SoundCloud vs YouTube Music
Recent reviews clearly favor SoundCloud.
Based on 500 + 500 recent App Store reviews · updated 1d ago
Who wins on…
| Measure | SoundCloud | YouTube Music |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfaction scoreFrom 0 to 100, based on recent reviews. | 52/100 Wins | 42/100 |
| Recent averageAverage stars in the reviews we read. | 4.0★ Wins | 2.4★ |
| 1–2 star reviewsShare of recent reviews. Lower is better. | 22% Wins | 58% |
| Reviews we read TieMore reviews make the score more solid. | 500 | 500 |
| App Store rating TieAll-time rating on the App Store. | 4.8★ | 4.8★ |
| Number of ratingsAll-time ratings on the App Store. | 2,066,959 Wins | 1,516,037 |
SoundCloud wins 4, YouTube Music wins 0, and 2 are ties. The first four rows come from the reviews we read. The last two are all-time App Store numbers.
Which should you pick?
Recent reviews clearly favor SoundCloud. It scores 52 out of 100 for satisfaction, and YouTube Music scores 42. Only 22% of SoundCloud’s recent reviews give 1 or 2 stars, against 58% for YouTube Music.
Pick SoundCloud if you want what its fans praise most: Best place for underground and unreleased music
. Pick YouTube Music if you would rather have this: Better than Spotify for many users
. Each app has a weak spot. For SoundCloud it is App crashes on launch or on play
, and for YouTube Music it is App crashes or freezes during playback
. Both apps get complaints about crashes and bugs and 2 more issues, so do not expect either one to fix that for you.
We read 500 recent reviews of SoundCloud and 500 of YouTube Music, so this shows how people feel now.
Recent rating mix
Share of recent reviews at each star level.
Shared complaints
Users of both apps complain about these. Expect them whichever one you pick.
Crashes and bugs
App crashes on startup and when it doesn't, it crashes when I click on a song.
this app crashes on my daily
Too many ads
Playing back-to-back-back unskippable ads doesn't make me want to sign up
There is an add each time before and after a single song
Price and paywalls
Making certain songs unplayable as a premium feature is despicable
Why do I have to pay for it to be in the background?
What users love
SoundCloud-
Best place for underground and unreleased music35× mentions
It's just the best for underground music. You can find music you won't find anywhere else.
-
Better than Spotify for finding music30× mentions
This is literally better than spotify in my opinion
-
Huge library, songs others lack18× mentions
There is not a song that I can't find on SoundCloud
-
Few ads on the free tier10× mentions
There are less ads . you can pick whatever song you want.
YouTube Music-
Better than Spotify for many users12× mentions
Still better than Spotify
-
Huge catalog, including obscure and independent music10× mentions
it has literally every song ever
-
Recommendations surface music people like6× mentions
has very good recommendations
-
Bundled with YouTube Premium value3× mentions
YouTube premium carrying over to YT music is the greatest subscription ever
What users hate
SoundCloud-
App crashes on launch or on play90× mentions
App crashes on startup and when it doesn't, it crashes when I click on a song.
-
Recent update broke older iPhones25× mentions
I'm on iOS 16 and my soundcloud does not work
-
Too many ads, unskippable ones35× mentions
Playing back-to-back-back unskippable ads doesn't make me want to sign up
-
Songs locked behind premium paywall10× mentions
Making certain songs unplayable as a premium feature is despicable
Why some say they are leaving
- Switching to Spotify after repeated crashes
- Deleting and reinstalling without the app ever working again
- Cancelling premium after launch crashes persist for days
YouTube Music-
App crashes or freezes during playback30× mentions
this app crashes on my daily
-
Ads between nearly every song18× mentions
There is an add each time before and after a single song
-
Background play locked behind Premium18× mentions
Why do I have to pay for it to be in the background?
-
Shuffle repeats the same songs18× mentions
it starts over after a hundred songs or so
Why some say they are leaving
- Switching to Spotify or Apple Music after crashes and bugs
- Canceling Premium because the free tier is unusable
- Deleting the app after playlists and downloads disappear
What users want
SoundCloud-
Lyrics display4× mentions
Add lyrics! ... the only thing you need to add now is LYRICS!!
-
Block artists or tracks from stations4× mentions
Let us Block... We should be able to block accounts/profiles/artists
-
Free downloads or offline for free users4× mentions
at least give 12 free song downloads per person
-
Fewer or skippable ads6× mentions
Less ads please lol
YouTube Music-
Real shuffle through entire playlists8× mentions
make it so that the whole playlist is actually shuffled
-
Free background and screen-off playback6× mentions
Just wish this was free to play in the background
-
Filter or label AI-generated music6× mentions
there's no way to filter out AI music
-
Proper iPhone Duo support5× mentions
App needs to be optimized for the iPhone Duo
Questions people ask
Which is better, SoundCloud or YouTube Music?
Recent reviews favor SoundCloud. It scores 52 out of 100 for satisfaction, and YouTube Music scores 42. 22% of recent SoundCloud reviews give 1 or 2 stars, against 58% for YouTube Music.
What do users dislike about SoundCloud and YouTube Music?
SoundCloud users complain most about App crashes on launch or on play
. YouTube Music users complain most about App crashes or freezes during playback
. Both get complaints about crashes and bugs.
What do SoundCloud and YouTube Music users want next?
SoundCloud users most often ask for Lyrics display
. YouTube Music users most often ask for Real shuffle through entire playlists
.
How did you compare SoundCloud and YouTube Music?
We read the 500 most recent App Store reviews of SoundCloud and the 500 most recent of YouTube Music. Then we sum up what users love, hate and want, and give each app a satisfaction score from 0 to 100. The scores come only from those reviews.
Want the details? Read how we read reviews.
Keep exploring
Full SoundCloud teardownEvery insight from 500 reviews
SoundCloud alternativesApps users like more
Full YouTube Music teardownEvery insight from 500 reviews
YouTube Music alternativesApps users like more
Music leaderboardBest-loved apps in this category
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YouTube Music vs Spotify
YouTube Music vs Apple Music
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Is one of these your app?
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