iTunes used to be the place where iPhone and iPod users synced their music and files across devices, updated and backed up, and did a lot more. However, with macOS Catalina, Apple finally declared end-of-life for iTunes on Mac, and replaced it with Music, Podcasts, and Apple TV — one dedicated app for each of the main use cases for iTunes. As for managing your iPhone, iPad, and iPod, you can now use Finder to do all of it easily. However, if you loved using iTunes on your Mac, and are looking for apps like iTunes, here are the 17 best iTunes alternatives you can use in 2022.
Note: iTunes is still available on Windows 11. However, we’re not sure how long Apple will continue supporting iTunes on Windows PCs as well.
Best iTunes Alternatives You Should Use in 2022
When you are trying to replace a multitasking software like iTunes, you’ve got to be a little more choosy. We have included a section here that can help you figure out what kind of iTunes alternatives you need. If you want to skip it, you can use the table of content below to skip directly to our app list.
Which iTunes Alternatives Should You Choose?
Though I can’t predict the longevity of iTunes for Windows, I can certainly assure you that the media library-cum iPhone/iPad manager is here to stay at least until Apple finds a better replacement for it on Windows.
But don’t expect Apple to bring a whole lot of enhancements to the media library as the tech giant has just started to throttle it and may keep the software alive until it becomes completely irrelevant – in the typical Apple fashion.
Besides, even though Finder does a pretty good job of managing the iPhone, Apple’s versatile file manager still lacks quite a few essential features like the option to let users restore data selectively. As for the newly launch Music and Apple TV apps, they are too sophisticated to let you manage all of your tracks and videos with the desired flexibility.
Well, all I’m trying to emphasize here is that the need to have a complete iTunes alternative had never been so essential before, irrespective of whether you are on macOS Catalina, Mojave, Monterey, or on Windows 11.
Coming back to the question of which iTunes-like software can be right for you, take a close look at your needs i.e movies/shows management, music management, or iPhone/iPad management, and then go for the tool that fits into your requirements. With that said, let’s get started, shall we?
1. WALTR PRO
My favorite iTunes replacement software is WALTR PRO. While this software comes with a considerable price, it is very convenient and powerful. You can also use the license for other apps from Softorino. With WALTR PRO, I can either connect my iPhone using cables or WiFi. Its WiFi connection is as fast as the native AirDrop and transfers music and pictures in seconds.
Even the big video files just take minutes to transfer from my Mac to my iPhone. I also love the fact that WALTR PRO supports every kind of file that we generally transfer. Moreover, it also converts the file format to those Apple respects. For instance, if you have a MKV file, WALTR PRO will automatically convert it to Apple supported file format while transferring. Whether it’s music, videos, PDFs, ePub, or audiobooks, WALTR PRO automatically recognizes the files we are sending, and converts and pushes them to native Apple apps.
So, if I transfer a video, I will find it in the Videos app. This means that I don’t have to use any third-party software to listen to my songs or watch videos. Every file transferred through WALTR PRO is treated as a native file. For this feature alone, WALTR PRO is worth its price.
If you want to easily transfer files between your desktop and iOS devices, WALTR PRO is the software to get as it has got all the bases covered to be a notable alternative to iTunes. You can get the newer version at a discount price if you already use WALTR 2.
Pros Cons Clean user-interface Comparatively expensive File transfer is fast and secure Has a limiting trial period Supports a variety of file types WiFi connectivity can be faster Drag and drop to convert files on the go Compatible with multiple Apple devices
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS
Download: WALTR PRO (Free trial, $35.00 annually, $300 one time payment)
2. MusicBee
If you don’t want to manage files and just want a player that can help you manage your music and listen to it, MusicBee is one of the best software out there. MusicBee makes it easy to manage, find, and play music files on your computer at no cost. You can easily sync your music between your Windows PC, Android and iOS devices.
