A RadioDroid alternative for Android

Fair warning before anything else: Musika and RadioDroid use the same station database. Both look up stations from radio-browser.info, the community-run directory where anyone can add and tag stations. If you switch, you are not getting more stations — you are getting a different app around the same catalogue.

So this page is not about who has more. It is about interface, integration and how you like to install software.

RadioDroid is a good app and it is actively maintained. Some third-party directories list it as discontinued; that information is out of date. If you are happy with it, there is no urgent reason to move.

What is actually the same

• The station catalogue (radio-browser.info)
• Search by name, tag, country and language
• Sleep timer
• Chromecast support
• Adding your own stream URL as a custom station
• No ads, no account
• Free to install

That is a lot of overlap, and worth stating plainly.

What differs

• Android Auto. Musika supports it. RadioDroid does not. If you listen in the car, this is the largest practical difference between the two.
• Home screen widget and Quick Settings tile. Musika has both, so you can start playback without opening the app. RadioDroid has no widget — it is a long-standing user request.
• Recording and alarm clock. RadioDroid has both. Musika has neither and they are not planned. If you record streams or wake up to radio, RadioDroid wins outright and you should stay.
• Music Player Daemon support. RadioDroid can control MPD. Musika has nothing like it. If you know what MPD is, you probably want RadioDroid.
• Interface. Judge this yourself from the screenshots. Musika is a Material-styled four-tab app — Search, Favourites, Custom, Recent — with a full-screen now-playing view showing live track metadata, station artwork and play history. Favourites support both manual drag-ordering and A–Z.
• Distribution. RadioDroid is open source, on F-Droid and GitHub as well as Play. Musika is closed source and Play-only. For some people that is a dealbreaker in RadioDroid's favour, and it is a reasonable position to hold.
• The free-tier caps. Musika's free tier limits you to five favourites and two custom stations; a one-time A$3.49 unlock removes both. RadioDroid has no caps because it has no paid tier at all. If you keep dozens of favourites and object to paying anything, that is a real point against Musika.

Where RadioDroid is the better choice

• You want open-source software you can audit or fork
• You install from F-Droid on principle
• You record streams or use the alarm clock
• You use MPD
• You keep a large favourites list and do not want to pay for it

Where Musika is the better choice

• You listen in the car and want Android Auto
• You want a home screen widget or Quick Settings tile
• You want live track metadata and play history on the now-playing screen
• You prefer a more polished interface and are happy on the Play Store

More detail on all of it is on the features page, and the other comparisons are on the alternatives index.