Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Funkwhale VS Spotify

Compare Funkwhale VS Spotify and see what are their differences

Funkwhale logo Funkwhale

Funkwhale is a modern, self-hosted, free and open-source music server

Spotify logo Spotify

Map shows when two people play same song at same time
  • Funkwhale Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-24
  • Spotify Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20

Funkwhale features and specs

  • Federation
    Funkwhale supports the ActivityPub protocol, allowing users to connect with other instances and share music across a decentralized network.
  • Open Source
    Funkwhale is fully open-source, which means anyone can audit the code, contribute to its development, and fork it for their own needs.
  • Privacy
    Being a self-hosted solution, Funkwhale offers greater privacy and control over your data compared to commercial streaming services.
  • Community-Driven
    As an open-source project, Funkwhale benefits from community feedback and contributions, which can lead to a more user-focused development.
  • Customizable
    Users can customize their instances to fit specific needs, from appearance to functionality, making it a very flexible choice.
  • No Advertisements
    Funkwhale does not include any advertisements, offering an uninterrupted listening experience.

Possible disadvantages of Funkwhale

  • Technical Complexity
    Setting up and maintaining a Funkwhale instance requires a certain level of technical expertise, which might be challenging for non-technical users.
  • Server Costs
    Self-hosting a Funkwhale instance involves costs associated with server hosting and maintenance.
  • Limited Music Database
    Unlike major streaming services, the music available on Funkwhale is only as extensive as the tracks uploaded by its users and participating instances.
  • Dependency on Federation
    While federation is a strong feature, its effectiveness depends on the number and quality of other instances connected to the network.
  • Lack of Third-Party Integrations
    Compared to mainstream services, Funkwhale may lack integration with popular third-party applications and devices.
  • Support and Documentation
    While the community is active, the level of professional support and extensive documentation might not match that of commercial services.

Spotify features and specs

  • Vast Music Library
    Spotify offers a massive collection of songs, albums, and playlists, providing users with extensive options for music discovery.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform has an intuitive interface that makes it easy to search for music, create playlists, and discover new content.
  • Personalized Recommendations
    Spotify uses advanced algorithms to provide personalized music recommendations, tailored playlists, and daily mixes to enhance the user experience.
  • Cross-Platform Availability
    Spotify is available on various devices and operating systems, including smartphones, tablets, desktops, smart TVs, and gaming consoles.
  • Offline Listening
    Premium subscribers can download songs and playlists to listen offline, which is beneficial for users with limited internet access.
  • Podcast Integration
    Spotify includes a wide range of podcasts, integrating both music and podcasts in one application.

Possible disadvantages of Spotify

  • Subscription Cost
    While Spotify offers a free tier, many desirable features are locked behind a paid subscription, which might be a barrier for some users.
  • Ad-Supported Free Version
    The free version of Spotify includes advertisements that can interrupt the listening experience.
  • Limited High-Quality Audio
    Unlike some competitors, Spotify does not offer lossless audio quality, which may be a disadvantage for audiophiles.
  • Content Availability
    Some songs or albums might be unavailable in certain regions due to licensing restrictions.
  • Data Usage
    Streaming music consumes significant data, which can be a concern for users with limited mobile data plans.
  • Complex Family Plan Setup
    Setting up and managing a family plan can be more cumbersome compared to individual subscriptions.

Funkwhale videos

Les Tutos: Docker No. 9: Funkwhale - Music streaming server

Spotify videos

Spotify Stations for Android

More videos:

  • Demo - forever onnat freestyle

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Funkwhale and Spotify)
Music Streaming
10 10%
90% 90
Music
0 0%
100% 100
Online Music
7 7%
93% 93
Music Player
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Funkwhale and Spotify

Funkwhale Reviews

Best Spotify Alternatives In The World [Top 10] 2024
Funkwhale is a leading choice among open-source enthusiasts seeking alternatives to mainstream music smooth platforms like Spotify. Funkwhale allows users to maintain complete control over their personal music libraries, free from concerns about content disappearance.
35 Open-source Free Music and Audio Streaming Servers (Self-hosted)
Funkwhale is a music server and player designed for small to medium communities. It also serves as a social platform for music and podcast enthusiasts to discover new content.
Source: medevel.com
List of Top Free Open Source & Self Hosted Application for Media Streaming
Funkwhale – Modern, web-based, convivial, multi-user and free music server. BSD-3-Clause Python/Django

Spotify Reviews

  1. ch-hammad
    · Content Writer at Spotimax ·
    Spotify: The Ultimate Music and Podcast Streaming Experience

    Spotify offers an exceptional music streaming experience with its vast library and user-friendly interface. The personalized playlists and recommendations are spot on, introducing me to new artists and tracks I love. With the premium subscription, I enjoy ad-free listening, high-quality audio, and offline access to my favorite songs. Additionally, Spotify’s extensive collection of podcasts and original storylines keeps me entertained and informed on a variety of topics. Whether I'm working out, relaxing, or on the go, Spotify has the perfect soundtrack and engaging podcasts for every moment.

