10 Best Music Players for Windows PCs

Are you fond of listening to music? Here are the pros and cons for 10 best music players for Windows users. Some of them play videos, but all play audio files. Check this list and decide which music player you should stick to.

Freemake Music Box

Freemake Music Box is a free software developed by Freemake Assets Corporation. Originally Freemake Music Box played only online music from YouTube. However, now the software supports offline files from your PC.

Pros:
Freemake Music Box is easy to use and lets you manage your music library easily. It is free and many people adore it for its intelligent music search capabilities. The software features a very crisp visual interface and video watching function. The main feature of Freemake Music Box is the ability to play both offline and play online music. If the software can’t find a track on your PC, it’ll stream it from the Web. Freemake Music Box also lets create and import playlists in most popular formats: M3U, M3U8, ASX, TPL, KPL, WPL, AIMPPL, PLC, PLS, RLC, ZPL, XSPT, SMI.

Cons:
The interface is not very full and looks a little too empty when compared to others. The software doesn’t have an equalizer option, neither it supports music CDs. Moreover, if you like changing skins of your music player, Freemake Music Box is not your choice.

Supported formats: MP3, WMA, AAC, FLAC, WAV, OGG, M4A, APE, AIFF, M4B, MP2, MP1, MPC, M4R, SPX.

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is a standard audio and video player that is installed by default on every Windows based PC including the latest Windows 10.

Pros:
It plays the most common video files except for FLV, so you will need to convert FLV to some other format. It has a loop and shuffle function, and your playlist is only limited by the number of tracks you have on your PC. It allows you to store a large library and update its information off the net with data from music producers and top US writers. Moreover, Windows Media Player lets burn and rip audio disk to WAV, MP3 and WMA formats for further use on portable gadgets.

Cons:
Its shuffle function has a habit of playing the same songs during the same session and if you add too many to the playlist, more likely Windows Media Player won’t play them all. If you update your library manually, the software sometimes mixes up the information when it plays in your playlist.

Supported formats: MP3, WMA, CD, WAV, AIFF, MP2, MIDI, ASF.

Groove Music Player

Groove music is a default audio player of Windows 10. With its subscription based service, it has become pretty popular among users. It’s available on iOS, Android, Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile and Xbox One.

Pros: Groove Music doesn’t require any tech knowledge. It’s easy to add tracks and manage your music library. If you choose to use Groove streaming service, you’ll get an access to over 40 million tracks. The design is quite minimalistic and won’t distract your attention.

Cons: Unfortunately, Groove Music Player does not have an equalizer, so you can’t change sound output settings. Neither you can use auto playlists. Unlike Freemake Music Box, the software doesn’t allow you to export playlists.

Supported formats: MP3, FLAC, AAC, M4A, WAV, WMA, AC3, AMR.

iTunes

iTunes is a standard player of Apple computers. However, there was also released Windows version for those who use iPod, iPad and iPhone but don’t have Mac.

Pros:
iTunes has a very good looking interface and allows you to easily sort and organize your music and videos. Recently iTunes has got an iCloud integration. It means that every track you have in iTunes will now show up in your music library, whether or not it has been downloaded. The mini player is now smaller and more comfortable to manage. You may customize your media library by adding a colored background for each individual album. Besides, iTunes offers you to listen to radio stations and podcasts, burn your music tracks to CD, rip audio CDs, compress audio files, create iPhone ringtones and many more.

Cons:
Many people find iTunes hard to use. Now, it doesn’t let you create playlists or organize your tunes by the DJ like you could with iTunes 10. Moreover, the number of supported formats is not that huge.

Supported formats: MP3, WAV, Apple Lossless, AAC, AIFF, CD.

VLC is a well-known free audio and video player that supports a great number of media formats.

Pros:
VLC can play a lot of video files including BluRay and HD, and almost every music file type and it supports 10bit decoding. It is open source, but it is still updated on a regular occasion. In spite of the program is free, it does not have ads. VLC can stream media files from the Internet.

Cons:
The “skin” option could use some improvement and modernization. Both the library and playlist features are not up to modern standards and are beaten by the more popular and mainstream players. Some people complain that it crashes on their system, but it is not a common complaint.

Supported formats: AAC, AC3, ALAC, AMR, DTS, DV Audio, XM, FLAC, It, MACE, Mod, Monkey’s Audio, MP3, Opus, PLS, QCP, QDM2/QDMC, RealAudio, Speex, Screamtracker 3/S3M, TTA, Vorbis, WAV, WMA.

Foobar2000

Foobar2000 is one of the most popular music players adored by Windows users for its great customization and a variety of features.

