Many Spotify users like to record Spotify as MP3 in order to listen to Spotify offline. It is possible to download Spotify playlists with a premium subscription for offline listening, but like this you will not get your favorite songs as MP3 files. The solution is to record Spotify music as MP3 with a recorder software. Then you'll be able to listen to it anytime, anywhere and organize it on multiple devices.
Audials Music is an easy and powerful tool to record Spotify on Windows PC, both for Spotify Free and Spotify Premium. Record Spotify at high quality in MP3, FLAC or other audio output formats, perfectly cut and tagged. Automatically remove the ads. Try Audials Music for free.
Table of Contents
Using the right tools, only unencrypted data is recorded from Spotify. US law tells that consumers won’t face legal action when recording.
To avoid that Spotify may possibly suspend accounts, it is better to use secure recording tools which are invisible to Spotify.
Learn here how you can record Spotify in the MP3 audio format.
How to record Spotify on a Windows 11 or Windows 10 PC
Audials Music is the most powerful high-speed streaming recorder available, but is also perfectly capable of recording music in realtime.
Step 1: Install and launch Audials Music
Download and start the Windows software Audials Music. You do not need to register and you can deinstall it at any time.
Switch to the Music Streaming view.
Step 2: Play back the music in Spotify
Click on the Spotify tile. In the window that opens, select the settings that you need. You can record Spotify either from the Spotify app or from the Spotify website.
Important:
Choose recording speed "normal (1x)", in order to not risk that your Spotify account will be suspended. In addition, please activate album tagging from Audials.
Open Spotify and play the music that you would like to record and save.
Step 3: Audials Music will record the songs from Spotify as MP3, AAC or WMA
The Spotify music streaming is automatically recorded and the music saved as single MP3 files, perfectly tagged and in the highest audio quality. That's it! Now you know how to record from Spotify with Audials Music!
Key features of Audials Music
- Records streaming from Spotify at up to 320 kbps.
- It records any audio that is transmitted to your PC's sound system.
- Audials Music suggests the optimal bitrate.
- The music is automatically cut, tagged and the lyrics are added.
- Works both for Spotify Free and Spotify Premium.
- Record from the Spotify app or from spotify.com in Chrome, Firefox or Edge. Or record Spotify directly in Audials Music without any apps or web browsers.
- High speed and normal (1x) speed available.
What is Audials Music doing exactly?
The Spotify audio streaming is automatically recorded, separated into individual files, converted into your preferred file format like MP3, WMA, AAC or others and tagged with ID3 tags, album cover, and song text. The completed files will then be displayed in the Audials player on your right. You can now play the files with Audials or drag & drop them into another application or Windows Explorer to export them.
Get on board today and benefit from the Audials Music features and a money-back guarantee of 14 days
Which free tools do record Spotify music?
Audacity
With the free software Audacity, you can record Spotify and other streaming services and sources. However, this tool is rather designed for professional use. For beginners, it could be confusing. You will have to start and stop Audacity manually for each song. The alternative is to record an album or playlist as one audio file and cut the songs afterwards. Here are a wikihow.com and a techwalla.com instructions on how to record with Audacity.
Spytify
Spytify is an easy-to-use tool that records Spotify while you play it back on your PC.
SpotDL (Spotify Downloader)
SpotDL is an often used recording tool that you can get for free, too. However, spotDL is more complicated to install than the other ones: It is not sufficient to install it on your PC, you will also need FFmpeg. It is also important to know that spotDL does not directly record from Spotify, but from YouTube Music.
Is there alternative software to record Spotify songs, playlists, and albums?
By the way, we have made a list of the best tools to record from Spotify: Top Spotify recorders.
EaseUS RecExperts
EaseUS RecExperts is a convenient screen recorder software for Windows and Mac. You can use it to record any video and audio content that is played back on your computer. To record audio, you will only have to choose the output format, to switch off the microphone and to activate the system sound. Click the REC button to start and stop recording.
Pros
- Records any audio and video at normal speed.
