Downloading music onto local devices for further enjoyment is a common demand, and a simple Google search will tell that there are a plethora of free music download sites out there. However, it’s always important to find legal music websites for downloading free music, since copyright is what protects the creative work of artists, not to mention the safety of us users.
In this list, we’ve gathered the 17 best free music download websites that allow you to instantly download music onto your computer or mobile phone and save offline for completely free and legally.
This article mainly includes the following parts of information:
- The comparison table of the best free music download sites
- In-depth reviews of the best free and legal music download sites
- How to download free music from websites (step by step)
- Some FAQs on downloading free music legally from websites
Pro Tip: Always stick with the official download button instead of the unofficial music downloader tools to make sure your music download is legal.
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Global Music Download Market Revenue: The Infographic
Statista data suggests that the revenue in the Music Downloads segment is projected to reach US$1.37bn in 2023, yet the revenue growth rate stays minus until the year 2027. So I guess the struggling music download services do need a bit of financial support.
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Top 17 Free and Legal Music Download Websites: Compared
| Music Website | Price | Licensing | Audio Quality | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamendo Music | Free | Yes | HD MP3 | Huge catalog of free music with Creative Commons |
| SoundCloud | Freemium | No | 16-bit/44Khz MP3 | Free and legally download music that is downloadable |
| Bandcamp | Freemium | No | FLAC and MP3 | Albums without a minimum price can be downloaded |
| YouTube Audio Library | Free | Yes | 128kbps AAC | A library of licensed music for creating YouTube videos |
| Audiomack | Freemium | No | 160kbps MP3 | Free music streaming and downloadable music tracks |
| ReverbNation | Freemium | No | MP3 | It has free music from many unpopular artists |
| Last.fm | Freemium | No | 256kbps MP3 | Free music lists with thousands of free songs |
| BeatStars | Freemium | No | 128kbps MP3 | Beat downloads are extremely accessible |
| Amazon | Freemium | No | SD to HD MP3 | Thousands of free music and albums for registered users |
| Internet Archive | Free | No | FLAC, MP3, OGG | A safe and trustworthy website with free and legal music |
| Free Music Archive | Freemium | Yes | MP3 | Well-designed website for free music or getting license |
| Bensound | Freemium | Yes | MP3 | It provides copyright-safe music for YouTube videos. |
| DatPiff | Free | No | 192kbps MP3 | Free mixtapes, hip-hop, and underground music |
| NoiseTrade | Free | No | 192kbps MP3 | Download free music using Email |
| SoundClick | Freemium | No | WAV, 320kbps MP3 | No-frills music download website |
| Spinrilla | Freemium | No | MP3 | You can download entire hip-hop albums at once |
| Musopen | Freemium | No | MP3 | Free sheet, royalty-free, and public-domain music |
The 17 Best Free and Legal Music Download Websites: Reviewed
Jamendo Music
Jamendo is arguably the best place for royalty-free music, which is free music forever in other words. Jamendo now has two major sections, Jamendo Music and Jamendo Licensing, while Jamendo Music empowers users to discover, stream, and download music from independent artists for free.
Jamendo communities, categorized with music genres, are for you to join and interact with. There you can browse, listen to, and download your favored music, and leave a comment of appreciation.
Verdict: Jamendo has a huge catalog of free music with Creative Commons licensing for registered users to download for free.
Pros
- A completely free music catalog for website visitors to download
- Jamendo has a navigable and intuitive web interface for browsing
- Free download music with the Creative Commons license
- The website is available in 8 languages
Cons
- Royalty-free music for commercial use is not free
- Free music is only available in MP3 quality
- Users are required to log in to download music
Download Music for Free on Jamendo
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a rather famous music streaming site where creators and music uploaders get to choose whether or not to make their music downloadable, so only a part of the SoundCloud music library is available for free downloads.
Once a track is made downloadable, a FREE Download button will appear under the waveform of the music track, allowing listeners to save the original uploaded music file onto their devices. Free users can easily find the collection of free downloadable tracks on SoundCloud using the #free-download music tag.
Verdict: SloudCloud users can free and legally download music that is made downloadable by the music uploaders.
Pros
- Free downloadable music is categorized into Recent and Popular
- You can listen to the music first to decide whether to download it
- Playback times and comments help you find well-received tracks
- Music tracks are tagged with their genres
Cons
- You only get to download one track at a time, not Playlists
- Need to log into SoundCloud to use the music download feature
- The SoundCloud account connection is required for specific downloads
Free Download Music on SoundCloud
Bandcamp
As another big name in audio distribution, Bandcamp is the place that gathers hundreds of thousands of musicians, and a myriad of music tracks. To download music from Bandcamp, you need to buy the album by making a price offer, and then the music download will be sent to the designated email address shortly.