Pros: Foobar2000 is a lightweight player with a clean minimalistic interface that can be easily changed with a number of skins. It can play the majority of popular audio formats and grab the missing meta-data from the Internet. The player lets you easily organize your music library and tracks any changes in a specified period of time. The software creators allow developers to add their own plugins to the app to expand its functionality. Foobar2000 also plays CD discs, HDCD, and can be used as DVD ripper for audio DVD discs.

Cons: Advanced features like skin changing and add-ons installation may seem a bit difficult for a beginner.

Supported formats: MP3, MP4, AAC, CD Audio, WMA, Vorbis, Opus, FLAC, WavPack, WAV, AIFF, Musepack, Speex, AU, SND.

MediaMonkey

MediaMonkey is an audio player for a serious music collector. The interface is highly customizable. It allows you to have different skins and rearrange the layout to better suit your needs.

Pros: The software has a built-in auto-DJ feature, called Party Mode, that automatically plays tracks based on set criteria. With this tool you can rip CDs, download podcasts and meta-data for your music tracks. As well as Foobar2000, MediaMonley scans your music collection and updates it when you delete the songs. One of the coolest MediaMonkey’s features is that it can sync with your iOS or Android phones.

Cons: At the first view the software may seem a little bit difficult. Besides, the whole number of features is available only in paid version for $24.95.

Supported formats: MP3, WMA, OGG, AAC, M4A, MPC, APE, FLAC, VQF, WAV, and audio CDs.

Clementine

Clementine player is an outstanding music tool famous for its support for Google Drive, Dropbox, Spotify, and Grooveshark tracks. It supports all most popular audio formats and gives an advanced music library management.

Pros: Clementine is a great choice for those who like to listen to podcasts and want to stream music from their cloud accounts. Simply sign in to your account within the software, and it’ll bring your tracks for you. Clementine also syncs with your USB devices and can add music to your phone or player. Moreover, the player gives you an Android app for remote control.

Cons: The software may use more CPU than it’s supposed too. Thus you’d better install it on a powerful PC or laptop.

Supported formats: MP3, OGG, FLAC, AAC.

MusicBee

MusicBee is a lightweight yet powerful music player for Windows PCs with beautiful and highly customizable interface.

Pros: The software lets you import music libraries from iTunes and Windows Media player and organize your music collection in a very simple way. MusicBee automatically fills the missing metadata of your tracks when you are connected to the Internet. Here you’ll also get a built-in ID3 tag editor to manually edit your music. One more great thing about MusicBee is numerous plugins that you may install to get more features.

Cons: Podcasts handling is rather limited and gives only a few options. Besides, the software uses quite a lot of CPU what might slow down old PCs.

Supported formats: MP3, AAC, M4A, MPC, OGG, FLAC, APE, Opus, TAK, WV, WMA and WAV, CDs.

The last but not the least is AIMP play that will be appreciated by Winamp fans for its similar design.

Pros: The player has a 18-band graphics equalizer with extra built-in sound effects. Thus you are free to increase the tempo, add an echo, pump up the bass and change other settings in the way you like. The software lets convert audio CDs to popular MP3 format to listen to on iPod, iPhone, Android and MP3 players. Other than that, AIMP allows you to listen to Internet radio stations and record radio streams in different formats. Besides, you can change the interface with a set of additional skins.

Cons: There are not serious cons about AIMP. It’s powerful, easy to use and can look the way you want.

Supported formats: CD, AAC, AC3, APE, FLAC, MIDI, M4A, MP3, OGG, WAV, WMA.

What music player do you use? Why did you choose it?

If none of the tools suggested above doesn’t support a rare audio format, try to convert the file with this Free Audio Converter.

10 Best And Free Music Player Apps For Windows [2020 Edition]

P eople who have spent a lot of money to curate their music collection are always in search of the best music player for Windows 10, or any other operating system for that matter.

That’s because these audio player apps allow audiophiles to listen to their favorite songs whenever they want and help them organize their library in a better way.

If we talk about 2020, there are many Windows music player software that you can have at your disposal. However, some old-school music players are out of the picture. Microsoft’s home-baked software, Windows Media Player, has been replaced by a newer audio player for Windows 10 called Groove Music.

The realm of free music apps for PC might be fading away with time, but still, many people consider local solutions over their internet-based audio streaming counterparts. So, without wasting any more time, let’s see 2020’s some of the best free music player software for Windows 10.

In case you are looking for the best audio player for other platforms, check out these:

Note: We have curated the list of some of the apps for Windows 10 and older versions. Please note that the names aren’t mentioned in any order of preference.

