Shazam is also available on most popular platforms like iOS, Android and recently, there is a Chrome Extension so you can identify music on whatever webpage you might be on if you’re using a Chromium-based browser. Yes, Shazam works well, but it is not the only app doing this and in this post, we look at some of the alternatives.
Deezer SongCatcher
Deezer is among the most popular music streaming services today and is available in many regions across the globe. In fact, we feel like Deezer is an incredibly underrated app as it offers almost all the services that the big dogs do, often at a cheaper price and with even more useful features. Deezer comes with a built-in feature dubbed SongCatcher. This feature is baked into the app’s search function and allows you to let the app listen to music that is playing and try to identify it using its vast library as the database. If you so please, you can also add a shortcut icon for the SongCatcher feature on your homescreen as a widget. With this, you can simply click on the icon to start searching for a song. Personally, I am a fan of this, having one app do multiple things, means you need one less app installed on your phone. SongCatcher works well and gives you a link to listen to the song on Deezer. As it uses Deezer’s database, it is limited to songs only available on the platform but this isn’t an issue as the library sizes between Deezer and all these other platforms is comparable.
SoundHound
SoundHound has been available for a long time now but has seemingly always lived in the shadow of Shazam. Nonetheless, this is a brilliant tool and offers all the features you’d ever need from Shazam. Most notably, SoundHound comes with built-in Voice Control. This means that you can identify music around you using “Hey SoundHound…” hot word. This allows you to identify your music hands-free, Discover, search, and play just using your voice. SoundHound is available on iOS and Android. However, the base plan has ads and lacks many of the lucrative features that SoundHound advertises. There is also a SoundHound ∞ app that comes with Music Discovery and Hands-Free Player among other features. In a space where Shazam is free, this is a tough sell.
How to Use the Shazam Chrome Extension to Identify What’s Play in Any Chrome TabHow to Use Shazam From Your Android Notification ShadeHow to Use Shazam From Your iPhone’s Control CenterHow to Install and Use Shazam On Your MacBook
Google Assistant
Yes, the Google Assistant can also identify music that is playing around you. Should you be on Android, simply say ‘Ok Google, What song is playing?’ and wait for your personal digital assistant to do its thing.
Mousai
There is probably only one viable alternative to Shazam for users on Linux that is not web-based. Mousai is available on Flathub so if your distro supports this app distribution method, you might want to give it a shot. Like all these apps, you will need to be connected to the internet for Mousai to work. Simply open this app on your Linux and it’ll use your laptop’s mics to pick up whatever music is playing around you. Mousai keeps a list of all the tracks it has identified and offers you a link that opens a page like the one shown below. This page will offer you links to listen to the identified on all popular music streaming platforms like Deezer, Apple Music, and Spotify among others. Mousai is simple, does what it needs to do, and does it well, and is probably worth checking out should you want a Shazam alternative for your Linux desktop. Perhaps only one issue I realized, is the app doesn’t identify tracks as fast as Shazam does, but then that’s a stretch. Featured Image Courtesy of HTG