Not only that, but MusicBee also works with podcasts, web-radio stations, and even brings SoundCloud integration. Listening to music on MusicBee is fun, as not only it brings a very simple and intuitive UI but also brings tons of features that enhance your listening experience.
I especially love its 15-band equalizer which lets me adjust the settings to my test. In addition, the auto-tagging feature helps you manage your music files categorically. Other features of this app include logarithmic volume scaling, gapless playback, support for WinAmp plugins, theme support, multiple skins, and more.
Pros Cons 15-band equalizer The user interface looks bland Web-radio stations UI/UX can be less daunting SoundCloud integration Recurring bugs are reported Logarithmic volume scaling
Supported Platforms: Windows
Download: MusicBee (Free)
3. Vox: MP3 & FLAC Music Player
If you are a Mac user and looking for a simple yet feature-rich music player to replace Apple Music check out the Vox Media Player. One of the best things about this app is its support for multiple audio formats. Besides, the application is available for iPhone and Windows OS as well.
Not only the app supports the popular media format including MP3 and MP4 but it also supports other formats including FLAC, CUE, APE, and M4A among others.
I also love that Vox supports both Tunes and personal music libraries. Not only that, but the app also supports streaming music via SoundCloud, YouTube, and more than 30000+ internet radio stations.
Other features of the app include gapless playback, enhanced stereo sound, bass audio engine, a cloud storage solution for all your music, and more. Putting everything into the right perspective, Vox Media Player is a top-notch iTunes alternative for Mac.
Pros Cons Supports several file formats Exporting playlists seems a bit slow Supports both Tunes and personal music library Subscription-based pricing 30000+ internet radio stations Supports streaming music via SoundCloud, YouTube
Supported Platforms: macOS, iOS, Windows
Download: (Free, $4.99/month)
4. WinX MediaTrans
If you are a Windows user who is looking for a true iTunes alternative that allows you to easily transfer music, photos, videos, and other files between your computer and iPhones and iPads, this is the software for you. The app brings features including automatic photo backup, music management with two-way music transfer, video transfer, book organizer, ringtone maker, and more.
One of my more favorite features of this app is that it allows me to encrypt my photo and videos library. The app is also very easy to use and brings no fuss. Just install it, connect your phone, and you are good to go.
What’s more, the app doesn’t even require you to install iTunes on your system and work independently. The software can also convert some of your files while transferring into Apple suitable formats. Moreover, you will also benefit from the “Remove DRM” option that lets you remove limiting licenses on digital media. If you need to manage media and files between your PC and iPhone, this is the app to get as it has got all the essential features to be rated as a great iTunes alternative for Windows.
Note: The same company also makes this tool for macOS operating systems. It’s called MacX MediaTrans and you can download it from here.
Pros Cons Quick file transfer between computer and iPhone/iPad Music organization could be better Encrypt my photo and videos library Affordable plans would be appreciated Neat user interface Available for Windows only
Supported Platforms: Windows
Download: (Free trial, $39.95 for a lifetime license)
5. DearMob iPhone Manager
DearMob iPhone Manager is an all-in-one tool that lets you easily manage media and music, transfer files between your computer and iOS devices, create automatic backups, and encrypt your data for total protection. Basically, everything that you can do with iTunes, you can do with DearMob.
While the software is feature-rich somehow it has kept the user experience quite simple and intuitive. I found it quite easy to use and never struggled with any of its features. My favorite feature of the app is the way it allows me to manage my photos.
Not only can I transfer photos between devices, which by the way it’s super quick at, it also allows me to manage and delete pictures, manage albums, and both preview and convert HEIC photos.
