SoundHound review
A mobile music finder for humming, nearby-song recognition, lyrics and playback.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
SoundHound is a mobile music identification and discovery app for people who want to recognize songs they hear, sing or hum. Available on iOS and Android, it returns song details and lyrics, saves identified songs to a personal history, and supports voice commands through “Hey SoundHound.” It suits listeners who want to move from recognition to playback without leaving the app.
Its strongest advantage is the range of ways it helps users identify and revisit music. SoundHound can recognize nearby songs as well as songs users sing or hum, then provide real-time lyrics and store discoveries in a personal history. Voice control adds another way to search, while the built-in YouTube music player supports playback. Discoveries can also be linked to Apple Music, YouTube and Spotify, subject to service and location availability, and synced across devices.
SoundHound uses a freemium model. The Free plan includes music identification, built-in YouTube playback and lyrics, while SoundHound∞ provides an ad-free experience through a one-time ad-removal purchase. Identification searches made without internet access are saved as pending for later retry rather than completed offline, so it is better suited to connected mobile use than offline discovery. Choose SoundHound if humming, lyrics, history and multiple listening links matter; consider another option if offline identification is essential or if an ad-supported free experience is not suitable.
SoundHound pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Recognizes songs playing nearby or sung and hummed by users
- Provides real-time lyrics and keeps a personal identification history
- Connects with Apple Music, YouTube and Spotify across iOS and Android
- Where it doesn't
- Identification searches require internet access for results
- The free experience is ad-supported
- Some playback and service availability varies by location
SoundHound fact sheet, pricing and score →
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.
Last updated · How we research and update