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Music streaming

SoundCloud: The Music You Love reviews

What users love and hate, from real reviews

A streaming app with a one-of-a-kind library of underground tracks, remixes and independent artists for people fleeing Spotify, but one that increasingly squeezes its free listeners with ads, paywalls and instability.

500reviews analyzed
4.7average rating
13findings
Strengths

What users love

A unique library: remixes and underground tracks found nowhere else

The main reason people stay for years — remixes, leaks, independent artists and rare versions of songs you won't find on Spotify or YouTube Music. For music lovers it's irreplaceable crate-digging.

Every genre, with a multitude of remixes, leaks👀, and Playlists.

they have music I can't find anywhere else

Got the songs that Spotify loves to take out✌️😭

Free background play even with the screen locked

A big draw is background play with the screen off while gaming or using other apps — all on the free tier, unlike the "greedy" Spotify.

I like how you can still play music even if your phone is locked

I love that I am able to listen to music with my phone turned off.

It veey recommended cuz it allows you to play games while playing

Better than Spotify: discovery without recycling the same tracks

A constant comparison in SoundCloud's favour: it doesn't loop your same liked songs over and over but genuinely surfaces new artists in the vibe you picked. Many left Spotify for exactly this.

Other platforms will play the same song you liked over and over, SoundCloud introduces new artists to you while sticking to the vibe you pick.

WAY better than Spotify, you can go back in songs to parts you like, a lot of stuff. I love this app!

Fine alternative for Spotify.

An ethical platform for indie artists, yet its subscription squeezes them too

Many are won over by the mission: SoundCloud uplifts the underground, gives a stage to little-known artists and is seen as the most "ethical" platform. Yet artists complain they pay more in subscriptions than they earn back.

glitches and stops frequently :( but most ethical music platform out there at least

love the way this music player makes me feel about the underground music in the world.

the subscriptions have become an overpriced and exploitative system when the artist are paying more in subscriptions than they are making back being on the platform

Weak spots

What users hate

Ads have become unbearable: two or three in a row after every song

Ads used to come every 5-10 songs; now it's 30-90 seconds after every 1-3 tracks, sometimes three in a row. Long-time users say outright: you won't annoy me into paying.

having x2 30 second adverts after every 3.5/4 minute song is unsuitable listening. used to be every 5/10 songs. most now is every song.

One time I got 3. ads in a row. I don't think I ever felt more disgusted in a long time.

that now serves me up to THREE ADS after skipping songs

Constant crashes and music stopping for no reason

The app crashes several times a day, songs cut off after 30 seconds, playlists hang. Even paying subscribers complain the track just stops mid-listen.

crashes all the time, downloaded tracks aren't ever actually downloaded. hot garbage for $15 a month

used it all the time but now it just constantly crashes cant listen to a song for more that 30 seconds

select a playlist, hit play, enjoy the first song, then it will just stop playing

Favourite songs blocked by country geo-restrictions

Globally known artists and favourite tracks are marked "not available in your country" — songs that play easily on other apps. It hits listeners in India, Brazil and poorer countries hardest.

Geoblocks for globally known artists?!? Okay. Bye.

all songs should be available in all countries. all my favourite songs are not available in my country

Why lot's of song not available in India? other platforms provide every single songs out there. why?

The free tier is being gutted: downloads and popular tracks behind a paywall

What used to be free now needs a subscription: offline downloads removed from the free tier, and popular or iconic songs locked behind Go+. Users feel they're being milked.

it used to be a good app but wait too many ads and now it requires a subscription to download don't waste your time this app sucks big time!!!

every popular song or iconic song is locked behind a pay wall

have to purchase plan to download music how pathetic.

Liked songs and playlists vanishing on their own

Users lose hundreds of likes at once, playlists disappear, and past 1000 playlists the old ones start getting deleted. Like a song and it vanishes a second later.

It keeps removing my liked songs bru, hundreds at a time ts pmo

my likes keep getting removed after I lied it please fix this

After I made over 1000 playlists, it appears 1000 is the limit somehow so i keep get my older playlists deleted

Music auto-plays and hijacks audio from other apps

A SoundCloud-specific bug: the app starts playing on its own even after being closed — in the car, or over Instagram/YouTube audio. No other media player behaves this way.

this is the ONLY app that overrides everything and insists on auto-playing music EVEN AFTER I CLOSE THE APP

soundcloud will unpause itself and start playing it's audio on top of the audio of the other app

I enter my car and SoundCloud insists on blaring music when the app is not even supposed to be opened.

Can't create an account or log in, and support stays silent

Some people can't even get started: sign-up fails after 10-20 tries and support requests go unanswered. After reinstalling, the app won't log back into the account.

I'm trying to create account but not working i do it 10 times please help me to login

Tried everything to create an account and I also sent a message for help. After 20 minutes of trying everything I couldn't open an account and did not receive any feed back.

after re-installing it doesn't log into my account and just shows Error.

Sound quality and streaming stability falter, especially over Bluetooth

Complaints about no 320 kbps option, choppy audio over Bluetooth, lag and delays when switching tracks. Music lags and pauses unless you pay for Go+.

I am not able to use this app while connected to any Bluetooth device. It comes across as choppy

not having 320 qulity makes not perfect for me

terrible sound quality and unmoderated volume

The redesign copies Spotify and is worse than the old one

Long-time users dislike the redesign: the playlist "last modified" section is gone, getting to an artist's profile is harder, and the iconic cloud logo went from white to black — "it just looks like a copy of Spotify now".

old playlist ui was definitely better why remove the last modified section?

it just overall looks like a copy of spotify now, the old one was definitely better design wise

Why did you guys remove your OG app logo cloud from white to BLACK??

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