It also brings a feature-rich audio management service which makes it really easy to manage your song. Moreover, you can use your iPhone as a flash drive. It might not appear new for Android users. However, for iPhone users, it is a great feature to store any file on your phone. Finally, it’s available for Windows and macOS operating systems so no matter which operating system you use, you are good to go.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to transfer photos between devices | Transferring photos seems sluggish |
| Ability to encrypt data for added protection | Relatively expensive |
| Feature-rich audio management | |
| Convert HEIC photos |
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS
Download: (Free trial, $39.95 for two licenses)
6. Musique
Musique is a music player for your Mac that doesn’t suck. Not only does the app bring a clean and simple to use UI but it’s also very nimble and features rich. My favorite feature of the app is its built-in lyrics finder which extracts the lyrics of any song that you are playing.
I also love the way this app organizes my music by artists and albums in a beautiful tiled mosaic view. I just love seeing the photos of my favorite artists and the album covers. One unique feature of this app is that it retains the folder structure of your collection displaying your music in exactly the way you have organized it. Initially, you can download the free trial version of the app. Later, you will need to pay $12 once the 20-day free trial has ended.
If you are looking for a simple and powerful music player as an iTunes substitute, this is the one to get, and since it’s free, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t check it out.
Note: If you are looking for more options you can check out our article on the best music players for Mac by clicking on the link.
Pros Cons Neat user-interface May not extract lyrics consistently Organizes music by artists and albums Cannot open individual music files outside the scanned music folder Powerful music player Does not support all common formats Built-in lyrics finder
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Download: (Free)
7. Swinsian
Another music player for Mac that I love is Swinsian. The app brings awesome features such as wide format support, folder watching, advanced tag editing, duplicate finder, smart playlist support, and more. The app is crazy fast and never lags no matter how big your library is. It also brings a highly customizable interface that can be changed according to your needs. In addition, the automatic sample rate switching ensures you get the highest possible quality from your music files.
I also love that The app lets you easily control the music playback using its mini window or the widget. If you are switching from iTunes, you will also appreciate that it allows you to import your whole music library from iTunes with just one click. Overall, I quite like this software and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a simple music player as an iTunes alternative.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Wide-format support | Requires some learning curve initially |
| Advanced tag editing | |
| Folder watching | |
| Ability to import the entire music library |
Supported Platforms: macOS
Download: (Free trial, $24.95)
8. Dr.fone
iTunes had more use than music playback such as creating backups, permanently erasing data on your iPhone, and more, Dr.fone is the solution that you need. The app brings tons of features including the ability to create backups, restoring your iPhone, recovering deleted data from your iPhone, transferring files, messages, and contacts between your computer and iPhone, security erasing data, and more.
One of my more favorite features of this app is the ability to run repair scripts. The app easily repairs normal bugs and iOS problems such as “stuck at bootup”, “recovery mode looping”, and more. While this data recovery software costs a pretty penny, it is certainly useful for users who like to experiment with their iPhones.
While all these great features come in handy, Dr. Fone can be better at working. Users have repeatedly mentioned bugs and unstable app processes. In addition, it does not allow you to edit the music playlist which comes as a bummer. However, the bugs are uncommon and the developers will surely take care of them. That makes Dr. Fone a wort try if you are looking for a good iTunes alternative for data transfer and backup.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to back up your iPhone | Lacks better file management tools |
| Restore your device | Expensive plans |
| Recover deleted data | Unstable application |
| Ability to run repair scripts |
Supported Platforms: macOS, Windows
Download: (Free trial, $99.95/$139.95/year)
9. Fidelia
If you love your music and want to listen to it at the highest possible quality, Fidelia is the app for you. For those who have never heard of this app before, Fidelia is basically a high-definition audio player for Mac. The app brings support for all contemporary audio file formats and an elegant interface that focuses exclusively on music.
The app provides users with the power and the freedom to organize, customize, and savor their digital music collection at the highest possible fidelity. It also brings a complete set of audio tools including equalizers, compressors, CanOpener headphone modeler, support for 64-bit audio unit plug-ins, and more. Basically, unlike iTunes which just gets the job done, Fidelia brings a player that is made for audiophiles.
