Those of you who are in their teenage years might be familiar with Musical.ly, a lip sync short video creation app. You might also have tried recording a 15-second video of yourself singing your favorite song using the app. It may come as a shock to you but this viral video entertainment app is now being sold to a Chinese social media giant Toutiao for a reported $1 billion, which is a huge and surprising deal. In spite of Toutiao’s plans to keep Musical.ly running independently, it is impossible to predict what will happen to an acquired company. Hence, here are 6 Musical.ly alternatives that you can try out to create lip-sync videos of yourself:
Top Musical.ly Alternatives You Can Try
Musical.ly Alternatives #1. TikTok
Here’s TikTok, which seems to have taken cues from Musical.ly’s wild success and built a video platform almost identical to it. You can witness similarities between the format, user experience, and community of the platform when compared to the Musical.ly app.
Using artificial intelligence and image-capturing technologies, this Musical.ly alternative app, TikTok provides youth with an intuitive experience, as the company highlights in its app listings. It turns your device into a full-blown creative editing studio with rhythm synchronisation, special effects and other creative tools in tow.
In the TikTok app, you get a swipe-based scrolling video feed that displays crowdsourced lip sync videos. It is possible to choose between the most popular lip-sync videos or the ones that are shared by users near you. If not, you can choose to explore new users in the well-defined discovery section of the app.
You will instantly understand one thing when you try out Musical.ly alternative app TikTok. The app is trying hard to emulate the viral success of Musical.ly by providing you a much similar experience, that’s not actually bad. You can record crisp videos to share with everyone using the high-speed image capture and facial recognition capabilities.
Install Musical.ly alternative app, TikTok on Android (Free) and iOS (Free).
Musical.ly Alternatives #2. Flipagram
In case you are tired of watching 14-year-olds lip-sync to popular songs on YouTube, it might be a good idea for you to try out the next Musical.ly alternative app Flipagram. It is a powerful video editing app with a massive community of creators. As well as having a name that echoes Instagram, it used to be considered a threat to Instagram’s growth. But the latter outgrew itself under Facebook’s command and Flipagram continued its video-based journey.
With the app being around for such a long time, Flipagram has been able to build up a loyal community of creators who are quite active and have been using its advanced editing tools, filters, and effects to show off their creativity. The user experience of the app is quite instinctive, and it’s easy to adopt for everyone and not just the millennials.
Musical.ly alternative app, Flipagram now also offers you the option of creating music videos using its app, following Musical.ly’s success in the short video segment. You’re free to choose from its large library of songs, which also includes music from independent artists, to turn selfie videos into their favorite music video.
Install Musical.ly alternative app, Flipagram on Android (Free, in-app purchase starts at $0.99) and iOS (Free, in-app purchase starts at $1.99)
Musical.ly Alternatives #3. Cheez
Recently launched by popular live-streaming platform Live.me, Musical.ly alternative app, Cheez fills the void left behind by Vine’s demise in the short video market. It has a broader vision than Musical.ly and enables you to record, edit, and share funny short clips with the community of the fledgling platform. Throwback videos can be created instantly or stitched together from your memories to create the perfect memory lane.
Similar to Musical.ly, this Musical.ly alternative app, Cheez allows you to record yourself dancing and lip-syncing to popular music clips. You can then spice up your videos using a robust set of editing tools and filters to make your content stand apart from the crowd. Nevertheless, the Musical.ly alternative app, Cheez offers daily challenges and dance-offs that give you a chance to show off your talent. You can even share your videos on other social platforms as well.
Cheez, Musical.ly alternative app, has already amassed over 100,000 downloads and 4.4 user ratings since it was released on Google Play. If Live.me plays its card right, Cheez could become the spiritual successor of Vine. It is now up to the developer community and community members to make the platform appealing to a larger audience.
Install Musical.ly alternative app, Cheez on Android (Free) and iOS (Free)
Musical.ly Alternatives #4. Triller
In view of the fact that we have already suggested you a variety of alternatives to Musical.ly, the Triller app can be considered as one of the most powerful editing apps that you can get on your smartphone. This Musical.ly alternative app, Triller, has been divided into sections, one where you can choose to create high-quality films and the other that helps you create Musical.ly style music videos.