- Available formats: MP3, FLAC, AAC, WMA, WAV, OGG
- Easy-to-use
- Auto stop for long recordings.
Cons
- Has to be started and stopped manually for each song. Alternatively, you record entire playlists and albums as one audio file and cut the songs manually.
- No lyrics and no ID3 tags.
- No music manager.
- max. bitrate 256 kBps, not 320 kBps
TunesKit Audio Capture
TunesKit Audio Capture is a helpful tool to record Spotify with automatic song separation and tagging. It records music from the app or from the browser in various audio formats. After recording, you can edit your files and retag them.
Pros
- Automatic tagging and song separation
- Available output formats: M4B, AAC, MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC
- edit your audio files and ID3 tags
Cons
- no lyrics added
- optimal bitrate not suggeested
AudFree Spotify Music Converter
AudFree Spotify Music Converter is a software to record Spotify Music as M4A, AAC, WAV, FLAC or MP3 at 5x speed. It works for Albums, podcasts, playlists and songs. You can start recording by copying and pasting the Spotify playlist form the Spotify app into AudFree. This tool automatically adds ID3 tags to each recorded song so that managaing your music will become easier. However, a music manager is not included.
Pros
- Easy recording by copy and paste
- Many audio formats supported
Cons
- Music manager not included
- No audio editor
NoteBurner Spotify Music Converter
With the NoteBurner Spotify Music Converter, you record music from the Spotify app in a comfortable manner at up to 320 kbps. The album or playlist needs to be added by drag&drop and the recording started. NoteBurner is a good option if the only music streaming service you are interested in is Spotify. For further streaming services, you will need another recording software.
Pros
- Very simple software with clear unser interface
- Start recording by drag&drop
- support audio output formats: ALAC, AIFF, MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV
Cons
- Does not record spotify.com from the browser
- Does not work for further msuic streaming services
- no audio editor
- no music manager
TuneCable Spotify Converter
If you compare the user interface of the TuneCable Spotify Converter, you will see that it looks the same as in NoteBurner. TuneCable has the same features and records Spotify music from the Spotify app by drag&drop, too. Thus the advantages ans disadvantes are the same.
Pros
- Very simple software with clear unser interface
- Start recording by drag&drop
- support audio output formats: ALAC, AIFF, MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV
Cons
- Does not record spotify.com from the browser
- Does not work for further msuic streaming services
- no audio editor
- no music manager
Wondershare Filmora
Wondershare Filmora is a comprehensive video editing software with a screen recorder and an audio recorder. According to the manufacturer, you can record from Spotify with Filmora. However, this software does not fit ideally for audio recording because it seems that you will record the audio with the video content. There is no option to switch off the screen recording and you cannot choose the output format before recording.
Beginners wil have problems with the user interface of Wondershare Filmora because this powerful video editing program has many features. During the test it was not possible to switch the software to a different language.
Pros
- Comprehensive video editing software
- Record from Spotify in AAC, MP3 and other formats
Cons
- Very complicated to use for beginners
- Video content is recorded with audio content
- No option to choose the output format before recording
- Not clear how to change the UI language
Audials Music | EaseUS RecExperts | TunesKit Audio Capture | AudFree Spotify Music Converter | NoteBurner Spotify Music Converter | TuneCable Spotify Converter | Wondershare Filmora | Audacity | SpotDL | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operating system | Windows/Mac | Win/Mac | Win/Mac | Win/Mac | Win/Mac | Win/Mac | Win/Mac | Win/Mac/Linux | Windows | Win/Mac |
Record from Spotify app | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | by drag&drop | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | - |
Record from Spotify website | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | - | ✔ | by drag&drop | ✔ | ✔ | - | - |
Recording quality/bitrate available: Up to 320 kbps | ✔ | - | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | - | ✔ | ✔ | - |
Recording speed | 1x-30x | 1x | 1x- ? | 1x or 5x | 1x or 10x | 1x or 10x | 1x | 1x | 1x | no info |
Automatic song separation | ✔ | - | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | - | - | ✔ | ✔ | |
Automatic Tagging | ✔ | - | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | - | - | ✔ | from YouTube Music |
Music Manager | ✔ | - | ✔ | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Price | $29.90 | $69.95 | $39.95 | $62.95 | $89.90 | $129.90 | $79.99 | free | free | free |
Results: Audials Music is the best tool to record Spotify
As you can see in this comparison, Audials Music is the best software to record from Spotify:
- It records both at normal and at high speed.