Most albums on Bandcamp have a minimum price limitation, but for albums that don’t, you can simply type in “0” to buy it without cost, or any other price you want, while the extra amount is the support for the creator. You can use the music tags #free download and #free music to filter and find the free music collection on Bandcamp.
Verdict: On Bandcamp, music from albums that don’t have a minimum price can be downloaded for free.
Pros
- A playlist of music in the album to be downloaded at once
- Some free music tracks are available in FLAC quality
- Paying supported get unlimited streaming in the Bandcamp app
- Find free music downloads from new and all-time favorites
Cons
- An Email address and address information are required
- There are chances that your favored album isn’t free
Download Free Music on Bandcamp
YouTube Audio Library
For content creation on YouTube using licensed music, the video-sharing magnate YouTube offers a music library where you can create YouTube videos with, and free download music to actual MP3 files. Songs are tagged with the genre, mood, artist, durations, etc. so you can easily find and download fitting songs.
The YouTube Audio library will become available to you once your YouTube channel is created, and you can easily access it from YouTube Studio, where YouTubers and content creators check their video creations.
Verdict: YouTube has offered an audio library of licensed music that YouTubers can create videos with and free download.
Pros:
- Instantly download music into a .mp3 file in one click
- YouTube audio library possesses approximately 45,000 music tracks
- Music is allowed to be used in YouTube video monetization
- Full music and sound effects are both available for free download
- A YouTube channel full of free music is also available
Cons:
- Standalone distribution of the music is prohibited
- License types vary as different music
Free Download Music on YouTube Audio Library
Audiomack
The music streaming site Audiomack has now become one of the best music monetization platforms and is the best free music download site for Android phones and iPhones in this list. The Audiomack app on Android and iOS mobile phones have native support for downloading free music onto mobile phones and saving offline. You simply have to use the Download button right below the music’s artwork.
The music streaming in Audiomack is completely free of charge, yet music downloading is not. But you can find some music tracks that have been made downloadable by the uploader.
Verdict: The music monetization platform Audiomack provides free music streaming and some downloadable music tracks.
Pros:
- Both web interface and mobile app for Android and iOS
- Download free music on mobile phones without registration
- Navigable and eye-pleasing web interface and app UI
Cons:
- The download feature is not available on the desktop website
- The free music downloads depend on the artists
Free Download Music on Audiomack
ReverbNation
ReverbNation, the music career-growing platform, is an ideal choice for both music artists and fans. With exclusive access to the music industry, many music artists have joined ReverbNation, along with their music creations. When searching for music and songs from lesser-known artists, you should totally have a try at ReverbNation.
Just like Audiomac, all music tracks on ReverbNation are streamable, but only some of them can be downloaded for free, and they’re marked by an active Download button on the lower music player (not grayed out) when being played.
Verdict: ReverbNation is a career-growing platform for music artists and has free music from many unpopular artists.
Pros:
- Artists and music fans are both welcomed
- Unlimited music streaming on ReverbNation
- Help you find upcoming music artists these days
- Discover the music from 13 well-organized genres
Cons:
- You need to log in to download free music
- Not all music is downloadable
Download Free Music on ReverbNation
Last.fm
The radio and music streaming site Last.fm features a unique scrobble system, which has made it a perfect place for finding music and artists that you’re potentially into. Last.fm has several dedicated free music catalogs for website visitors to download free music instantly, and there are hundreds of songs available. You can music tag #free+download or use related search queries to find them on Last.fm.
Verdict: The music and radio website Last.fm has several free music lists with hundreds of thousands of songs.
Pros:
- One-click to download music to MP3 using the provided download button
- The Scrobble feature supported for customized music streaming experience
- Free download music as a website visitor
Cons:
- Hard to find the free downloadable music list within Last.fm
- It takes time to get the hang of the website
Download Free Music on Last.fm
BeatStars
BeatStars is a music marketplace for musicians to sell and buy beats, and for music lovers, it’s also a good place to discover, listen to, and even download their favorite music. Music that can be downloaded has a little orange download button on the information bar, and you can filter the downloadable options using the search string “free”. BeatStars presents a Free Instrumentals category where you can freely download hundreds of thousands of free beats, instrumentals, hip-hop, trap, pop, R&B beats, and more.
Verdict: BeatStars website makes the beat downloads extremely accessible, you only need to register for an account.