Pros Cons Lets you listen to music in the top quality The library window seems to be clunky Support for all contemporary audio file formats UI can be more modern High-definition audio player Support for 64-bit audio unit plug-ins
Supported Platforms: macOS
Download: ($29.99)
10. PodTrans
We will end this list with a piece of software that allows you to easily transfer music between your desktop computer and iPod. The app is very easy to use allowing users to transfer music with just a couple of clicks. You don’t even need to have iTunes installed on this for it to work.
If you have newer iPods that bring a gorgeous retina screen, you will be happy to know that it also supports the management of other media files including videos, TV Shows, movies, iTunes U, and more. The app is a small and nifty application and very useful for iPod owners. Being available for free, it’s one of the best free iTunes alternatives you can get for your Mac and Windows.
Pros Cons Lightweight and snappier interface Lacks powerful tools to manage videos and TV shows Transferring music between computer and iPod is a breeze Can be a little buggy at times Works independently Can manage other file types such as videos and TV shows as well
Supported Platforms: macOS, Windows
Download: (Free)
11. PhoneRescue
Times when you end up deleting important data accidentally or lose sensitive files due to complex issues like the black screen of death, a full-fledged data recovery software package like PhoneRescue has a role to play.
What gives this iMobie’s offering an edge over many other rivals including iTunes is the ability to recover 31 types of files including photos, videos, songs, docs, and more. Thus, it doesn’t matter what the situation and what sort of files fell prey to the unexpected issues, you can retrieve them without any pain.
One of my favorite features of this software is the straightforward UI that ensures you don’t have to spend a lot of time to get a good hang of the data recovery tools. Based on your needs, you can choose the missing data and retrieve it selectively in just a few clicks. In a few cases like a rooted device, the app can also recover passwords for you. Overall, PhoneRescue is a great iTunes replacement software for recovering lost data.
Pros Cons Snappier user interface Doesn’t have much to offer in terms of organizing files Full-fledged data recovery software Doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app Recover 31 types of files Multiple platform support
Supported Platforms: macOS, Windows, Android
Download: (Free download, $69.99/ Lifetime license)
12. Gihosoft iManager
Claiming to be the ultimate iPhone file manager, Gihosoft iManager has got all the bases covered to be a handy iTunes alternative for both macOS and Windows. With this tool at the disposal, you can comfortably manage and transfer your music, photos, videos, and docs from the computer to iPhone/iPad or vice versa.
Not just that, Gihosoft also works pretty well in terms of backing up files, allowing you to keep your data safe and restore it when needed. To ensure your personal information has an extra layer of safeguard, Gihosoft iManager also lets you encrypt your data just like iTunes.
Even better, it allows you to archive old backups as well so that you can free up a lot of precious space on your computer. Everything considered; Gihosoft iManager is a versatile iTunes substitute for Windows and macOS.
Pros Cons Transferring data is fast User-interface feels sluggish Encrypt your data No Mobile Version Available Ability to archive old backups
Supported Platforms: macOS, Windows
Download: (Free trial, $35/computer)
13. MediaMonkey
I have specifically saved “MediaMonkey” for folks who manage a large music and video library. And if you are one of them, this might just be the iTunes alternative you have been waiting for.
With the support for several file formats including MP3, AAC (M4A), OGG, WMA, FLAC, ALAC, MPC, WAV, CDA, AVI, MP4, OGV, MPEG, WMV, M3U, and PLS, this iTunes rival is fully equipped to manage audio/video files. This app is an excellent media management tool, a tag manager, and a CD ripper/encoder. In addition, it can manage over 100,000 files effortlessly. Unlike Apple’s offering, it has a relatively clean interface that makes for hassle-free navigation.
One of my top picks of this software is the ability to automatically identify movies and tracks that are missing important information. Hence, it’s pretty easy to fix duplicated items and even sort out tracks that tags aren’t synchronized. One of the best feature it provides is the ability to play movies and videos over TV, stereo, and more. Letting you choose personalized skins also adds to a fancy feature. In a nutshell, MediaMonkey is a versatile and the best iTunes substitute for Android and Windows, if you have a lot of audio/video files to manage.
