Whether you were a fan of iTunes or loathed the program, the fact remains that the media player is a thing of the past with macOS Catalina. You should therefore turn to other programs for listening to music and watching movies. These are the best iTunes alternatives.
iTunes Alternatives for macOS Catalina
Halfway through this year, the high word came out: iTunes will stop. Now that the macOS Catalina update has been officially released, most users will only notice the consequences of this. Apple’s media player is split into three separate apps: Music, TV and Podcasts. iPhoned so list the 5 best iTunes alternatives.
1. Apple Music
The most obvious solution is, of course, Apple Music. With this program you can also play and manage music. Plus, all the music from your iTunes library is automatically imported to Apple Music, so you don’t lose your carefully curated collection.
Do you still have a gift card from iTunes? You can also use those in Apple Music without any problems. You can use Apple Music to play your own albums, playlists and playlists: you don’t have to subscribe to the streaming service.
→ Apple Music is part of the macOS Catalina update
2. Vox
Vox, short for ‘Vox MP3 & FLAC Music Player app’, has been a favorite among Mac users for years. The program has a clean interface and supports a lot of audio formats, including mp3, mp4, wav and of course flac. In addition, Vox supports a lot of other services, such as Soundcloud and YouTube. That way you can build up a very large music library.
Of course it is also possible to import your iTunes collection. Vox is free to use, but also has a paid version. With a monthly or annual subscription you can stream music to Sonos speakers, listen to radio stations and tweak the audio settings. Finally, Vox also has an iOS app for your iPhone.
3. VLC
VLC has been one of the best-known media players for years, and for good reason. The program has a minimalist design, clear interface and supports almost all media formats. VLC plays almost all existing audio and video formats without any problems.
In addition, the program is both accessible and in-depth. Enthusiasts can, for example, get started with the audio settings, or adjust the format of the subtitles for a film. The creators of VLC make their money from donations. In addition, the program does not engage in ‘user tracking’ and does not sell your data on to other parties.
→ Download VLC from the official website (free)
4. Plex
Have you built up a huge collection of films, music and series over the years, and do you want to be able to view these media files anywhere and anytime? Then Plex is recommended. This iTunes alternative is made for streaming content. The program works best when you have your own media server, such as a NAS.
This sounds harder than it is. A NAS is basically a hard drive connected to the internet filled with albums, photos and videos. That way you can reach the media server anytime and anywhere, for example from your iPhone, iPad or game console. Plexamp is a handy Mac app for listening to music on your computer.
→ Download Plex Media Server from the official website (free)
→ Download Plexamp from the official website (free)
5. Quod Libet
Have you found iTunes to become increasingly slow in recent years and are you looking for a program to just listen to music? Then try Quod Libet. This is one of the lesser known iTunes alternatives, but one without bells and whistles. The program has a very bare-bones design that has hardly changed since 2004. The music player does receive regular (security) updates.
Quod Libet, Latin for ‘whatever you want’, supports almost all audio formats and can optionally display album covers and lyrics. In addition, the program has an extensive tag function, so that you can manage your music collection with precision. Finally, the search function is very extensive.
→ Download Quod Libet from the official website (free)
More about macOS Catalina
Catalina is the annual major software update for the Mac. The version update adds a lot of nice features, including Sidecar. This allows you to use an iPad as a second screen, and use it as a drawing tablet for example. Also new is support for PlayStation and Xbox controllers.
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