Pros:
- Paid music tracks can be streamed for free
- A major proportion of songs can be downloaded
Cons:
- You need to log in and follow the artists to free download the music
- Music can be pricy if you really want to buy one
Download Free Music on BeatStars
Amazon
The shopping website Amazon is also a choice, if you’re looking for royalty-free albums, and is one of the best free music download sites for YouTube videos. Some music and albums on Amazon are sold at $0.00, and they’ll be available for you to download once purchased. Do a simple search for “free music” or “free mp3” on Amazon, and you’ll get exactly what you want in no time.
Moreover, Amazon is also on our list of The 25 Best Free Anime Websites to Watch Anime Online for the exceptional free anime library.
Verdict: Amazon delivers thousands of free music and albums to registered users and Prime subscribers.
Pros:
- You can find free music on Amazon using the search box
- More detailed search phrases supported for more precise results
- The downloading process is like your usual Amazon purchase
Cons:
- You need to sign in to listen to the music
- An Amazon account is required to download songs
- No support for filtering free music by genres
Internet Archive
There is a saying that goes that“Nothing ever really disappears from the Internet”, and that’s kinda explained how powerful is The Internet Archive. Internet Archive is a government-recognized digital library encompassing everything including music. And some music collections, like Free Music Archive and Live Music Archive, are consisted of free downloadable music, audio files, podcasts, radio, concerts, and more.
Verdict: Internet Archive is a safe and trustworthy website containing tons of free and legal music for downloading.
Pros:
- Download Options provide music in FLAC quality
- A completely free and legal source for music downloads
- Free downloadable songs are in a specific category
- Searches for music are also supported
Cons:
- It doesn’t categorize music downloads into genres
- Most popular music downloads have lower bitrates
Download Free Music on Internet Archive
Free Music Archive
When talking about free downloading legal music, Free Music Archive is certainly on the table as it provides an impressive library of royalty-free songs. From the Free Music Archive website, you can either go with the Pro section to find royalty-free music with paid licenses, or enjoy unlimited free music in the FMA section. Use the search box or scroll down and browse from genres, and the download buttons are offered for instant downloads.
Verdict: Free Music Archive is a well-designed website for downloading free music or getting licensed music.
Pros:
- Better music quality compared with the Internet Archive
- Navigable and well-laid-out website interface
- You can easily uncover new and free podcast series
Cons:
- MP3 is the only supported format for music downloads
- Paid licensing including Bronze, Silver, and Gold
Download Free Music on Free Music Archive
Bensound
Bensound puts together thousands of royalty-free music composed by independent artists, and you are allowed to free download and use their music for your YouTube videos, social media posts, film productions, etc. For using the free downloadable music, you can pay to license the track or enjoy unlimited music from the paid subscription. Using Bensound to download and add music to Instagram stories is a smart choice for Instagram creators.
Verdict: Bensound is the perfect website for downloading copyright-safe music for using in YouTube videos.
Pros:
- Dedicated libraries for users to easily discover free music
- 1 click to filter free music using the “Free Music Only” switch
- Finding free music through music genres is supported
- You can download a demo for testing the paid music
Cons:
- For using the music in videos, you need to give attributions to Bensound.com
- Using music in podcast, song-making, audiobooks, and remixes are prohibited
Download Free Music on Bensound
DatPiff
DatPiff is an exceptional music download website where you can listen to and free download mixtapes, it’s favored by hip-hop and rap communities. On DatPiff, you can browse for upcoming and classic mixtapes, hit the Stream button to listen to the music real quick, and hit the Download button to save it to an actual .mp3 audio file.
Verdict: DatPiff is the authority in listening and free downloading Mixtapes, hip hop, and underground.
Pros:
- Music downloads are in MP3 format only
- A mixture of free and paid music and mixtapes
- Mixtape downloads are available to visitors
Cons:
- Occasionally download failures for the music
- It seems strange to stream and download music in a pop-up window
Download Free Music on DatPiff
NoiseTrade
The NoiseTrade music download site works in its unique way: artists list their albums on NoiseTrade and make them available for free downloading, and fans enter their Email information in a bid to stream and download the music. Additionally, there’s a good chance that an artist you know is NoiseTrade, so make sure to pay attention.
Verdict: NoiseTrade helps artists and labels build better connections with fans, offering free music in return.
Pros:
- NoiseTrade gives artists better exposure in exchange for free music
- Thousands of legal albums are completely free to download
- Browser for music from dozens of music genres
Cons:
- You need to sign in with Facebook or an Email address
- Advertisements on the website to watch out for
- Listed songs are rarely updated
Download Free Music on Noisetrade
SoundClick
SoundClick is popular for being the best independent music community over the internet, it’s not only an ideal spot for fans to stream and download beats and instrumentals but also an active marketplace for artists to sell and buy beats and albums. For users with free music downloading needs, SoundClick has provided noticeable Download buttons for the songs that are downloadable.