10 Best Free Music Player Software for Windows 10

• Dopamine
• Winamp
• MusicBee
• foobar2000
• AIMP
• MediaMonkey
• VLC
• iTunes
• Windows Media Player
• Spotify

1. Dopamine

This open-source audio player for Windows called Dopamine looks like a Microsoft-made UWP app, contrary to the fact that it isn’t, and is not available in the Store either. However, Dopamine is good enough that you can consider it as a Windows Media Player alternative.

After the speedy installation process of Dopamine completes, what you get to look and feel is enough to put it amongst other best and free music player apps.

The things users would like about this popular music app for Windows is the easy to navigate interface, not to mention, the fluidity. All the options and settings are placed in a way that users don’t need to strain their eyes to find them. There are many customizations that can be done to improve Dopamine’s interface.

Dopamine supports a vast number of audio formats, including MP4, WMA, OGG, FLAC, M4A, AAC, WAV, APE, and OPUS. This music playing app might fall behind a little regarding the feature set, but users can take advantage of various things like automatic meta-tagging, displaying lyrics in real-time, last.fm scrobbling, etc. Some of Dopamine’s features require the users to run Windows 10 on their computer.

Supported Platforms: Windows

2. Winamp

We all saw its charm in the 90s and later years, Winamp was the unofficial flag-bearer of free mp3 software for Windows back in the day. With a lightweight design, Winamp still comes with a multi-pane UI and offers tons of customization options to the users.

To name a few, you can create a well-organized media library from your local collection, curate playlists, get extensive audio format support, sync data with smartphones, and see visualizations while using this robust audio player for PC. Winamp also comes with a built-in web browser so you can browse your favorite website without going anywhere if needed.

However, a big selling point of Winamp is the support for custom skins, which means you can decorate this app the way you want by downloading skins. All of this makes Winamp a great contender for the best music player for Windows.

Furthermore, its makers are also working on a completely revamped version of Winamp, which might arrive in the coming future.

Supported Platforms: Windows 10, 8.1, 7

3. MusicBee

It is another well-known name in our list of the best music player for Windows 10. MusicBee is nearly a decade old and also works on Windows 7 and Windows 8.

As soon as you start using the music player, you’ll immediately appreciate its neat and clean user interface that is complemented by the color combination.

The creators of this free music player have made it easier for people who want to make a switch. MusicBee can easily import your iTunes music library. It comes with support for various audio formats, including MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG, APE, TAK, etc.

This audio player can sync your songs with Android phones, some iOS devices, USB drives, and other portable music players. It can also keep an eye on your hard drive for changes and update the music library automatically.

You can customize MusicBee with a number of skins and plugins (also supports some Winamp plugins). MusicBee’s list of features includes support for 15-band equalizer, DSP effects, CD ripping, automatic metadata import, etc.

MusicBee and doesn’t consume much space on your hard drive. It can be installed on Windows, just like any other software. But this Windows music player is also available as a portable version. Moreover, a UWP version of MusicBee is also available in Store.

Supported Platforms: Windows

4. foobar2000

Since its inception, foobar2000 has generated a cult following. Modular design of this simple music player for Windows 10 is big plus point. Thus, it’s easier to add new features and components to the free music player.

Foobar2000 desktop app is available for Windows 10 and older versions; it also offers portable installation. You can find this music software as a UWP app for Windows 10 and above. Foobar2000 apps are available for Android and iOS, as well.

In the first look, the interface is more minimalistic than any other audio app for PC out there. Some users might not like it, because, 2020 is here and people might not want to see a music player that appears to be designed for Windows 98. But as it’s said, don’t judge a book by its cover.

FooBar2000 can play a range of audio formats, including MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV, Opus, Speex, etc. It supports automatic meta import, CD ripping, and it can access compressed archives like ZIP, GZIP, 7z, etc. Then come the numerous keyboard shortcuts which you can customize at your will.

Supported Platforms: Windows, Android, iOS

5. AIMP

Hearing about AIMP gives a quick reminder of the great image editing software called GIMP. But this music player for Windows has no ties with GIMP which was developed by the GNU Project. In fact, AIMP, short for Artem Izmaylov, is named after its creator who released the first version in 2006.

For those people who consider visual appearance as a deal-breaker, AIMP is a top-rated music player in that sector. It can do a lot more than playing songs stored on the hard drive.

AIMP provides a good looking interface for organizing your song library, creating custom and smart playlists, rips CDs, manage meta tags, change player skins, etc.

Furthermore, AIMP can be a choice worth considering if you’re in search of a player for PC with equalizer. This Windows music player ships with an 18-band equalizer and a variety of sound effects to listen to the music as you like. A couple of things users would find convenient is the detachable playlist section and the ability to change the theme with a single click.

Regarding audio formats, this audio player for Windows supports almost every popular audio format out there. Also, there is a built-in audio converter, sleep timer, and an alarm clock feature, which even wakes a PC from sleep mode.

