Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Mixcloud vs Spotify

Mixcloud 4.8★ · Free to download 65
Winner Spotify
Spotify 4.8★ · Free to download 75

Mixcloud is better for niche music discovery and DJ sets, while Spotify is superior for mainstream music access, reliability, and overall user experience, despite its aggressive monetization tactics.

Full reviews: Mixcloud · Spotify

Mixcloud excels in providing a platform for DJ mixes and genre-specific content, often without ads for free users, but is plagued by significant app instability and feature removal. Spotify offers a vast library and generally reliable performance, but its free tier is heavily restricted by ads and limited functionality, pushing users towards a paid subscription.

Head to head

Content and Discovery edge: MixcloudR5R17R20R23
Mixcloud Mixcloud is highly praised for its extensive collection of DJ mixes, old school mixes, and genre-specific content, making it a go-to for discovering new and niche music R5R17R20R23. Users appreciate finding a wide variety of DJs and their archives R17.
Spotify Spotify is recognized for having 'all the songs you could possibly imagine' and a wide variety of music R62. However, some users find its search algorithm to be poorly oriented towards commercial music , and one user couldn't find commonly found music .
Ease of Use and Features edge: SpotifyR1R6R15R18
Mixcloud Mixcloud users report significant issues with app functionality, including frequent connection problems R1, freezing and unresponsiveness , and random skipping or force playing R6R18. Features like 30-second skip and track information have been removed or made premium R15R31. The search function is also criticized as useless .
Spotify Spotify is generally seen as easy to use and good for organizing music . However, free users face limitations such as only 6 skips per hour R62, forced shuffle play R66, and inability to pick song order R66. Some users also report lagging , slow startup , and issues with CarPlay or offline mode .
Reliability and Performance edge: SpotifyR4R10R13R19
Mixcloud Mixcloud suffers from severe reliability issues, with users frequently reporting the app not working at all R4, login problems R10R13R19, and downloaded tracks not playing R57. The app is described as 'unbelievably glitchy' and 'broken' R13.
Spotify Spotify is generally considered reliable by long-term users . While some users experience occasional freezing , slow loading , or issues with offline mode , these appear less pervasive than Mixcloud's problems. There are also reports of playlists disappearing and poor song rotation .
Price and Value edge: MixcloudR11R14R16R28
Mixcloud Mixcloud's free tier is appreciated for being ad-free R11R14. However, premium users express frustration that subscriptions don't deliver promised features like downloads or uninterrupted listening R16R28R46R57. Some feel the app is 'pushing too hard for paid use' and that the subscription is overpriced compared to competitors .
Spotify Spotify's free tier is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of ads R68, limited skips R62, and restricted functionality R64R66. Users feel they get 'nothing without premium' R64 and are constantly pushed to pay .
Support and Monetization Practices tieR46R55R57R64
Mixcloud Mixcloud users report issues with customer support, particularly regarding paid features like 'Boost' which is described as a 'scam' for not delivering promised promotion R55. Premium members also struggle with non-functional downloads and playback issues without adequate resolution R46R57.
Spotify Spotify users complain about the aggressive monetization of the free tier, with frequent ads and severe limitations designed to push users to premium R64. There are also concerns about artist compensation and difficulty contacting support for account issues .
Pick Mixcloud if

Pick Mixcloud if you are primarily interested in discovering and listening to DJ mixes, live shows, and niche electronic or old-school music genres, and prioritize an ad-free experience on the free tier R5R11R14R17.

Pick Spotify if

Pick Spotify if you want access to a vast library of mainstream music, value a generally stable and organized app experience, and are willing to pay for a premium subscription to avoid ads and unlock full features .

Evidence note: Reviews for Mixcloud are heavily skewed towards recent negative experiences regarding app functionality and feature removal, despite a higher lifetime rating. Spotify's reviews, while numerous, show a strong pattern of frustration with its free tier limitations and ads.