You can choose the film option to select and piece together videos you may have recorded earlier to build a story. This app is recommended because it can help you create lip-sync videos using the large number of hit songs that are currently trending on the charts. If you want to record lip-sync videos, all you have to do is record the video and decorate the video with filters as you would any other video.
As far as I am aware, there is no community aspect to the Triller app as you can only share your creations with other social media apps. It, however, enables you to collaborate with your friends to create a group video within seconds. These are the highlights of this video editing app, and they’ve made it popular among the public.
Install: Android (Free, in-app purchase starts at $0.99) and iOS (Free, remove watermark for $8.99)
Musical.ly Alternatives #5. Funimate
The next Musical.ly alternative app, Funimate is probably the best choice if you are looking for an app that is similar to Musical.ly both in form and function. The user interface of Funimate is quite reminiscent of the Musical.ly app and helps you record yourself lip-sync to some of the most popular music tracks. The thing is, though, it surpasses the experience by providing you with a bunch of cool effects, animated emojis and other creative tools that you can add to your recorded videos and show off your creativity.
On the Funimate’s page, you will be greeted with a scrolling feed of community videos (to inspire you!) once you open the app. There are two ways to watch the featured videos. Alternatively, you can tap on the “plus” icon at the bottom left of the screen and select the sound you want to lip-synch to. Another option is that you can watch the featured videos.
Funimate’s main advantage is that you do not need to record videos in a particular manner, like Musical.ly’s community does. This app not only allows you to record lip-sync videos but also create stunning compilations, music videos, slow-motion captures, and many more formats. According to Musical.ly alternative app, Funimate, the videos edited on their platform are the most creative and are often featured on Musical.ly.
Install Musical.ly alternative app, Funimate on Android (Free, in-app purchase starts at $3.99) and iOS (Free, in-app purchase starts at $2.99)
Musical.ly Alternatives #6. Dubsmash
Here’s another Musical.ly alternative app that you can try. Dubsmash is one of the few names that come to mind when searching for Musical.ly alternatives. It has been around for a really long time and does everything that Musical.ly does. Using the app, you can lip-sync and record various versions of music videos from a large collection of short audio clips. There is no major limitation to the audio clips and can differ depending on the content.
Musical.ly alternative app, Dubsmash allows you to record not only lip-synced music videos but also dialogue from TV shows, movies, and cartoons. And if that doesn’t suffice your creative mind, you’re free to import your own sounds and record videos using the same. Additionally, you can add stickers and text to your recorded videos.
Dubsmash, alternative to Musical.ly, displays videos in the form of Snapchat-style Stories, which are separated into two channels instead of using the usual feed-like structure most apps use. One showcases currently popular Stories while the other shows what it is that your friends are up to.
As Musical.ly’s stuttered music videos gained popularity, Dubsmash’s popularity declined. It is, however, still very much a worthy competitor to the millennial sensation that is Musical.ly.
Install Musical.ly alternative app, Dubsmash on Android (Free) and iOS (Free).
Other Musical.ly Alternatives to Listen to Curators Music
1. Soundcloud
If you are looking for Musical.ly Alternatives to Curators Music, consider tapping onto Soundcloud. Artists from all over the world use Soundcloud to spread their music and maintain a sense of community. Everyone is able to upload their music to the site and share it with the world. A variety of ways are available for you to discover new music, including curated playlists and recommendations, so you’re sure to find something that you’ll enjoy.
Whether you’re a fan of indie rock, country music, or electronic music, you’re sure to find something you like on Soundcloud. In addition to that, you can listen to your music even when you are not connected to the internet, thanks to Soundcloud’s new offline mode. There are a number of reasons why Soundcloud is a great place to start, from finding new music to listen to, to sharing your own music.
2. Spotify
As of the time this article is being written, we are still in the midst of an ongoing controversy concerning Spotify’s contractual agreements with podcaster Joe Rogan, during which many artists are leaving the audio service in protest. Neil Young was the first to pull his music from the service, followed by Joni Mitchell and others. There are also some subscribers who are following in the footsteps of the musicians.