Supported Platforms: Windows, Android

Also Read: 11 Best Free Music Websites To Download Songs Legally

6. MediaMonkey

Another free music player software that can help you unclutter your messy collection is MediaMonkey. In the first appearance, it looks like a redesigned version of WMP but with way more features.

Besides playing numerous audio formats, this Microsoft Windows Media Player alternative can automatically tag audio files, help you sync files with devices, stream audio over your network, rip CDs, burn music to DVDs and CDs, convert audio format, manage volume automatically, and much more. This audio player for Windows has a dedicated jukebox that can help users fuel a party with their own music collection while preventing the library from being modified.

MediaMonkey is primarily a music app for Windows, but it’s also available in the form of Android and iOS apps that act as a wireless remote control. There is a premium version of the free music player called MediaMonkey Gold that is a way to get for an extra set of features.

Supported Platforms: Windows

7. VLC

Mostly known for playing movies and TV shows, VLC already tops the list of the best media players for Windows 10 in 2020. But the open source software has the capabilities to handle people’s music needs.

With VLC, users can easily create song playlists out of there local music collection and also stream it over their network. It also houses a number of online radio services that users can access at their fingertips. The built-in equalizer is complemented by other advanced audio management feature which VLC is already known for.

Why people love VLC is because it can play almost every audio and video format that exists. Also, VLC has some amazing tricks and hidden features up its sleeve. The availability of apps for almost every popular platform makes VLC one of the best free music player software as well.

Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Chrome OS, Apple TV, Windows Phone.

8. iTunes

Do I need to tell you about iTunes? Probably, the answer would be ‘No.’ Other than being a bridge between iOS devices and computers, iTunes is also one of the best free music players for Windows 10 in addition to macOS. A reason why you can prefer iTunes is this single music player can solve different types of music needs, but the bulkiness of this music player might compel some users to take a step back.

iTunes can play your locally stored music, and it can play the music you bought on the iTunes music store. And if you have subscribed to Apple Music, this free music player triples as an online music streaming app for Windows.

iTunes supports popular audio formats, including MP3, WAV, AIFF, Apple Lossless, and AAC. It also provides an easy way to manage your songs in the library. Other than playing songs on your PC, you can also stream them to other devices on your local network using a feature called ‘home-sharing.’

Standard music player features in iTunes include the equalizer, optional compact mode, metadata import, etc. Another advantage that makes iTunes a considerable choice is that Apple backs it. So, updates and new features are added at regular intervals.

Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android

9. Windows Media Player

The simplicity and ease of use offered by WMP still make it one of the best and free audio player software for Windows OS, even on Windows 10 as an optional feature.

If you don’t like the default look of the player, there are many custom skins for WMP. You’ll easily recognize what the music player has become as you would be able to see those visualizations while playing music.

WMP has got your back when it comes to playing different audio file formats, and it can also play some video formats and image formats. You can efficiently manage your songs library, create playlists, rip music, burn your music collection, etc.

The free music player can also import metadata from the internet. You can sync your music library with different types of portable devices using Windows Media Player. And just like iTunes, WMP also allows you to share your library over your local network.

If you are still looking for a Microsoft-owned music player and manager, you can check out the pre-installed Groove music software. The Windows app has recently gained quite a momentum.

Supported Platforms: Windows

10. Spotify

Many of you use Spotify streaming service on your iOS and Android smartphone. But you might not know, Spotify’s desktop app can turn out to be a great Windows music player app for your PC. It not only brings a vast collection of online music but allows you to play local content as well.

Similar to its phone apps, Spotify on Windows 10 syncs your account and adds “Friend’s activity” to the right side of the screen. Moreover, all the features are available on the desktop app. For instance, you can opt for a private session, play offline songs, listen to a podcast, and more.

The best part about having Spotify is that you can steam millions of songs as well as play music saved on your Windows PC. Not to mention, the fact that it’s a completely free music software for Windows 10.

You can also toggle on the experimental features on the Spotify music app for Windows 10. The only drawback it is more focused on streaming music as compared to other mp3 player apps, which means there are not many functions when it comes to local music.

Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chromebook

What is the best music player for Windows 10?

As you can see, each audio player for Windows 10 excels in some parts or the other. It all comes down to the fact which part of the media player you like the most.

While Dopamine seems to provide a simple music player, MusicBee, AIMP, and VLC offer features that cater to advanced users. On the other hand, Spotify and iTunes take you into the world of online music streaming. Also, there is Winamp, which can take you down the nostalgia lane.

So, in the end, you decide which one of them you see as the best music player for Windows 10. Whether you just want to listen to songs, manage a gigantic music library, or you prefer the looks of a Windows music player above everything else.

Share your views in the comment section below.