Although Spotify is one of the amazing music streaming apps Africans are using to feel the vibes of African culture. Beyond Africa, Spotify is one of the biggest music streaming platforms in the world. The app is known for offering access to over 100 million songs and 5 million podcasts. It’s available in more than 180 countries and supports almost every device—phones, game consoles, laptops, smartwatches, tablets, and smart TVs.
While Spotify offers a free version of its services with limited access, it also offers paid versions to its services: a Solo plan for $9.99, a Duo plan at $12.99 for two people living at the same address, and a Family plan priced at $15.99, which supports up to six users in the same household. There's also a discounted student plan available for $4.99, which requires verification of enrollment.
Like I said, there is also a Spotify plan that is free, but it comes with ads, limited skips, and restricted playback on mobile devices. These are the features you can access while on the free plan: access to Spotify’s full library (with limitations), ads every few songs, no offline downloads, shuffle play on mobile (on most playlists), lower audio quality (up to 160 kbps), and six skips per hour.
Restrictions to these amazing features on Spotify are what pushed me to compile this list so that Africans can at least have access to the world of Afrobeat music with little to no restriction when they don't have money to pay for the paid version. So, let's dive into the primary reason for this article without wasting much ado.
3 Best Free Spotify Alternatives in Africa
1. YouTube Music
With YouTube Music, Africans have access to the full YouTube Music catalog, including songs, albums, and playlists—but it's ad-supported. You'll also be allowed to create and share your own playlists. In fact, no restriction is applied to YouTube Music when it comes to accessing it as long as you're watching ads as a free user.
Another amazing thing that makes me love YouTube Music is that YouTube Music has 99.99% of African music. Notwithstanding, getting the premium version of YouTube Music is still the best because you'll have access to everything on the streaming app.
For instance, the background playback that is blocked on free accounts, the inability to download music for offline use, and the ads interrupting playback will be eliminated if you pay for the YouTube Premium tier that costs just ₦1,700 per month for an individual account and ₦2,800 for the family plan.
2. Deezer
Deezer is another full-scale music streaming service that offers access to over 90 million tracks, along with thousands of podcasts and radio stations to Africans. This streaming service is one of the best alternatives to YouTube Music and Spotify in Africa. Beyond Africa, Deezer is available in over 180 countries, making it a top rival to streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music on a global scale.
Although Deezer offers both free and paid plans, with its free plan, you get to watch ads, and you don’t get full control over what to play, but for casual listening or background music, it does the job. The Deezer free plan offers:
- Access to Deezer’s full music catalog (but playback is limited to shuffle on mobile).
- Personalized mixes through “Flow” and mood-based playlists.
- Six skips per hour, which can be very frustrating and annoying, especially if you’re trying to get to a specific song.
- Occasional ads, mostly short and not too intrusive.
- Standard audio quality of 128 kbps.
On the other hand, Deezer offers several Premium plans, including an Individual plan for $10.99/month with ad-free listening, offline downloads, unlimited skips, and high-quality audio. There’s also a Student plan for $5.99, a Duo plan for $14.99 for two users, and a Family plan for $19.99 for up to six accounts. Most premium tiers now include HiFi mode with FLAC-quality streaming. Prices may vary by country and can be much lower outside the U.S.—for instance, around ₦1300/month in Nigeria.
3. SoundCloud
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SoundCloud stands out as one of the best alternatives to Spotify for offering music to Africans, especially for emerging artists and fans of local sounds. Unlike Spotify, which primarily focuses on mainstream global hits, SoundCloud gives African musicians—both established and up-and-coming—a platform to upload and share their music freely, without the need for a label.
This open-access model has allowed diverse genres like Afrobeats, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, and more underground sounds to thrive and reach international audiences. Additionally, SoundCloud's user-driven ecosystem helps artists connect directly with fans, build followings organically, and even monetize their work through fan support and creator tools.
For listeners in Africa, this means access to a richer variety of local and independent content that often isn't available on more commercial platforms. Its flexibility, community vibe, and emphasis on discovery make SoundCloud a culturally relevant and empowering choice for Africa’s fast-growing music scene.
I can say this streaming platform is built for Africans because with its free plan, you'll be able to access over 120 million tracks, including remixes, live performances, demos, and originals. The SoundCloud free tier also comes with standard audio quality with occasional ads in between streams, the ability to create playlists and follow creators, and the ability to upload up to 3 hours of audio with basic analytics.
However, SoundCloud offers two main premium plans:
- SoundCloud Go for $4.99/month.
- SoundCloud Go+ for $9.99/month.
While the SoundCloud Go premium plan provides ad-free listening, offline access, and most of the music catalog, SoundCloud Go+ adds high-quality audio and full access to all 150 million tracks. For creators, there are three tiers:
- Next, formerly Basic (which is the free plan)
- Next Plus
- Next Pro
SoundCloud Next allows up to 3 hours of uploads with basic stats. The Next Plus costs about $2.50/month to offer unlimited uploads, enhanced analytics, and distribution options. The Next Pro is around $9.99 to $12.99/month and includes full features like advanced stats, monetization tools, and partner benefits. Some creators report that Go+ is included in paid creator plans, but this may vary.
Conclusion
These three streaming platforms—YouTube Music, SoundCloud, and Deezer—are the best alternatives to Spotify when it comes to offering streaming services to Africans. They open access to diverse African genres like Afrobeats, Amapiano, Bongo Flava, and more underground sounds. So, if you're considering less cost-effective music streaming platforms in Africa, these three are go-to platforms you can explore.
