The Best Music Identification Apps in 2026
We researched music identification apps through official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. Rankings focus on the core job of recognizing songs, value for money and verified features such as platform coverage, lyrics, history and offline support across music identification apps.
Our top picks
-
Top ranked
Shazam#1 of 239.3/10A free, cross-platform identifier with lyrics, history, offline recognition, and listening links.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
SoundHound#2 of 238.8/10A mobile music finder for humming, nearby-song recognition, lyrics and playback.
Free plan
-
Top-ranked free plan
ACRCloud#3 of 238.6/10A broad audio identification platform for businesses building recognition workflows.
Free plan · 14-day trial
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 23 tools, best first
-
Best forMost people wanting a full-featured identifier
A free, cross-platform identifier with lyrics, history, offline recognition, and listening links.
- Offline identification
- Lyrics
- Identification history
9.3/10★★★★★Visit Shazam -
Best forMobile users who hum or sing songs
A mobile music finder for humming, nearby-song recognition, lyrics and playback.
- Lyrics
- Identification history
- Listening links
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit SoundHound -
Best forBusinesses needing broad identification workflows
A broad audio identification platform for businesses building recognition workflows.
- Offline identification
- Listening links
Free plan · 14-day trial Our ACRCloud verdict → Visit ACRCloudFor vendors Sponsor this spot · #3 · $79/mo →8.6/10★★★★☆Visit ACRCloud -
Best forBrowser users needing flexible recognition tools
A browser-focused recognizer with broad input options, history, playlists, and streaming links.
- Identification history
- Listening links
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit AHA Music -
Best foriPhone users who want saved audio evidence
A free iPhone identifier for listeners who want searchable audio evidence.
- Offline identification
- Identification history
- Listening links
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit Snag -
Best forListeners researching samples, covers, and remixes
A music identifier built for tracing samples, covers, remixes, and song connections.
- Identification history
- Listening links
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit WhoSampled -
Best forAndroid users wanting an open-source identifier
A free, open-source Android identifier with flexible recognition and useful music history.
- Lyrics
- Identification history
- Listening links
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit Audile -
Best foriPhone users wanting continuous recognition
A focused iPhone music identifier with continuous matching and Last.fm scrobbling.
- Identification history
- Listening links
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit AirScrobble -
Best forFree mobile users sharing music across services
A free mobile option for identifying songs and sharing them across services.
- Identification history
- Listening links
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Annie -
Best forPeople identifying songs from melodies
A free iOS app for finding songs from melodies stuck in your head.
- Identification history
- Listening links
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit Earworm -
Best forChrome users identifying browser audio for free
A free Chrome extension for identifying browser audio and revisiting song history.
- Identification history
- Listening links
7.4/10★★★★☆Try Music Identifier -
Best forWeb users identifying uploaded or linked audio
A free web and API service for identifying songs from files, links, and short clips.
- Listening links
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit AudioTag -
Best forOpen-source desktop users and developers
A free desktop recognizer with flexible audio inputs, history export, and CLI access.
- Identification history
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit SongRec -
Best forTeams needing API and stream monitoring
A flexible recognition API for teams building monitoring and music metadata features.
- Lyrics
- Identification history
- Listening links
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit AudD -
Best forOpen-source Android users wanting lyrics
A focused Android identifier with lyrics, artwork, metadata, and local history.
- Lyrics
- Identification history
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit MuID -
Best forLinux users identifying desktop or microphone audio
A free Linux app for identifying desktop or microphone audio, with saved history and listening links.
- Identification history
- Listening links
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Mousai -
Best forAndroid users identifying social-video audio
A focused Android tool for identifying audio from Reels, Shorts, and other apps.
- Listening links
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit MuziFind -
Best forPixel owners wanting automatic background recognition
A free Pixel feature for automatic recognition, history, and playback links.
- Identification history
- Listening links
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Google Pixel -
Best forAndroid users wanting a minimal open-source app
A focused, free and open-source music identifier for Android.
- Identification history
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit Audire -
Best forEnterprise copyright and rights-compliance teams
A rights-focused identification suite for media businesses, not casual song lookup.
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Audible Magic -
Best forMedia platforms needing metadata-rich recognition
A metadata-rich music recognition API for media and entertainment products.
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit Gracenote -
Best forRights teams monitoring broadcast usage
A rights-focused platform for identifying, reporting, and managing music usage at scale.
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit BMAT -
Best forRights searches involving modified or covered audio
A specialized search platform for identifying recordings, covers, and modified audio.
- Listening links
5.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Pex Search
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Platform support | Identification history | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shazam | Yes | Free | Cross-platform | Yes | 9.3 |
| 2 | SoundHound | Yes | Mobile | Yes | 8.8 | |
| 3 | ACRCloud | Yes | Cross-platform | 8.6 | ||
| 4 | AHA Music | Yes | Cross-platform | Yes | 8.4 | |
| 5 | Snag | Yes | Free | Mobile | Yes | 8.2 |
| 6 | WhoSampled | Yes | Cross-platform | Yes | 8.1 | |
| 7 | Audile | Yes | Free | Mobile | Yes | 8.0 |
| 8 | AirScrobble | Yes | Mobile | Yes | 7.8 | |
| 9 | Annie | Yes | Free | Mobile | Yes | 7.7 |
| 10 | Earworm | Yes | Free | Mobile | Yes | 7.6 |
| 11 | Music Identifier | Yes | Free | Browser | Yes | 7.4 |
| 12 | AudioTag | Yes | Browser | 7.3 | ||
| 13 | SongRec | Yes | Free | Cross-platform | Yes | 7.2 |
| 14 | AudD | No | $450/mo | Cross-platform | Yes | 7.1 |
| 15 | MuID | Free | Mobile | Yes | 6.8 | |
| 16 | Mousai | Yes | Free | Desktop | Yes | 6.7 |
| 17 | MuziFind | Free | Mobile | 6.6 | ||
| 18 | Google Pixel Now Playing | Yes | Free | Mobile | Yes | 6.5 |
| 19 | Audire | Yes | Free | Mobile | Yes | 6.5 |
| 20 | Audible Magic | Cross-platform | 6.3 | |||
| 21 | Gracenote MusicID | Cross-platform | 6.2 | |||
| 22 | BMAT Vericast | Cross-platform | 6.1 | |||
| 23 | Pex Search | Cross-platform | 5.7 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- Shazam vs SoundHound
- Shazam vs ACRCloud
- Shazam vs AHA Music
- Shazam vs Snag
- Shazam vs WhoSampled
- Shazam vs Audile
- Shazam vs AirScrobble
- SoundHound vs ACRCloud
- SoundHound vs AHA Music
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How we rank music identification apps
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update