Spotify’s fans may disagree, but there are plenty of good alternatives to listen to music. If you’re one of those who do use Spotify but who has decided to look elsewhere (or if you’re just interested in what music services are out there), here’s a quick rundown of just some of the better-known possibilities.
3. Bandcamp
The next Musical.ly Alternatives to Curators Music, Bandcamp was also recommended in several tweets, and it makes sense. Bandcamp, calls itself an “online record store and music community” in which independent musicians and podcasters are paid directly by their fans. According to Bandcamp, artists receive an average of 80 to 85 percent of sales (except for Bandcamp Fridays, when Bandcamp waives its revenue share to compensate for the lack of live performances during the pandemic). Using the app, you can hear a stream of tracks by different artists in your chosen category before purchasing the albums of your favorites. There is no fee for the service itself.
You can purchase the music separately from Bandcamp for varying prices set by the artists.
Free trials: N/A
4. Deezer
Although Deezer is less well-known in the US than Apple Music or Spotify, it offers similar features and catalogs. Musical.ly Alternatives to Curators Music, Deezer offers an impressive variety of more than 73 million songs, playlists, podcasts, and radio channels. Almost any device out there can be used to access its web version or apps, including desktops, phones, and watches. It also offers onscreen lyrics. Like the others, it offers several plans.
As of now, you can only listen to playlists rather than specific songs as well as insert advertisements when you choose free.
If you purchase the Premium package ($9.99), you will be able to listen to improve the audio quality of specific tracks, and download your music. You can connect up to three devices to your account. With an annual payment, you get a 25 percent discount at $89.91.
High-Fi ($14.99 / month) adds high-fidelity sound to all the features of Premium.
With Family ($14.99 / month), you can connect up to 13 devices, and you can have as many as six Premium accounts under your budget plan.
Free trials: One month for all paid plans.
5. Pandora
A pioneer in offering playlists based on a listener’s preferences, Pandora is one of the oldest in the music services. Currently owned by Sirius XM Holdings, it was introduced as a consumer music service in 2005 and has gone through a variety of changes since (for example, users of the free service were originally limited to 40 hours of streaming per month). The company now offers both a free and two paid service; both music and podcasts are available.
The free Pandora service allows you to play specific songs after viewing an advertisement; you can also skip unlimited songs after viewing an advertisement.
When you subscribe to Pandora Plus ($4.99/month), the ads are removed, and you can listen offline, but you still have to view an ad to select specific tracks. Audio quality goes up to 192Kbps.
Pandora Premium ($9.99/month) also offers all of its Plus features, such as creating and sharing playlists, along with the advantage of removing all advertisements.
There are six accounts included in the Family plan ($14.99 / month). Both Premium Student ($4.99 / month) and Premium Military ($7.99 / month) give you the same features as the regular Premium account.
Free trial: 30 days for Plus, 60 days for Premium
6. Tidal
Music service Tidal offers high-quality audio and innovation for true music fans. It offers a library of over 80 million tracks, over 350 thousand videos, and three levels of audio quality: Normal (AAC quality, 160Kbps), HiFi (lossless quality, 1411Kbps), and Master (Hi-Res quality, 2304-9216Kbps), depending on your plan and your device; it specifically supports a number of device manufacturers. It does not offer podcasts.
It offers up to 160Kbps sound quality, some interruptions aimed at promoting the service itself (Tidal states that third-party ads are not shown), and playlists. You can request specific songs and albums, even on the free plan.
The HiFi service ($9.99/month) offers HiFi sound quality and offline listening with no ads.
Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 Reality Audio, with Master Quality Audio are included in HiFi Plus ($19.99 / month). Tidal also says it gives 10 percent of your subscription to the artists you listen to most and that “the artists you stream will get paid depending on your streaming habits.”
Free trial: 30 days for paid plans
7. Qobuz
Besides Apple Music, Qobuz is the only other service listed here that does not have a free service. It has partnered with various equipment manufacturers such as Bang & Olufsen, Sonos, and Thiel to provide high-quality FLAC 24-bit audio up to 192 kHz, similar to Tidal. It boasts over 70 million tracks but does not offer podcasts. There are two plans offered by Qobuz. Both plans come in Solo (one account), Duo (two accounts) and Family (six accounts per household).