Pros Cons Excellent at managing large music and video libraries Seems to stutter a bit while transferring large files Very good at fixing duplicated items UI can be better Support for a number of file formats
Supported Platforms: Windows, Android
Download: Free, $49.95/lifetime license
14. CopyTrans
If I were to rank iTunes alternatives purely based on the efficiency of managing music, CopyTrans would be right at the top along with the best in the business. Yeah, you heard it right. Unlike iTunes, CopyTrans offers full-on customization so that you can customize your music library just the way you want.
For instance, you can edit track titles, album titles, music genre, artwork with ease. Moreover, the software also lets you fine-tune meta-tags, ratings, and even lyrics of songs so that your music library can look in perfect sync. No matter how carefully you manage songs, duplicate tracks tend to sneak into the library over time.
With CopyTrans, you will be able to track down all the duplicate songs and remove them quickly. Long story short, CopyTrans is your all-in-one iTunes substitute for managing music.
Pros Cons Make music management dead simple Warrants some learning curve for beginners Option to fine-tune meta tags and ratings It is not able to import data from iPhone Easy to track down duplicate songs Compatible with almost any iOS device
Supported Platforms: Windows
Download: Free trial, $29.99/full package
15. Clementine
Should you want to have an iTunes substitute that can let you organize your music library without any complexity, give a shot to Clementine. Inspired by Amarok 1.4, this multiplatform music player sports a pretty intuitive interface.
Thus, you can keep all of your music ideally organized in line with your taste. Moreover, this open-source software also lets you listen to Internet radio from several streaming services including Spotify, Grooveshark, Soundcloud, Icecast, SomaFM, Magnatune, Jamendo, and more.
If you like to catch up with some cool radio programs, this feature might win you over right away. Unlike iTunes, Clementine is integrated with multiple cloud services including Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive.
Thus, you can play songs that you have uploaded to these cloud services. On top of all, this free iTunes alternative also lets you transcode music into several formats such as MP3, Ogg Vorbis, Ogg Speex, FLAC, or AAC, which is yet another plus from a user-experience perspective.
Pros Cons Organize music library with ease Lacks tools for advanced music customization Integrated with multiple cloud services Transcode music into several formats Ability to listen to internet radio
Supported Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux
Download: Free
16. Amarok
There are multiple reasons why Amarok is considered to be a notable iTunes substitute. For starters, the software comes with a range of tools to enhance the music playing and management experience. Thanks to the web services integration, it offers better control over your music.
With the last.fm integration, you can listen to last.fim radio. Besides, you can remotely connect to the Ampache music server and search as well as playback media files.
Notably, there is also an option to download and upload MP3 tunes locker. What’s more, you can create playlists that are updated automatically for hassle-free management.
Pros Cons A powerful music player The interface looks old fashioned Web services integration last.fm integration Comes with a range of music management tools
Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux
Download: Free
17. TunesGo
TunesGo is an all-new iTunes alternative that you can use to transfer and back up your important data like photos, music, contacts, and more. Notably, it works independently and doesn’t require the help of iTunes.
The software makes the process of transferring songs from computer to iOS device or vice-versa straightforward. Besides, it also lets you make iPhone ringtone, get rid of duplicate tracks, and even fix music tags.
One of my favorite features of TunesGo is the ability to create a backup of the entire photo library and sort images with custom filters. As someone who has to deal with a massive collection of images, I find its photos management tool very helpful. What’s more, it also allows me to delete multiple photos in batch for better management.
