Alternatives / SoundCloud
Looking for an open source SoundCloud alternative? We compared 2 open source music players by license, library source, platforms, and legal considerations. Neither is a platform for uploading and discovering music like SoundCloud: Navidrome streams your own files, and Nuclear streams from external sources.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| Navidrome | Streaming your own music library from a server | GPL-3.0 |
| Nuclear | Desktop player that streams from external sources (legal caveats) | AGPL-3.0 |
We looked for open-source tools that overlap with SoundCloud's core: streaming music online and listening across devices. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and platforms in its repository. SoundCloud is also a community where artists upload tracks and listeners discover them, and no open-source player replaces that, so we separate tools that play your own files from tools that pull from third-party sources. See our methodology for the full criteria.
SoundCloud lets independent artists upload tracks and lets listeners find them, comment, and follow. Navidrome serves the music files you already own, and Nuclear searches third-party sources. Neither gives creators an audience or a public place to publish, so artists who want to publish music would need a different tool.
Navidrome is a self-hosted music server with a web player and compatibility with OpenSubsonic apps on iOS and Android. It supports multiple libraries, real-time transcoding, and large collections, and it runs on low-power hardware such as a Raspberry Pi. It is GPL-3.0 and has no ads or tracking.
Nuclear is an AGPL-3.0 desktop player for Windows, macOS, and Linux with playlists, plugins, and no telemetry. It has no mobile version. It streams from external sources rather than from licensed catalogs, so its legal standing is questionable and which sources work can change. Check the legality of the sources you use in your country.
Navidrome is GPL-3.0 and Nuclear is AGPL-3.0.
Both projects were updated within days of this update.
SoundCloud is a proprietary platform: creators depend on its upload limits, monetization rules, and algorithms, and listeners see ads or pay for a subscription for full access. Open-source alternatives let you keep and stream music you own, avoid ads and tracking, and use any compatible client, at the cost of having no shared catalog, community, or discovery system.
Navidrome is a GPL-3.0 self-hosted music server for streaming your own audio library through a browser or compatible mobile applications. It is not a direct video replacement, but fits YouTube Music-style use cases when you own the music files.
Pricing: Free and open source; you provide the music files, server, and any remote-hosting costs.
Nuclear is an AGPL-3.0 desktop music streaming client for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It searches supported external sources and provides playlists, favorites, artist pages, plugins, and playback without a traditional subscription.
Pricing: Free and open source; playback availability depends on external music sources.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navidrome | Music server | GPL-3.0 | Yes | Your own music files |
| Nuclear | Desktop player | AGPL-3.0 | Local app | Streaming from external sources |
Want to stream the music you own to all your devices
Navidrome serves your files through a web player and OpenSubsonic apps, with transcoding and support for very large libraries.
Want a free desktop player that searches online sources
Nuclear offers search, playlists, and plugins without ads or tracking, but its sources raise legal questions and it has no mobile app.