In addition to downloadable music, Studio Premier also offers original editorial content such as playlists and articles that can be downloaded. Solo costs $12.99 / month; Duo costs $17.99 / month; Family costs $21.90 / month.
On the other hand, Studio Sublime subscriptions allow you to specify albums that you would like to purchase and offer you a 60 percent discount. However, this service is only available to those who subscribe to the service on an annual basis. Solo costs $179.99 (about $15 / month), Duo is $269.89 (about $22.49 / month) while Family is $349.99 (about $29.17 a month).
Free trial: One month (Studio Premier only)
8. 8Tracks
There is no better place to discover new music than on 8tracks, where you can create and listen to playlists. Using 8tracks, you can listen to new music for free and create playlists for any occasion that you want. If you are looking for a workout playlist, some new music to help you study, or just a collection of your favorite songs, 8tracks is the perfect music service for you. Depending on what mood you’re in, you can even find playlists that are specific to moods, like happy or sad, or activities, like running or cooking.
It is also a great way to discover new music with 8tracks. There are a lot of playlists to choose from, so no matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find something that you’ll enjoy. If you don’t know where to start, you can always take a look at the 8tracks Hot 100 to see what’s hot at the moment.
9. Hype Machine
Music can be found and listened to on Hype Machine, a web-based platform. It was founded by AnthonyVolodkin and AnthonyListener in 2005. It is free to use, with a paid subscription option for those who wish to support the artists on the site. In terms of its user interface, Hype Machine offers just two options: a search bar and a player. It is possible to search for songs based on the artist, genre, or popularity of the song. The player can be used to play the song once it has been found by the user. A playlist can be created by a user and can then be shared with other users.
Discovering new music is easy with Hype Machine. You can also support independent artists this way. Visit Hype Machine if you’re a fan of independent music.
10. NPR Music
NPR Music has been a go-to source for music lovers since its launch in 2007. Whether you’re looking for the latest album reviews, artist interviews, concert listings, or just a place to discover new music, NPR Music has something for everyone.
One of the best things about NPR Music is that it’s always free to access. The online stream of NPR Music and its articles do not require a paid subscription.
You can also listen to NPR Music on a variety of devices, for instance on your computer, phone, or tablet, or you can use the NPR Music app for iOS and Android.
NPR Music might already be a favorite of yours if you’re an NPR listener. Check out NPR Music today if you’re new to NPR Music, or if you’re looking for even more great music content.
11. BBC Radio 6 Music
The BBC Radio 6 Music is an online radio station that broadcasts music from the BBC worldwide. The service is available in the UK as well as around the world via the internet. There is a wide range of music genres available on the station, which are aimed at a music-loving audience, including rock, pop, indie music, dance, and electronica. It is also home to a number of specialist music programs, such as ‘The Selector’, ‘6 Music Recommends’, and ‘6 Music Live’, which are broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music.
12. Last.FM
In this 21st century, there are millions of music lovers all over the world that are part of Last.fm’s social music community. With it, you can discover new music, share your taste in music with your friends, and even find out what’s hot in the world of music right now in a fun and social way.
Keep track of your musical taste and activity with Last.fm. We can build up a comprehensive picture of your musical taste by tracking the artists and songs you listen to. As a result, we can make better recommendations of music you might like, and we can also connect you with like-minded people.
With Last.fm, you can listen to music for free, and we’re funded by advertising. It is our belief that the more people who use and enjoy our service, the better it will be for all of us in the long run.
13. Youtube Music
As a result of its own decision, Google merged its independent Google Play Music service into its YouTube video service, resulting in YouTube Music. This can result in some confusion between your music and video lists. On the plus side, you can get individual songs and albums with the free service; according to a May 2020 blog entry, at the time, YouTube Music had “over 50 million tracks, albums and high quality audio.” You access podcasts on a separate app.
Besides choosing individual songs and albums, the Free service includes advertisements. On desktop, occasional pauses until you click on the “Video paused. Continue watching?” notification (even though you’re not watching a video). Moreover, when you switch apps or your screen goes dark while listening on a phone, the music will stop.