For the folks who love animated GIFs will find its ability to create GIFs from static images or convert any video to GIFs super handy. Considering the seamless file transfer and better file management, TunesGo deserves to be rated as one of the best iTunes alternatives.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A straightforward way to transfer files | At times, it fails to fix music tags accurately |
| Removes duplicate tracks with ease | No wireless connectivity |
| Fixes music tags | |
| Sort images with custom filters | |
| Ability to create GIFs from images or video |
Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux
Download: Free trial ($39.95)
Frequently Asked Questions about iTunes Alternatives
Q. What is a good replacement for iTunes?
There are several apps like WALTR, MusicBee, and Vox Media Player that are considered to be very good replacements for iTunes.
Q. What is the best iTunes alternative for Windows?
Considering fast and efficient file management, WinX MediaTrans can stake the claim of being the best iTunes alternative for Windows. Though WALTR and MusicBee are good competitors too terms of file management.
Q. Can I use something other than iTunes for my iPhone?
Yes, you can use software like MacX/WinX MediaTrans, MusicBee, and Vox Media Player to manage your iPhone without iTunes.
Q. Is iTunes being discontinued?
Yes, Apple has already shut down iTunes on Mac. Though the company has not yet killed iTunes on Windows, the introduction of a more efficient alternative on Windows doesn’t seem too far away.
Q. Can I not buy songs on iTunes anymore?
You can still buy songs and movies on iTunes. The software continues to work on Windows and macOS Mojave or earlier as usual.
Q. What is the best music library software?
You can use Vox Media Player as it supports a variety of file formats and supports both iTunes and personal music library along with over 30,000 internet radio stations.
Q. Is MusicBee better than iTunes?
MusicBee is a good alternative to iTunes and you can use it to manage files, transfer, and listen to music.
Q. Is iTunes on Windows going away?
Apple has not officially discontinued iTunes on Windows just yet. However, since the company has already shut down the macOS version of iTunes, we could expect it to sunset the Windows version in the future.
Q. How do I manage iTunes library?
You can use apps like Vox player and MediaMonkey to manage your iTunes library.
Q. What is Apple’s replacement for iTunes?
With the launch of macOS Catalina, Apple introduced dedicated apps namely Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Books to replicate the functionalities of iTunes.
Q. How can I put music on my iPhone without using iTunes?
You can use apps like WinX MediaTrans and MusicBee to transfer music to iPhone without relying on iTunes. Besides, now that Apple has discontinued iTunes, these apps perform better that the separate ones.
Use These iTunes Alternatives to Make Your Life Easier
That ends our list of the best iTunes alternatives that you can use to manage music and media on your iPhone and iPad. I have tried to include apps that can perform all the actions that you currently carry out using iTunes. Whether you need something just to play music or something that can completely replace iTunes for you, you will find an app here. Do check the list out and let us know your favorite iTunes alternatives.
Comments
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To: Rachit Agarwal — I have two iPods STRICTLY for music in my car and when traveling. The iTunes library on my PC exceeds 15K songs & only fills 1/2 of the 160 GB iPod. Recently, iTunes doesn’t want to play nice on an external hard drive. Your predicted demise of iTunes (and iPods going the way of the dodo) scared me. Will any of the your alternative software suggestions transfer music into an iPod or are iPods only going to work with iTunes brains? I don’t use my cell phone for music. From your suggestions, WALTR 2 or MediaMonkey looked interesting, but can they replace iTunes in an iPod? Or could I manage the collection with them on the PC and use PodTrans to transfer songs to the iPod? Also, can my iTunes playlists, song ratings, etc. be transferred to alternative software? I’d really appreciate your expert opinion.
Waltr 2 can let you easily transfer music but it won’t let you manage it. Currently, I think only iTunes lets you manage music on iPods, but I will check it and report back if I find something.
Swinsian works with classic iPods.
Thank you for the info. None of these mention the ability to load music from CD’s into an older MacBook Pro, as iTunes used to sort of do. Suggestions?
thanks for your sharing, but i really think it is not necessary to find a alternative of itunes, you can use a converter tool like wonderfox hd video converter factory pro to converter videos and audio files to itunes supported formats.
