Track runner Jessica Britt’s feet move faster and faster as she hears her music change from a slow paced singer songwriter to fast-paced dance. She starts to move her feet faster and faster and then — an ad.

Many apps on the Apple’s App Store and Google Play are known for providing free music. However, most apps guarantee ads without a paid version in some way or form. Sometimes the ads aren’t a bother, but depending on the situation whether it be studying, relaxing or running, different music searching and downloading apps are better.

Whether it be Spotify, SoundCloud or 8tracks, all music apps have different uses and work in different ways, including formatting, abilities and available tracks. The hard part is finding a free app that is best suitable for the current situation.

1. Spotify and Pandora (four and a half stars and five stars according to itunes.apple.com)

Spotify and Pandora are not grouped as music downloading apps but more as music accessing/radio apps. Both have similar properties including ads regularly (around after every five to 10 songs), stations that can be picked and played based on song or artist, and a need to be connected to the Internet. They are both often seen as the two major radio music apps in the Apple App Store and Google Play. However, there is a main difference. With Spotify, radio is not the only option. On Spotify, the free option lets you listen to an artist’s songs and does not play similar artists, while on Pandora, if you create a radio station, the songs are all similar to the artist or song that the radio station was created for.

While Spotify is more specific to listening to certain artists and developing playlists, it is not the best for downloading music to listen to on a regular basis.  If you are dying to listen to a specific song or artist, Spotify is a good choice. Pandora, on the other hand, is great for music discovery and parties where you want a specific type of music but don’t want to listen to the same artist over and over. It’s even great to have when you want to focus on other things and have music in the background, such as when you are doing homework or falling asleep.

2. SoundCloud (four and a half stars according to itunes.apple.com)

SoundCloud is a music discovery app that not only lets you listen, with Internet connection, to any music posted on the app but also post music yourself with a chance to gain followers. Large singers and entrepreneurial musicians post their music to SoundCloud in hopes to gain fans. With all the music on SoundCloud and the ability to like music, follow artists, go through your likes, make playlists and even post your favorite music to your own profile, it is easy to find your favorite music and slip into the world of SoundCloud. It does contain ads, but they are minimal and are skippable after a few seconds.

Although, when trying to find a specific song, SoundCloud may not be the best choice. Famous copyrighted singers such as the ones on 107.9 The End rarely post their music for free listening on SoundCloud, so finding a specific song is usually hard to do. When using SoundCloud, the most probable thing to do is find artists through the app by using the Stream button to search for the songs you are in the mood for.

3. 8Tracks (four stars according to itunes.apple.com)

8Tracks is an app based mostly on the creation of playlists with themes. It is seen as a radio and does require data. The app itself is focused on finding the right playlist for a certain situation, including workout, relaxing, history and previously liked songs. The thing that makes 8Tracks unique is that the playlists aren’t created by a computer or sorting device but by people themselves who post them, with a photo and title.

Finding the perfect playlist, if given the time to search deep into 8Tracks, isn’t difficult. Although the ads do come up minimally before playing a playlist, it is great for finding specific playlists for a certain mood. In addition, it also includes a sleep timer and thousands and thousands of playlists, with even more hours of listening time.

4. Spin Tunes (four and a half stars according to itunes.apple.com)

Spin Tunes is a very recently released app that overtook Song Flip, an app with the exact same structure and abilities. It allows the user to search through a music search “inside the app” and download the music onto a number of playlists. This app once downloaded takes a couple days to get used to. The “Flip” from the previous Song Flip app is still embedded, so in order to maneuver through the app you must swipe the screen to get to what is playing, personal playlists, and the search screen. Also, this app uses data and can not be used without connection to the internet.

Although these properties exist, this app overall is good for music discovery. If you use SoundCloud, it becomes apparent that the songs stored in the search bar of this app are from it. It allows you, through the app, to create specific playlists and flush through them easily, moving them around, without the hustle and bustle of a SoundCloud account and with the visual colorful background of the app. It is also great for a constant listening experience, because there are no ads that stop your music midway, they only appear as a little banner at the bottom of the screen.

5. Musi (four and a half stars according to itunes.apple.com)

Musi is an app that is used for music download and search, and while advertising its YouTube compatibility, it is also compatible with SoundCloud music as well. It has minimal ads that do not pause the music and can be exited out of (although sometimes annoying), and has an easily accessible search bar. It does require data unlike a year ago before YouTube’s copyright contract changed, but what makes Musi special is that playlists can be created with music from BOTH SoundCloud and YouTube.

This combines two of the most music filled tools, at your fingertips by pressing a switch. If you would like to search YouTube, click youtube on the search bar. If you would like to search SoundCloud, click the SoundCloud bar. Not only does it do this, but you can add songs to your “Play Next” playlist, and no matter what playlist or place it is in, it will play next.

6. Music Tube and other YouTube centered music apps

Although these apps are a popular form of music downloading, there are hundreds of these forms of apps in the appstore that connect to Youtube and claim to be able to “download” and “stream” from the site. However, this is untrue, because Youtube changed its policy and now will not allow other apps on the App Store or other stores to “cache” or download music. Also, because there are so many apps that claim to cache music, many of them have glitches and do not work properly or pull themselves off of the App Store at random times only to come back to availability three days later.

However, if you are looking for an app that can save and make YouTube videos into playlists, Music Tube, iMusic, and iMusic Player (only available on iphone app store) are three free apps that work along with YouTube with minimal glitches.

by RACHEL MARQUARDT