Shazam review
A free, cross-platform identifier with lyrics, history, offline recognition, and listening links.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Shazam identifies songs playing around you, inside other apps, or in a web browser. It is designed for listeners who want more than a single song title: identified tracks can be saved to a library, lyrics can be viewed in time-synced or karaoke-style formats, and music discovery extends to charts, concert listings, recommendations, and music videos. The free product is available on web, iOS, Android, and through a Chrome extension, making it a practical fit for most people wanting a full-featured identifier.
Its strongest advantage is ecosystem fit. After identifying a track, Shazam provides links to Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer, with music video links through Apple Music and YouTube. That gives listeners a direct path from recognition to listening without limiting them to one service. Auto Shazam can identify music continuously, while the saved history provides a way to revisit earlier discoveries. The product has also been available since 2002, giving it a long operating history within this category.
Shazam covers a broad discovery workflow rather than focusing only on recognition. Offline recognition stores a request and matches it when the device reconnects, so it is useful when connectivity is interrupted, but the result is not synchronized immediately. Its Chrome extension supports browser-based identification, though users on other browsers do not get that extension option. People who want identification plus lyrics, listening links, charts, and discovery tools should choose Shazam. Someone seeking only a minimal identifier, or a browser extension outside Chrome, may prefer a narrower alternative.
Shazam pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Identifies songs from nearby audio, other apps, or a browser
- Offline recognition syncs saved requests after reconnecting
- Lyrics, charts, history, concert discovery, and listening links included
- Where it doesn't
- Offline matches require reconnection before synchronization
- Browser extension support is limited to Chrome
- Its free model has no paid tier for additional plan options
Shazam fact sheet, pricing and score →
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