I have a very large collection (50k songs) in itunes that are meticulously labeled in several ways. If I want to transfer the whole thing to a Windows platform and be done with Apple, what is my best option?
You have a very specific problem. Let me do a little bit of research and I will get you an answer if I can.
How come there’s no mention of CopyTrans Manager? It’s one of the first iTunes alternatives out there and I’ve been using it for ages!
It’s the best tool to add your music to any Apple device, I’m surprised it’s not here.
Thanks for your recommendation. iTunes had troubled me quite a long time. I tried some alternatives here. Work fine! I also downloaded a media transfer program WinX MediaTrans. It is great to sync photos, songs, movies and books.
I have seen Spotify mentioned in other similar articles. Apparently one can add unlimited iTunes tracks to Spotify to augment the huge Spotify library, but I don’t know much more. Spotify only sounds good on headphones; through my stereo the aural quality suffers. Will this be the same for the multitude of CDs I have recorded in Apple Lossless – will that quality be maintained?
thanks for this post)
I use VOX. iTunes does not support high-resolution music files.
It supports high quality wav, aiff and Apple Lossless.
My primary music library is classical, and most of the options noted in this article are c-r-a-p for classical music. When you have a large classical library, filing something under “classical” doesn’t cut it. “Classical” is the broadest generic term, and you need to be able to drill down by category: Symphony, Orchestral, Orchestral Vocal, Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto, Cello Concerto, etc. You also need to be able to select by Composer, by Orchestra, by Conductor, by Soloist, etc.
MediaMonkey allows you to dice and slice “classical” (and any other genre, like rock) into as many levels as you could possibly want. Obviously if you have a large musical collection of ANY type of music (200 titles to 200,000 titles) you need something like MediaMonkey so you can access it quickly without searching through miles of files. If you have less than 200 titles, most of the light weight software above will handle that well enough. MediaMonkey does take some getting used to, but that’s why I don’t advise people with small music libraries to use it.
I tried MusicBee for more than a year, and while the interface is simpler and nicer to look at than MediaMonkey, the developer has taken it so far now that actually configuring the user interface makes MediaMonkey look simple. Just try the drop downs to configure the MusicBee interface and you crawl through layers of hell to get anything done. I also did not like the fact that one of the major updates required a real pain you-know-where to re-set the categories and options to have it look like it did before the update.
MediaMonkey does have a clunkier looking user interface than MusicBee or some of the other alternatives, but it’s not awful.
I just downloaded Ecoute and was able to accomplish something that annoyed me about iTunes in just a few seconds. I only want to see what is actually on my iPhone in my lists and not get stuff from the cloud. It was very simple. Media Monkey looks interesting but I don’t need it – yet.
MediaMonkey is still hands down the best.
Accusing MM of duplicating tracks is something only a 4 year-old would say.
I’ve been using it for 11 years now. Solid.
Thank you for explaining why iTunes is so infuriatingly bad and giving some alternatives
iTunes 12 completely broke managing and transferring video podcasts and movies. I used to be able to easily create playlists of these various video formats and sync (USB) to my iDevices. No longer. Plus iTunes 12 does not have a pure clean list mode for movies — it insists on showing ‘artwork’.
Is there a simple clean alternative for managing and moving videos?
Media Monkey locked my system up before I could execute it to run. Stay away. Please Microsoft give us an alternative to iTunes.
This Tech guy’s an idiot! He doesn’t test each version before he writes and posts data on them! Went to download Podtrans, from the website,got the downloaded Anytrans instead and No its only free to download,not free to use .You need a serial code! And another I downloaded ,Tomahawk, contains a virus (adware.toolbar), detected by Baidu AV,removed mid-download! Syncios is not free either!
I’d like to know which Mac compatible option is the closest to MediaMonkey? I’m a longtime mediamonkey user but recently switched to Mac and I’m severely missing MM. iTunes is a poor poor substitute.
