Shazam
Shazam is a popular music recognition application that can identify songs, movies, TV shows, and commercials from short audio clips. Users can launch the app, hold their device near a music source to capture a sample, and Shazam will tell them the song title and artist.
Shazam: Music Recognition
Identify songs, movies, TV shows, and commercials from short audio clips with this popular music recognition application
What is Shazam?
Shazam is a music recognition application launched in 1999 that quickly became popular for its ability to identify songs by listening to just a short sample. Users launch the Shazam app, then hold their phone near a music source to capture a clip just a few seconds long. Using a proprietary acoustic fingerprinting algorithm, Shazam compares the clip against its database of over 20 million tracks and tells the user the exact song title and artist in seconds.
One of Shazam's key features that made it stand out when it debuted was the speed and accuracy with which it identified songs. Even very obscure tracks could quickly be named by the app. This created a fun, almost magical feeling for users as they discovered music around them. Over time Shazam expanded beyond just song identification and created additional features around exploring artists, lyrics, videos and recommendations.
Now owned by Apple, Shazam continues to be one of the most popular music recognition apps worldwide. Though many competitors emerged, the huge audio fingerprint database they compiled over decades of operation keeps the Shazam app unmatched in speed and accuracy of song identification.
Shazam Features
Features
- Audio recognition technology to identify songs
- Large music database with over 40 million tracks
- Integration with music services like Spotify to listen to full songs
- Lyrics display to sing along to identified songs
- Music charts to see top and trending songs
- Ability to share identified songs on social media
- Music video playback for select songs
Pricing
- Freemium
- Subscription-Based
Pros
Fast and accurate song recognition
Simple and easy to use interface
Free basic service with no ads
Syncs with Spotify and Apple Music
Provides song lyrics for many tracks
Links to YouTube music videos
Cons
Limited functionality in free version
Occasional misidentification of songs
Requires internet connection to work
Drains phone battery quickly
Paid subscription for unlimited use
Official Links
Reviews & Ratings
Login to Review3.4
★
★
★
★
★
5 reviews
Rating Breakdown
Ease of Use
★
★
★
★
★
4.0
Features
★
★
★
★
★
3.4
Value for Money
★
★
★
★
★
3.6
Customer Support
★
★
★
★
★
2.6
Overall Experience
★
★
★
★
★
3.4
Recent Reviews
M
marcusweb377
Mar 11, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
The Magic Ear in My Pocket!
I've used Shazam for years to identify songs playing in cafes, stores, or on the radio, and it's incredibly accurate. The app is simple to open and use with just one tap to listen. I love how it automatically saves …
dakota_white20
Mar 10, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
My Go-To for Instant Music Identification
I can't count how many times I've been out and heard a song I loved but couldn't identify. Shazam has been a game-changer for me. The process is incredibly simple—just tap the big button and it identifies songs in seconds. …
annacode12
Mar 09, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Frustratingly inconsistent and intrusive
While Shazam works perfectly when it decides to cooperate, I've found it increasingly unreliable for basic song identification. It frequently fails to recognize popular tracks in noisy environments, and the constant push notifications for charts and promotions are distracting. The …
caseytech96
Mar 08, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Great when it works, frustrating when it doesn't
It's amazing how quickly Shazam can identify obscure songs from just a few seconds of audio—it's saved me many times. However, the app has become bloated with ads and social features I don't want, and it sometimes fails to recognize …
liamweb931
Mar 04, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Constantly misses the mark, even on popular songs
I've been using Shazam for years, but recently it's become incredibly unreliable. It often fails to identify songs that are playing clearly, or it misidentifies them entirely, which is frustrating when you're trying to catch a track in a store …
Rating Distribution
The Best Shazam Alternatives
Top Audio & Music and Music Recognition and other similar apps like Shazam
Here are some alternatives to Shazam:
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