What song is playing right now? Three apps answer that question in three different ways.
This comparison focuses on apps and prices in the German App Store. Availability and prices can differ in other regions.
What song is playing right now? Three apps answer that question in three different ways. Shazam is the standard built into iOS, SoundHound identifies even hummed or sung melodies, and Genius is used not to recognize music but to understand lyrics. Music recognition now runs deep in iOS: Shazam has belonged to Apple since 2018 and works through a Control Center button or Siri with no app open. This comparison is for iPhone users who want not only to identify songs but to find them again and understand them. Reliable recognition of playing music, a usable free tier, value beyond a bare title display, and links to Spotify or Apple Music are the things that separate these three.
Our verdict
Shazam remains the standard: the most accurate, capable offline and built into iOS. SoundHound is the clear number two, with the humming trick as its unique feature. Genius is not chosen for recognition at all but for understanding lyrics, and it is the place to go for annotated meaning, especially in German rap. Each app therefore answers a slightly different question: name it, hum it, or explain it.
SoundHound recognizes playing music at the tap of a button and is the only well-known app that also identifies hummed or sung melodies, not just original recordings. LiveLyrics runs the words in time with the song as it plays.
The app is free and ad-supported, with a one-time purchase of €7.99 to remove the ads. SoundHound's real business is B2B voice AI for car makers and restaurants; the music app is a showcase and a data source for that recognition technology. It collects noticeably more data than Shazam and always needs a connection, which makes Shazam the lesser evil for the privacy-conscious.
Genius turns recognition into an entry point to the largest annotated lyrics database. It is used to learn what a line really refers to, which makes it especially valuable for German rap and its web of references.
The app is free and ad-supported, with ads across the app and website alongside media and video formats from the parent company and brand partnerships; there are no in-app purchases and no subscription. It is not the best tool for simply naming a playing song, which Shazam and SoundHound do more reliably, but for lyrics enthusiasts it is the most interesting of the three.
Shazam is the standard: the most accurate of the three, able to recognize music even without a connection, and built firmly into iOS through Control Center and Siri. It has been ad-free since joining Apple. It stores a recording when offline and resolves it once a network is back.
It is free and, after the 2018 acquisition, funded through the Apple ecosystem with no subscription. It suits anyone who wants to name a song immediately, launch recognition without opening the app, or identify music offline. It is less aimed at users who expect seamless Spotify integration or continuous background recognition without any battery cost.
Download price only. In-app purchases and subscriptions may cost extra.
Questions & answers
Can I identify music without a separate app?
Yes. Shazam is built into iOS: the recognition button can be added to Control Center, and it is enough to ask Siri which song is currently playing. Either route identifies the music without opening a standalone app first, which makes the built-in option the quickest choice for everyday use.
Which app recognizes melodies I hum?
Only SoundHound. Shazam and Genius need the original recording, while SoundHound also identifies humming or singing as long as the melody is roughly right. That makes it the single option among the three for the common situation of carrying a tune in your head without any recording to hand.
Does music recognition work offline?
With Shazam it does: the app remembers recordings and resolves them as soon as the device is back online, so an identification is not lost just because there is no connection at that moment. SoundHound and Genius instead require an active internet connection and cannot complete a recognition without one.
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