Best free music apps for offline listening: Audiomack, Freegal, and Spotify

Streaming apps eat data fast. If you want to listen without Wi-Fi or a data plan, you need music saved on your phone. Here’s the short answer on free music apps for offline listening: Audiomack lets free users download songs and albums, Freegal Music works through a participating public library, and Spotify’s free plan can’t download music at all. Here’s how each one works and what the catch is.

Free music apps offline at a glance

I compared each app’s store listing and the company’s own pages. Prices and ratings are as of October 2026 and can change.

Audiomack: best for free downloads

Audiomack is made by Audiomack, Inc. Its site says free users can listen and download songs and albums without a subscription, and that downloaded music plays without a data connection. Its paid tier mainly removes ads and adds features, and Audiomack’s pages describe the paid plan as having unlimited downloads. The company doesn’t say what the free limit is on those pages, so check the app.

• Pros: Free downloads, a huge number of ratings, and works on both iPhone and Android.
• Cons: Google Play says it contains ads. The App Store lists Premium at $6.99 a month and other purchases, so read the plan before you tap. Catalogs differ by app, so check that the music you want is there.
• Privacy (App Store label): A long list: purchases, location, contact info, user content, search history, identifiers, usage data, and diagnostics are used to track you or linked to you.
• Price: Free with ads and in-app purchases.

Download it from the App Store or Google Play. See Audiomack’s offline page.

Freegal Music: best if you have a library card

Freegal Music is made by Library Ideas, LLC, and it’s free to you because your public library pays for it. Its FAQ says you can download and stream music on compatible devices if your participating library offers the service. Limits and rules vary by library, so ask yours how many songs you can download and how long you can keep them.

• Pros: Free with a library card, no ads or in-app purchases listed, and the App Store label says data is not collected.
• Cons: It only works if your library participates. Ratings are lower than the other two, at 3.08 on the App Store and 2.84 on Google Play.
• Price: Free to you.

Download it from the App Store or Google Play. Then search for your library in the app and sign in with your library card number.

Spotify: the free plan can’t download music

Spotify says free users can’t download music, and that on the free version you can only download podcasts. Its support page on listening offline says downloading music is a Premium feature, with a limit of 10,000 tracks on each of up to five devices, and that you need to go online at least once every 30 days to keep your downloads.

• Good for: Streaming with ads when you have Wi-Fi or data.
• The catch: No offline music without Premium.
• Privacy (App Store label): Data used to track you includes contact info, identifiers, and usage data, and a long list is linked to you.

Download it from the App Store or Google Play.

How to listen offline

1. Open the App Store or Google Play, search for the app’s name, and check the developer.
2. Install it and open it while you’re on Wi-Fi.
3. Find a song or an album and look for the download button, usually an arrow pointing down.
4. Wait for the download to finish while you’re still on Wi-Fi.
5. Switch your phone to Airplane Mode and open the app’s downloads section to check that the music plays.
6. Delete downloads you don’t need to save space.

For more picks, browse our streaming app guides and our offline app picks.

Frequently asked questions

Bottom line

• Best free download option: Audiomack.
• Best if you have a library card: Freegal Music.
• Not for offline music: Spotify’s free plan.

Download a few songs before your next trip and test them in Airplane Mode. Plans, limits, and catalogs change, so check each app before you rely on it.