Spotify and YouTube Music lean on label catalogs, while SoundCloud leans on what artists upload themselves, from DJ sets to remixes. Its pitch is discovery: curated mixes, a Discover Feed and a catalog the developer puts at 400M+ tracks from 30M+ artists. The app is free, shows ads and offers in-app purchases.
Finding music that is not on the big catalogs
SoundCloud holds more than 400M tracks from over 30M artists across 193 countries, according to the store description. The pitch is early access: emerging artists, DJ sets, remixes, edits and deep cuts before they spread elsewhere.
The app has been around since December 20, 2010, and it still centers on uploads. You can also publish your own tracks to a global audience, which makes it a place for both listening and releasing.
Discover Feed, mixes and community tools
For discovery, the app plays curated mixes and playlists based on what you already like. The Discover Feed surfaces trending material through Hot For You and trending track lists.
The social side is wider than in most players. You can browse Suggested Follows, send DMs, share tracks, leave Comments and Quick Reactions, and see Liked By indicators on what friends enjoy. Fans can earn a place on an artist's First & Top Fans list. Cast to Devices lets you share playlists on other speakers or screens. Messaging Bubbles are an iOS feature, so do not expect them on Android.
Free, Go and Go+: what to check before installing
The free tier plays tracks from independent and established artists with ads. SoundCloud Go removes ads and lets you save tracks for offline listening. Go+ adds premium Go+ tracks, exclusive app integrations for DJ sets and Fan-Powered Royalties, which direct stream money to independent artists.
Check subscription prices in the store listing. The content rating is Teen. The interface is available in English, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Arabic. Support runs through soundcloudcommunity.com, help.soundcloud.com and the SCsupport account on Twitter.
SoundCloud pros and cons
Pros
- Free tier works without paying, with ads
- Huge upload-driven catalog of DJ sets, remixes and deep cuts
- Go removes ads and adds offline saving
- Community tools such as comments, DMs and Suggested Follows
- You can upload your own tracks
Cons
- Free listening includes ads
- Offline listening and ad removal need a paid Go or Go+ plan
- Messaging Bubbles are iOS only
- Subscription prices are not shown on this page
Is SoundCloud safe?
The app is published by SoundCloud and is distributed through Google Play, where it holds a 4.7 rating. It carries a Teen content rating, contains ads and offers in-app purchases. A privacy policy and terms of use are available on soundcloud.com and are worth reading before you sign up. No independent security review is available.
How to install SoundCloud
- Press the Google Play button on this page.
- Check the listing in the Play Store and press Install.
- Open SoundCloud when the install finishes. Updates arrive through Google Play.