Frequently asked

Is Mixcloud free?
Yes, Mixcloud is free to download and use, and its free tier is notably ad-free R11R14, though some features like 30-second skips or full track information may be restricted to premium users R15R31.
Does Spotify have a free version?
Yes, Spotify has a free version, but it is heavily restricted with frequent ads R68, limited skips R62, and forced shuffle play R66, leading many users to feel they get 'nothing without premium' R64.
Why is Mixcloud not working for me?
Many Mixcloud users report frequent issues with the app not working, including connection problems R1, freezing and unresponsiveness , login failures R10R13R19, and playback issues even with downloaded tracks R57, with some describing the app as 'broken' or 'unbelievably glitchy' R13.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R5] Mixcloud 5/5 · US Righteous Mixes!: The BEST in old school mixes! Read RELENTLESS!
  2. [R17] Mixcloud 5/5 · US Kenny K,Ty Boogie,Nelly Nell: I love that you can find just about any DJ you like in rotation!
  3. [R20] Mixcloud 5/5 · US Mil gracias: Agradezco infinitame a esta app por permitirme escuchar a los mejores djs con mucha música de todos los tiempos claro mi mejor época fue de los 80s y 90s y tiene bastantes mixes gracias totales
  4. [R23] Mixcloud 5/5 · US From the garage to AfroPunk: The music from my youth at paradise garage to the Rock and Roll in my high school and more. I find a global link to all the music from my time in Europe and Asia, all the music from my life.
  5. [R1] Mixcloud 1/5 · US No connection: Every time I select music, it says there’s a problem with the connection
  6. [R6] Mixcloud 3/5 · US Love it but keeps force playing: I love the app but it does the same thing Apple Music does and just starts playing even when the app isn’t even opened or in the background. It’s getting to where I delete it and redownload it whenever I want to listen to it.
  7. [R15] Mixcloud 3/5 · US Good service, rotting app: A decent service that hosts some great DJ sets. Unfortunately, the app is slowly being stripped of features. The ability to see what track is currently playing beyond a truncated title that might not even display the artist was made a premium feature a few months ago, and in a recent update the buttons for skipping forward and backward by 30 seconds were stripped out. I
  8. [R18] Mixcloud 3/5 · US Nice music selection. Bugs: Like the title says, it has a nice music selection but the player has problems. If you have a queue it likes to jump around at times. This is especially frustrating when you’re playing long compilation tracks. It jumps to the next track on its own without finishing the previous one.
  9. [R4] Mixcloud 2/5 · US Good to Bad to Ugly: MixCloud was one of my favorite apps for many years. Unfortunately it has gone from, Good to Bad to Ugly. The basic functionality was excellent for many years. Then inconsistencies crept in and increased throughout 2025. Frustrating, it is and has been for several months of 2026. Often I would share links for streams, several times a day. Now it rarely works well for mo
  10. [R10] Mixcloud 1/5 · US Can’t login at all!: Unexpected response from the server!!!!!!!!!
  11. [R13] Mixcloud 1/5 · US BROKEN: Was Great Now the APP wont work wont let me do a Password reset. NOTHING. Unexpected error. Server issues.
  12. [R19] Mixcloud 1/5 · US Ken Christensen: Can’t login with my name and password. Can change it either. Looks like I can get in anymore. :/
  13. [R11] Mixcloud 5/5 · US Mixcloud is great!: So many apps ruined by pop ups and ads. Not this one! If the genre’s of music featured are your cup of tea…it’s a really good app! I use it a lot and totally recommend it for anyone into ambient, house, etc. It’s awesome.
  14. [R14] Mixcloud 5/5 · US Super great: This app it’s so awesome. The best music app specially if you hate adds. 👌 totally 10/10
  15. [R16] Mixcloud 1/5 · US Subscription means nothing!: What’s the use of making people pay subscription if you’re not going to do anything about making it exclusive? Just paid and literally still can’t listen to anything!
  16. [R28] Mixcloud 1/5 · US Won’t let me replay favorites or downloaded mix: I’m a premium member and should be able to replay mixes regardless if it’s the only mix I listen to. No reason to cut me off.
  17. [R46] Mixcloud 1/5 · US Premium???: Don’t bother this app is flawed, I upgrade to premium to be able to download and listen to music from my favorite DJ’s , but no dice. The download doesn’t work from the app first of all and after the last update you can’t play it from the website anymore. I’m cancel and would caution anyone looking to upgrade expect to listen to a stream without interruption Mixcloud Premium is not for
  18. [R55] Mixcloud 1/5 · US BOOST IS A SCAM!: I paid to have a mix boosted for 5 days. For several of those days, my mix was not promoted at all. When I contacted support to ask why it wasn’t being promoted when I paid to boost it for those days, I was told that I was only paying for a CHANCE at being promoted, based on how many people boosted at the same time. If 5 people pay to be promoted in the same category for 5 days,
  19. [R57] Mixcloud 1/5 · US Red exclamation no playback: Just signed up a month ago premium subscription. I’m getting ready exclamation mark even on downloaded tracks. I have full Wi-Fi music just isn’t playing back. I’ve uninstalled the app. Reinstall new one. Tried Bluetooth try playing on regular phone. The music just won’t play on many of the track. You press play nothing happens. The app is worthless if you’re paying f
  20. [R64] Spotify 1/5 · US you give me nothing without premium. You treat me like if I don’t spend $125 a year on your premium.: 0/10
  21. [R31] Mixcloud 2/5 · US High Quality of music, Low quality of life.: Downloaded the app a couple years ago now, you could download 2 or 3 tracks for free offline play, no fast forward restrictions, no subscription required. Now you’ve gotta pay if you want to use the skip ahead button more than 6 times a day. Sad how the app has fallen out of shape due to unfettered greed.
  22. [R62] Spotify 4/5 · US Skips: Great app! Has all the songs you could possibly imagine. Only thing that is missing is that 6 skips is little, like just because I don’t have premium I only have 6 skips..
  23. [R66] Spotify 3/5 · US Ok: I hate that on our free subscription. I can’t pick what order my songs playing on my playlist. Also, I hate you only get six skips and then at a certain point you guys just start playing the full track and I don’t wanna listen to all that.
  24. [R68] Spotify 4/5 · US Ok: Nice app but chill on the ads yo

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store