Verdict: SoundClick no-frills music site to look for free downloadable music from an ocean of tracks.
Pros:
- Fast and simple free music downloading without any trouble
- Detailed music genres to find exactly the music you need
- Millions of music tracts are available, many of which are free
Cons:
- No filter for screening out free music only
- Free and paid music are both presented
- Users need to sign up for a free account
Download Free Music on SoundClick
Spinrilla
Spinrilla is another recommended free music site for exploring and streaming hip-hop music from independent artists. From a clean and attractive website interface, Spinrilla brings different music albums from New Mixtapes, Popular Mixtapes, and Upcoming Mixtapes into your sight, while most of them have been provided with full album downloads for registered users.
Verdict: Spinrilla allows registered users to download entire hip-hop albums at once for free
Pros:
- Download an entire album on Spinrilla at once
- Uninterrupted streaming and downloading experience
- Check upcoming mixtape albums before they’re released
Cons:
- Album downloads are for logged-in users only
- Not all hip-hop albums can be downloaded
Download Free Music on Spinrilla
Musopen
When you’re looking for free sheet music, royalty-free music, piano sheet music, free radio music, and public-domain music, you should look no further than Musopen. Aside from a catalog for browsing, Musopen also has an MP3 search engine to find desired songs. Aside from the mentioned options, here are also free audio recordings and textbooks as well.
Verdict: Musopen is an MP3 search engine to download free sheet, royalty-free, and public domain music.
Pros:
- A music search engine and catalog are both available
- Flexible filters including composers, instruments, periods, moods, quality, etc.
- Download and use the free music without copy restrictions
Cons:
- The advertisements can be quite annoying
- Limited download times, 5 music per day
- Unlimited downloads are for subscribed users only
Download Free Music on Musopen
How to Download Music from Free Music Download Sites: Step by Step
The process of downloading free music from the introduced free music download websites is generally intuitive, as long as the download button is made available. The following tutorial uses the steps to download music from YouTube library as an example.
How to Download Free Music from YouTube library
Step 1. Open a web browser on your computer or mobile phone, and navigate to the YouTube Audio Library.
Step 2. If haven’t already, log into YouTube with your YouTube account, and you’ll be led to the Audio Library in YouTube Studio.
Step 3. Browse for a preferred song from the music list, or search for one using the song’s name.
Step 4. Hit the DOWNLOAD button from the rightmost side, and the selected music will be instantly downloaded as .mp3 file on your device.
Tip: To use the free downloaded music, make sure to check the License type for your music download in YouTube Audio Library.
FAQs on Free Music Download Websites
What are the best free music download sites?
The best free and legal music download websites include；
- Jamendo
- Soundcloud
- Bandcamp
- YouTube Audio Library
- Audiomack
- ReverbNation
- Last.fm
More options can be found in this list of 17 free music download sites. And according to our review, the best free music download site overall is Jamendo Music.
Is it legal to download free music from websites?
In most cases, it’s not legal to download free music. However, there are several cases where the free music downloading behavior can be considered legal, they include: downloading music with the creator’s consent; downloading public domain music; and downloading a small portion of music, which can apply to fair use.
Where can I download public-domain music?
According to the reviews in our list of best free music download websites, Free Music Archive, Internet Archive, and Musopen are the three best places to download music in the public domain.
Where can I download free music without copyright?
Many of the recommended free music download websites allow you to download free music without copyright, they include: YouTube Audio Library, Free Music Archive, Bensound, and more.
What are the best free music download sites for video editing?
If you intend to download music for use in video editing for YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. it’s recommended to download free music from YouTube Audio Library and Bensound, where most music can be used in video creation as long as there are attributions.
Where can I download free music with album cover?
Jamendo Music is the best website to download free music with an album cover overall, and some free songs with an album cover can also be found on Amazon Music.
What are the best free music download sites for YouTube videos?
The best free music download sites for use in YouTube videos include YouTube Studio, Bensound, and Jamendo, where the video can be directly used in your YouTube content creation for free.
What are the best free rock music download sites?
According to our reviews of the best free music download websites, the best free rock music download sites are BeatStars, DatPiff, and Spinrilla.
It’s Your Turn
Using plenty of criteria including Audio Quality, the number of free music tracks, ease of use, etc. I’ve scoured and tested 30+ sites and finally managed to come to these above-mentioned options, and I do hope that they can be helpful to you. With these many free music download websites, I’m sure now you can easily find the music you like and download it for further use.
And I guess this list may not be perfect, so if you have any better recommendations that you think can enrich this list, please don’t hesitate to drop a line and let people know.
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