    👍 Pros:    Discover new music and podcasts effortlessly with spotify's amazing personalized recommendations and curated playlists tailored just for you.|Seamlessly switch between devices and continue listening right where you left off, making your music experience uninterrupted and convenient.
    👎 Cons:    Limited offline song availability without a premium subscription.
  2. FaizaAdeel
    · Owner at Peacock.collection11 ·
    Enjoyable Music Experience

    Spotify stands out as a top-tier music streaming service with its vast library, user-friendly interface, and personalized playlists. Despite minor drawbacks, such as audio quality variance and download limitations, it remains a go-to platform for music enthusiasts.

    🏁 Competitors: SoundCloud
    👍 Pros:    Extensive music library|User friendly interface|Personalized playlists|Cross-platform sync
    👎 Cons:    Audio quality variation for lower tired subscription pla|Limited offline downloads
  3. My favourite feature is the Listen Along and Weekly Playlist!

    It's extremely fun to listen along to a friend or random people, find new songs. I really like spotify's algorithm and how it comes up with new weekly playlists. I always love those (most of the time XD)


Best Spotify Alternatives In The World [Top 10] 2024
Were you feeling uninspired by Spotify’s usual music suggestions? Fear not. Locate music streaming options beyond Spotify, from indie favourite to high-quality audio experiences. Find your perfect match and add excitement to your listening routine. In this article, we discuss top 10 the best alternatives to Spotify and innovative choices. If you want to know more about...
Top 10 Spotify Alternatives (Free/Paid) – 2024
While Spotify remains one of the most popular music streaming platforms globally, there are plenty of alternatives available that offer unique features, diverse catalogs, and innovative approaches to music discovery. Whether you’re looking for a platform with curated playlists, exclusive content, or a different user experience, these top 10 Spotify alternatives provide a...
Receiptify Alternatives – Websites like Receiptify
An annual summary from Spotify that gives users insights into their top songs, artists, genres, and listening time. It’s highly anticipated for its engaging visual presentation and shareability. It offers a visually appealing summary of your listening habits, though it’s limited to once a year and exclusive to Spotify users.
Spotify Alternative: 10 Best Spotify Alternatives to Choose From
Here we have the best hand picked Spotify Alternative Sites that you consider if you don’t want to use Spotify anymore or want to try other options.There are several services available on the Internet as a Spotify alternative. Choosing the best among them depends on your requirement and preferences. Usually, these Spotify alternatives are fairly cheaper. Few have free...
12 BEST Android Music Player In 2023 [Android MP3 Players]
We can now clearly say that Spotify and Tidal are the best music players available for android. Tidal offers great sound quality, but is costly, due to which it falls to second place. Most of them offer a free trial, which can be beneficial if you want to test whether it suits you or not.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Funkwhale seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 38 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Funkwhale mentions (38)

  • Ask HN: Feedback on this proposed funding model for supporting musicians?
    For context: I recently set up a Funkwhale[0] instance [1] for Communick subscribers, where people can upload their music collection, stream on mobile/web and share with their friends. That's useful already and can be thought of as a replacement to the original Google Play Music, but I guess that those with large music collections will either just play from their dedicated devices or self-host a service like... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Favourite music streaming service?
    I use my own service, but have heard great things about https://funkwhale.audio/. Source: over 1 year ago
  • What 'selfhosting' solution is for me?
    I run Funkwhale. I can listen to my songs online from the browser, or on my phone using the Subsonic protocol (I use an app called dsub on Android). Source: over 1 year ago
  • I don't want streaming music, I just want to stream my music
    For multi-room-audio, I use Iris+Mopidy+Snapcast [2] alternative frontend to my Funkwhale library. [1]: https://funkwhale.audio/ [2]: https://github.com/jaedb/Iris. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Looking for a simple audio hosting solution with comments
    I hear funkwhale can also do comments. Worth checking it out too. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

Spotify mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Spotify yet. Tracking of Spotify recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Funkwhale and Spotify, you can also consider the following products

Deezer - Deezer is a music streaming app created in France. It is available in 180 counties and gets 16 million users a month. 6 million of the users have paid subscriptions. Read more about Deezer.

SoundCloud - Enjoy music & follow favourite artists

Navidrome - Music Server and Streamer compatible with Subsonic/Airsonic.

Last.fm - The world's largest online music service. Listen online, find out more about your favourite artists, and get music recommendations, only at Last.fm

Ampache - Web ( HTTP centralized ) based audio/video streaming application

Pandora - Pandora Radio is a free (ad-supported) internet radio founded in 2000.