Tunestogo is shite. It didn’t copy/transfer the dongs on my iPod playlists. So the playlist are techinically listed but they are empty. NO f-ing to copy the songs either. Worthless.
MediaMoney…about as functional as a monkey on crack. CONTINUALLY duplicates songs. I have up to EIGHT (8) bloody copies of the same damn song. Also, no way to edit my iPod playlist.
Would SOMEONE please tell – for real – a management system that will copy my iPod playlist and all music and allow me to edit. Why is this so bloody hard to find?
CopyTrans Manager mate. Just drag the song, update and it’s there.
Syncios is complete trash. Unresponsive and not easy to use at all. It’s easier to just use itunes. That should give you an idea of bad this product is.
There’s no free version of Tunes2go for Windows now as fast as I can see, and the trial version only lets you transfer 10 tracks to a devic, $50 for a full license.
Podtrans is only for iPod so you need anytrans for iPhones – $
I wouldn’t touch double twist with someone elses….
Mediamonkey is by far the best, but currently doesn’t write to iOS 10 – hopefully they sort out a fix soon.
So that leaves syncios as the only working one listed above that actually had a working free version for Windows users.
I installed Double Twist in the past with the aim of finding a nice music player alternate to iTunes… It seemed to drag in all my other media files, so I removed those from the program… it decided I didn’t want the files at all and removed them from my harddrive. Didn’t put them in trash, all the files were just gone. It was a disaster. I’ve been a long-term Mac user, and this program truly stuffed me up. I lost all my old videos and home movies. Maybe it’s because it’s multi-platform that it doesn’t follow usual Mac procedure, but use this program with extreme caution….
Help Aatif- I’m hating how itunes is so bloated- I want to ditch it. I liked itunes from 10 years ago, but with the latest version it makes my life harder.
-My needs are basic. I only listen to music from my ipod. I listen and playback my webinar teaching on my Mac computer.
-I need to categorize songs and albums differently than itunes. Their genre doesn’t make sense for me. I ONLY and EVER directly download music from actual cds or if I teach a class online, from Zoom. Most of my music is from different countries- I have NEVER and WILL NEVER buy from apple store.
-I dance, teach yoga, dance and online webinars and am a massage therapist so need special playlists for teaching and performances. I have playlists organized by how I need it categorized; ie Salsa, or bellydance or massage or webinars. Within MY genre categories I have it organized by album but then also have several special playlists.
I don’t do videos or movies or or album artwork any of the other crap itunes does.
Do you think PodTrans would work well for my needs? or something else?
Thank you very much!
Sorry to post on comments- couldn’t find another way.
I have Swinsian (and JRiver Media Center). Swinsian works quite similarly to the traditional iTunes (i.e. 10 and before), though I’ve been annoyed by a few quirks. I’m like you — I have my own genres for all my music so I always rename genres. Though I haven’t used Swinsian extensively yet, I like how similar it is to iTunes, but for music only. It also works with classic iPod.
Next to Swinsian I’m using JRiver Media Center. It has clients for Windows, Mac and Linux. It’s not free, but it’s well worth it. Also has iOS and Android apps which allows you to use your phone to stream music from the computer or use it as a remote control.
I uploaded Vox and is very happy. The sound is excellent and stylish design. It is deserving it to use it.
I looked at Vox and Encoute but neither is free for iOS.
We do have good reasons for choosing an iTunes alternative. Thanks for sharing so many options, with media players and media transfer software included. I will try the #3 iTunes alternative Swinsian you recommend to play media. As for the iPhone file transfer software, I already got a good one – WinX MediaTrans before reading your post. This tool enables me to transfer photos, music and videos from iPhone to PC, and music/videos back to iPhone. Although it can’t transfer contacts and others currently, I think it’s enough. I don’t like an app bloated with many features of little value.
You can search UFUShare Top 3 Best iTunes Alternatives for Windows & Mac, which shares some tools useful.