Imagine that you’re on a long and boring road trip in the middle of nowhere with no coverage, so all online entertainment is out of question. Having some music as a time killer would be nice in that situation — but you didn’t download anything on your phone, and all you have is a free Spotify account. So, are you condemned to a painful death by boredom?
Good news for you: what you have is enough. Keep reading to learn how to listen to music offline on Spotify without Premium.
Can you listen to Spotify offline?
Yes, you can! To turn on the offline mode on Spotify, go to Settings and press Offline mode in the Playback settings list. Here’s what it looks like:
This feature is also available on desktop devices. Here’s where to turn on the offline mode on Spotify if you need it on your laptop:
- Click on the three dots in the top left corner of the screen.
- Choose File.
- Click Offline mode and enjoy going off the grid.
However, Spotify offline mode comes with a number of limitations:
- You can only listen to downloaded music. Once you’re offline, you can’t access the whole Spotify library — only the albums you’ve downloaded in advance. So, stack up on some albums before that long flight!
- You can’t use the downloaded files elsewhere. Downloading on streaming platforms doesn’t work the same way as downloading from the internet in general. You don’t get .mp3 files you can set as a ringtone, include in your DJ set, or cut for samples to use in your music — you can only listen to downloaded music within the app.
- The downloaded files disappear if you don’t log in to your Spotify account at least once in 30 days.
- Offline mode is fully available for Premium users only. It’s because Spotify needs the internet for playing ads to free users. However, if you have a free account, you can listen to podcasts offline — with no ads, obviously.
So, does Spotify Premium work offline? Yes — now, let’s figure out how to get one.
How to get Spotify Premium
Getting Spotify Premium so you can enjoy the platform’s offline mode is pretty easy. The most straightforward way is to open Spotify in your browser, mobile or desktop, log in or sign up (if you don’t have an account), and choose the plan that fits you the best.
Note that using the browser version is the only way for iPhone users to get Spotify Premium — the app restricted in-app purchases due to Apple’s commissions. However, Android users can purchase a Premium plan right in the app just by clicking the button in the lower right corner of the screen.
Can you listen to Spotify offline without Premium, though? There are some trickier methods — let’s explore them.
How to use Spotify offline without Premium
Using offline mode on Spotify without a Premium subscription is boiled down to simply downloading music from the platform via third-party software on your desktop device and uploading it on your smartphone if necessary. Let’s take a closer look at some of the apps that can do the job.
Sidify
Sidify is a Spotify music converter that downloads Spotify playlists and albums in MP3, WAV, FLAC, and other formats. It’s available for MacOS and Windows, it records music both from Spotify’s web player and the desktop app, keeps the metadata, and even allows you to save song lyrics. The downside is, the free version only downloads music from YouTube. To appreciate how cool Sidify is, you’ll need to purchase the app for $60.
ViWizard
ViWizard is another desktop tool to use if you want to listen to Spotify offline. Like Sidify, it supports several audio formats and is available for Windows and MacOS. One cool thing about this tool is that it doesn’t require you to have a Spotify app installed on your device — once you open ViWizard, Spotify opens automatically. However, $80 dollars for a lifetime use of the app may seem a bit too expensive to some users.
Cinch Audio Recorder
For those looking for cheaper ways to listen to Spotify offline without Premium, Cinch Audio Recorder can be a great option. It captures streaming audio directly from sound cards, which means that you can mute the sound while recording. Although it will record the ads if you’re a free user, you can use the in-built ad filter to remove those. It can also make you a ringtone and allows you to edit the ID3 track data. And the best part is, the lifetime license costs only $26, which is a lot cheaper compared to the tools we mentioned earlier. The only downside is that Cinch Audio Recorder only supports MP3 and WAV.
…and the UI design is a bit underwhelming, if you ask us.
Spotify Downloader Online
If you’re asking, “Can I listen to Spotify offline for free?”, here’s the answer — use Spotify Downloader Online. It’s a free website that allows you to download music from Spotify by copying and pasting links to albums, playlists, and songs. You can also use it on your smartphone by opening the website in a browser of your choice.
It comes with a bunch of drawbacks like only supporting MP3 and not allowing you to bulk download, only one track at a time. However, it’s convenient enough for a free tool, so why not give it a try?
MuConvert
MuConvert is yet another tool that will help you download music from Spotify and listen to it offline without Premium. It downloads songs, playlists, and albums in batches, supports several audio formats including FLAC, and costs $13.97/month. Don’t worry about the price though, it comes with a 30-day free trial.
Wrapping up
If you’ve been wondering, “Can I play Spotify offline?”, the answer is yes. The easiest way to do so is to get a Premium account that comes with many benefits, including the fully functional offline mode. However, there is a way to listen to Spotify offline without Premium, which is using third-party Spotify music downloaders.
Unfortunately, there are no trustworthy mobile ways to download music from Spotify — we don’t recommend using sketchy apps because of the malware infection risks. There is a number of relatively safe desktop downloaders, though, both paid, free, or with a functional free trial.
Frequently asked questions
How to turn off offline mode on Spotify?
To turn off the offline mode on Spotify mobile, go to Settings and press Offline mode in the Playback settings list — the same way you turn it on. The same goes for desktop devices.
Can I play Spotify offline without Premium?
Free Spotify accounts come with a partially functional offline mode that allows you to listen to podcasts. However, free users can’t listen to albums and songs offline — you need a Premium for that.
Can I download songs from Spotify offline?
The offline mode on Spotify Premium allows you to download uneditable OGG files to listen to in the Spotify app. However, you can’t use these files elsewhere and you don’t own them.
