When it comes to the official Spotify Linux client, well, let’s just say that it exists and that things are not exactly peachy. To make matters even worse, there aren’t that many reliable alternatives, mainly because there are thousands of different Linux distributions, most of them with different desktop environments.
The alternatives to the official Spotify Linux client include a few CLI clients, very few “native” clients, and more than a couple of Electron-based ones. Sadly, whatever you choose, they are not without their specific sets of limitations (because of Spotify’s policy and API limitations).
Is there such a thing as a good Spotify client for Linux? And more importantly, is there a Spotify client that’s free, open-source, cross-platform, and doesn’t require you to have the Premium subscription?
The answer is – Yes, and it comes in the form of Spotube. Yes, it’s free and open-source, and yes, it’s also cross-platform (works on Windows, macOS, and most Linux distributions).
It’s built using Flutter (the increasingly popular open-source UI software dev kit created by Google), and it uses Spotify’s data/discovery API to its fullest extent and uses Piped.video (YouTube) as its audio source.
One of the best parts about Spotube is that it doesn’t display any ads, since it uses the free and public Spotify and YT Music APIs.
There are also no built-in telemetry, diagnostics, or user data collection components. We’ve already mentioned that it doesn’t require you to have a Premium subscription which is also a very good thing and, even better, it doesn’t force you to log in if you do not want (thanks to anonymous/guest login). All playback control is done locally, not on the server.
Well, not really. Of course, Spotube has a lot of things going for it, starting with the fact that’s decently privacy-friendly, that it doesn’t display ads, that it’s Flutter-based, and that it doesn’t require you to have an actual Spotify account to benefit from its features and ending with its modern and polished GUI and nice features (including support for downloadable tracks).
The app surely delivers on its promise to bring a powerful Spotify client to Linux desktops, but you do have to be aware of certain limitations. For instance, Spotify Shows and Podcasts are not supported (and will never be supported) because these are advantages reserved for Spotify Premium users.
Don’t think that just because it’s Flutter-based the app is not fast, because it is. It may not be the perfect lightweight dream, but it’s miles better than something built with Electron (for instance).
Then there’s the discussion about the GUI. Long story short, the app feels a bit clunky. Things like the volume slider being inconsistent and “lagging behind” to various buttons being either greyed out or not working at all can detract a bit from the experience. Still, nothing can be considered deal breakers.
Spotube is a fabulous Spotify client for those who don’t have Spotify Premium, but it does need a bit more polish, to be completely honest.