- The best quality up to 320 kbps is supported.
- It separates the songs automatically and adds the ID3 tags.
- A music manager is included.
Free tools to record from Spotify lack one or more of these features, so if you use a free recording tool, you won't get the music perfectly tagged and you will have to cut the songs manually or start and stop recording for each song.
How to download Spotify music on your iPhone or Android mobile device
Step 1: Register as a Spotify Premium user and install the Spotify app on your mobile device.
Step 2: Log in to Spotify on your phone.
Step 3: Open "Your Library" in Spotify and choose the playlist you would like to download.
Step 4: Tap the download button in the playlist.
Please note
- You have to use the Spotify app at least one time within 30 days with an Internet connection, otherwise the downloaded music will be deleted.
- The playlists also will be deleted, if you reinstall the app.
- If you download paylists on more than 5 devices, the downloads will be removed from the device that you have not used for the longest period.
FAQ about how to record from Spotify
Can I download music from Spotify?
Yes, you will be able to download songs directly from Spotify only if you have a premium subscription. Then you will be able to listen to the music without an internet connection. However, like this you will NOT get MP3 files and you will lose your music after cancelling your subscription.
How can I record from Spotify in order to get the music as MP3 files?
If you install a recording software like Audials Music, you will be able to record Spotify.
Where can I find information about further applications to record Spotify?
Here you can read which tools are the best for recording music from Spotify.
Can I record from Spotify on Mac using Audials Music?
Yes, you can record Spotify music on your Mac device with Audials Music. Please note that you will need Parallels. More info about Audials Music on Mac.
To record from Spotify, procede as described on this page.
About Spotify
Spotify is a trademark and music streaming service developed by Spotify Technology S. A., which is headquartered in Sweden. Spotify provides more than 40 million songs and audiobooks. Spotify launched first its service in 2008 and is today available in 65 regions. Spotify offers a freemium service with basic features and advertisements or limitations. A paid subcription offers additional features, improved music streaming quality, and no advertisments. In 2018 Spotify had 180 million monthly active users including 83 million paying subscribers. Spotify allows to download and use offline 10,000 music tracks on one device and up to 5 devices with one account. Music from Spotify is copyrighted. Any redistribution of it without the consent of the copyright owners may be a violation of the law in most countries, including the USA.
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Please note
If you register or subscribe to Spotify, you will agree to the Spotify terms of use. We recommend to read them carefully and to adhere to them.
According to the Copyright Law of the United States, “No action may be brought under this title [copyright law] alleging infringement of copyright […] based on noncommercial use by a consumer of [a digital audio recording device]”.
The Spotify music stream that Audials is able to record is not protected by effective copy-protection measures. Audials just records the unencrypted signal which is outputted to the system sound device.
Besides the background recording in realtime (1x speed), recording in high-speed (up to 30x) is available in Audials Music. When you start recording in high-speed, Audials Music communicates with the Spotify servers. When you record in 1x, Audials Music does not communicate with Spotify servers.
The Spotify app could check your PC whether it is prepared for recording. So currently, you'd better only consider “secure” recording methods that protect your usage data by only recording music at realtime (1x) speed and that do not communicate directly with the Spotify servers. In Audials, this will be ensured if you use the recording from the Spotify website, not from the Spotify app.
Music from Spotify™ is copyrighted. Any redistribution of it without the consent of the copyright owners may be a violation of the law in most countries, including the USA. Audials AG is not affiliated with Spotify™, nor the company that owns the trademark rights to Spotify™. This page is provided for compatibility purposes only, and in no case should be considered an endorsement of Audials Software products by any associated 3rd party.
Please read our legal information.