With YouTube Music Premium ($9.99 / month), you can download your music without ads or pauses. There is also a $99.99 annual plan. YouTube Music is included with YouTube Music Premium ($11.99 / month).
Budget Plans: Up to five household members can be added to the YouTube Music Family plan ($14.99 / month). The YouTube Music Student Plan ($4.99 / month) gives you Premium service with verification of eligibility.
Free trial: One month for paid plans
14. Apple Music
Especially for those who are already committed to the Apple ecosystem, Apple Music’s 90 million songs are a great option. It touts its higher quality audio, including “immersive sound”.
There is no free version. In order to listen to podcasts, you will have to use a separate app.
In addition to accessing Apple’s music library and playlists, Apple Music Individual ($9.99 / month) offers high-quality audio, including lossless and spatial Dolby Atmos audio that can be used on a variety of devices. You can request specific songs or albums by asking Siri; you can also download music and see lyrics. Family plans ($14.99 / month) include Individual features for up to six members.
The budget plans above lack the upgraded audio features and don’t let you download songs for offline listening. Apple Music Voice ($4.99 / month) is also available on Apple devices only. If you’re in college, the Student plan ($4.99 / month) offers the same features as the Individual plan. You can also include Apple Music in the Apple One bundle plan.
Free trials: 30 days for all plans
15. Amazon Music
Aside from Spotify, Amazon Music is one of the most popular music services outside of Apple Music and Google’s YouTube Music. It offers three different music tiers; as you travel up the ladder, you get access to more songs at higher levels of quality. You can also listen to podcasts.
It is important to keep in mind that Amazon Music Free has a limited audio quality that is limited to SD and there are no particular songs or albums that you can listen to when you use it, but instead you have the option to listen to playlists, radio stations and podcasts.
Amazon Music Prime is free to members of its Prime shopping / video / etc. service (but not to family members; it’s one of the few features that is not shared). You can choose from 2 million songs on this SD-only service, which is ad-free.
With Amazon Music Unlimited, you can enjoy 75 million songs in SD, HD, Ultra HD, and Spatial Audio ad-free. The Individual Plan ($7.99 / month) only lets you listen on one device at a time; the Family Plan ($14.99 / month) lets you have up to six accounts used on several devices.
With the Single Device Plan ($3.99 / month), you can use the service on one specific Echo or Fire device at the same time. Meanwhile, the Student Plan (99 cents / month) will give you HD access and a lot of the features that are available with Unlimited.
Free Trial: 30 days for Unlimited and Single Device plans
16. iTunes
A popular media player, iTunes plays, downloads, and organises digital audio and video files. Apple’s popular iPod and iPhone devices are also managed using this application. In addition to being available on both Windows and macOS, iTunes is considered to be one of the most user-friendly media players on the market.
There are many features available in iTunes that are not available in other media players. It is possible for iTunes to automatically retrieve the album artwork for all the songs that you have in your library, for instance. You can play video files using iTunes, and you can sync your video content to your iPod or iPhone using iTunes. Aside from offering many exclusive features for users of Apple’s devices, iTunes also offers a range of other unique features, such as the ability to wirelessly sync your device with iTunes, and the ability to purchase and download apps from Apple’s App Store.
There are also several improvements in the latest version of iTunes, including a new interface, improved performance, and compatibility with the latest versions of Windows as well as macOS. If you are looking for a media player that is both easy to use and packed with features, iTunes is an excellent choice.
Musical.ly: A Widespread Pop Culture Phenomenon
Teenagers of the current generation are sure to be drawn to apps like Musical.ly as the music landscape continues to diversify. This lip-sync music video recording app was lunged into virality by Gen Z back in 2015, and it has since become a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. In similar fashion to Vine, it has started to produce pop sensations and music labels are desperate to get their hands on it.
The app is now even being used by musicians to promote their music, asking teens to lip-sync to their latest tracks. But, now that Musical.ly has been acquired by another Chinese media giant, we have to wait to witness the fate of this uber-popular app.
What are your thoughts on Musical.ly? Are you part of this huge phenomenon that changes quality of life as well? Let us know in the comments section down below.
