YouTube Music alternative
As of 19 Oct 2026, 12 Android apps can take over from YouTube Music. The files on the phone stay. Start with Poweramp.
A music player with deep sound tuning
A premium player with themes, a serious equalizer and a library that still looks current on a flagship.
Hand-checked 22 Oct 2026.
The things people use YouTube Music for, and which alternatives do them today. Hand-checked against each maker's own pages.
| Feature | YouTube Music | Poweramp | Retro Music | Symfonium | Fossify Music Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play files on the phone | Downloads | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Equalizer | Limited | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NAS, Plex or Jellyfin | — | — | — | ✓ | — |
| Synced lyrics | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Works without an account | Google account | ✓ | ✓ | Optional | ✓ |
Source: each maker's website, read by a person on 22 Oct 2026. "—" means not offered, as far as the maker says.
12 music players you can set as the default. Sort by any column.
| App ▼ | What it does | Price | Updated ▼ | Min Android ▼ | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PowerampMax MP |
A music player with deep sound tuning | — | Hand-checked 17 Oct 2026 | — | website |
SymfoniumSymfonium |
One library for your phone, NAS, Plex, Jellyfin and cloud drives | — | Hand-checked 17 Oct 2026 | — | website |
Retro MusicHemanth Savarala |
A music player with rich Now Playing themes | Free | 16 Aug 2026 | Android 7.0+ | website |
PixelPlayerOSSlostf1sh |
Local-first Android music player for offline and self-hosted libraries | Free | 17 Aug 2026 | Android 11+ | F-Droid |
MusicoletKrosbits |
A local music player with multiple queues | — | Hand-checked 17 Oct 2026 | — | website |
MA MusicVayun Mathur |
A basic M3Y music player app | Free | 4 Aug 2026 | Android 12+ | F-Droid |
LuneMrDemonc |
Modern local music player for Android | Free | 29 Sept 2026 | Android 7.0+ | F-Droid |
GramophoneFoedus Programme |
A Material You music player for the files on your phone | Free | 23 Aug 2026 | Android 5.0+ | website |
Fossify Music PlayerFossify |
A simple offline music player | Free | 14 Oct 2026 | Android 8.0+ | website |
Chocolasosauce |
Chocola is a cute and powerful offline music player app for Android! | Free | 18 Oct 2026 | Android 9+ | F-Droid |
Booming MusicMardous |
A music player with word-level synced lyrics | Free | 1 Oct 2026 | Android 8.0+ | website |
AuxioAlexander Capehart |
A simple, rational music player | Free | 5 Aug 2026 | Android 7.0+ | F-Droid |
Songs already on the phone stay in Music and Downloads. A new player reads the same folders. Streaming stays in YouTube Music unless you add a server.
Pick one from the table. Keep YouTube Music for now.
Poweramp, Retro Music and Auxio scan the phone. Symfonium can add a NAS or Plex.
Open a song, tap Open with, pick the new player, then Always.
Start with Poweramp if you want themes and a serious equalizer. Retro Music if you want album art as wallpaper. Symfonium if your library lives on a server.
Playlists in YouTube Music stay there. Local files stay in Music and Downloads. The new player builds its own library from those folders.
Yes. Open a song, tap Open with, pick YouTube Music, then Always.
No. Poweramp plays files on the phone. Keep YouTube Music for the catalog, or use Symfonium if you have a NAS.
Not for Poweramp, Retro Music or Fossify Music Player. Symfonium only if you add a server that asks.
