the identifications unlimited and most of the lyric overlay features. Translations into 50+ languages and a Floating Lyrics widget that overlays Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music are also part of the free experience.
If you tend to identify songs because you want to read the lyrics, this collapses two app switches into one — for free.
Advantages:
- Free unlimited identification
- Word-by-word synced lyrics on the free tier
- Floating Lyrics widget over Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music
- Translations into 50+ languages
- LyricsCard sharing for social posts
Disadvantages:
- Free tier shows ads
- Lyric translation in the overlay is gated on some songs
- Cannot hum or sing to search
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium around $4.99/month removes ads and unlocks offline lyrics.
4. Genius — free identification plus crowd annotations
Tap the soundwave button in Genius and the app identifies the song in front of you, then opens its annotated lyrics page. Annotations are the differentiator — verified artists, producers, and music fans explain references, samples, and meanings line by line. For hip-hop, R&B, and rock, the depth is unmatched.
Identification, annotations, and lyrics are all free. Ads are present but lighter than in Musixmatch or SoundHound.
Advantages:
- Free identification, no premium tier needed for core features
- Crowd-sourced annotations are unmatched for hip-hop and rock
- Verified artist contributions add primary-source context
- Notification access surfaces lyrics from streaming apps
- Light ad load compared to Musixmatch or SoundHound
Disadvantages:
- Identification engine is less consistent than Shazam in noisy environments
- Annotation depth varies wildly outside Western chart music
- No hum-to-search
Pricing: Free, with light banner ads.
5. YouTube Music — hum-to-search inside the app you already stream from
YouTube Music’s search bar has a microphone icon that does double duty. Tap it and you can either hum a melody or hold the phone up to the speaker. Either way, YouTube Music finds the track and lets you play it instantly — no need to switch apps after identification.
For people who already stream there, this collapses Shazam-plus-streaming into one step. The free tier identifies songs and plays them, with audio and video ads in between.
Advantages:
- Free with ads on identification and playback
- Hum, sing, or play the song to identify
- One tap from identification to full playback
- Per-track lyrics tab on most major releases
- Comes pre-installed on most Android devices
Disadvantages:
- Ads on free tier are louder and longer than Shazam
- Background playback requires Premium
- Lyrics are read-only, no overlay across other apps
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium (around $10.99/month) removes ads and enables downloads.
6. BeatFind / Music recognition — lightweight, focused, free
Now distributed as “Music recognition” by developer Javier Salmona, BeatFind is a stripped-down song identifier powered by ACRCloud. Tap the listen button, get the title and artist, jump straight into Spotify, Deezer, or YouTube to play the full track. A flashlight-and-visualiser “party mode” is the fun twist.
It is one of the lighter installs on this list (around 17 MB) and the interface is so simple that a phone with limited RAM handles it without complaint. Free with ads.
Advantages:
- Free, no premium tier
- Small install, low memory footprint
- Direct jump into Spotify, Deezer, or YouTube playback
- History saved per identification
- Light visualizer mode is a fun bonus
Disadvantages:
- Ad load is noticeable in the free version
- No lyrics
- Catalogue gaps on regional and very new releases (ACRCloud lags Apple’s Shazam database)
Pricing: Free.
7. Pixel Now Playing — free, on-device, no internet required
If you carry a Pixel phone, the best free Shazam alternative is already running. Pixel Now Playing listens continuously in the background and identifies songs without any network call. The fingerprint database lives on-device and updates periodically. Identified tracks appear on the lock screen and roll into a history page that builds a personal song journal over time.
Because everything happens locally, Pixel Now Playing also works on airplane mode, on the subway, and anywhere the signal drops. No ads, no upgrade prompts.
Download: Pre-installed on Pixel devices. Enable in Settings → Sound & vibration → Now Playing.
Advantages:
- Free, no ads, no account
- Fully on-device — works offline
- Continuous background listening, no tap needed
- Identified history is queryable and exportable
Disadvantages:
- Pixel-only
- Catalogue is smaller than Shazam, weaker on regional music
- Cannot identify on demand from speakers more than a metre away
Pricing: Free, included with Pixel OS.
How we picked the apps
Every entry on this list satisfies three rules:
- Truly free identification. No identification cap, no “try Premium” gate in front of the core “tell me what song this is” answer.
- Active on Android. Each app has had a release in the last 12 months and shows healthy install counts on Aptoide and Google Play.
- Real audio fingerprinting. Either proprietary (SoundHound, Shazam-likes), licensed (ACRCloud), or first-party (Pixel Now Playing). No metadata-only guesswork apps.
We excluded apps that gate the identification result behind a sign-up wall, apps that haven’t shipped an update in over a year, and “AI song finder” wrappers that scrape Genius without a fingerprint engine.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a better alternative to Shazam? SoundHound matches Shazam’s recognition on most tracks and adds hum-to-search, which Shazam still cannot do on Android. The Google app is also free, has no ads, and includes Hum to Search.
Does Shazam have a competitor? Several — SoundHound is the closest direct competitor, while Musixmatch and Genius approach the same problem with lyrics-first interfaces. Google’s Hum to Search and YouTube Music’s identification feature both compete from inside apps you may already use.
Can I identify songs without ads for free? Yes. The Google app, YouTube Music’s hum feature (when used briefly), and Pixel Now Playing all identify songs with no ads at no cost. SoundHound, Musixmatch, Genius, and BeatFind are free but ad-supported.
Which free app catches the most songs? SoundHound and the Google app tie for breadth in our tests. SoundHound is better for hum/sing input; the Google app wins on speed and zero ads. Shazam’s catalogue is still the largest overall, especially for non-English regional music.
Why do I need a Shazam alternative at all? The free Shazam Android app shows ads, pushes Apple Music, and skips features Apple gives the iOS version. If you do not subscribe to Apple Music, any of the apps on this list reduces friction.
Related reading on Unstore Discover
- Best Shazam alternatives in 2026 (we compared 7) — full roundup including paid options
- Shazam vs SoundHound vs Musixmatch 2026 — head-to-head comparison across accuracy, hum-to-search, lyrics, and privacy
- Best lyrics apps for Android — when knowing the lyrics matters more than the title
- Best apps for discovering new music on Android — where to find tomorrow’s favourite tracks
The free options on this list cover the everyday “what song is this?” reflex without spending anything. If you find yourself identifying songs daily — in clubs, cafes, or other people’s playlists — SoundHound or Musixmatch’s paid tier removes the ads, but the free apps above will get you most of the way there.
