On October 16, 2026 streaming and radio hold half of the US Music top 20 grossing, and apps for people who play and sing hold the other half. Suno, AI songs from a description, sits at rank 5 with $4.2–17M a month by our estimate. A median subscription costs $7.49 a month, not Apple data.
Listening and playing
The top 20 split in half. People listen with YouTube Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, TIDAL, SiriusXM, iHeart, TuneIn, Audiomack and nugs. They play and sing with Ultimate Guitar, BandLab, GuitarTuna, Smule, Moises, Simply Sing and Songsterr. DistroKid and UnitedMasters release songs to the platforms.
YouTube Music is at rank 1 with 1,515,809 ratings. Its subscription is part of YouTube Premium, which people often buy in the YouTube app. Our estimate from rating growth sees such money poorly, so we show no range for streaming and radio (YouTube Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, SoundCloud, SiriusXM, iHeart), only the rank and ratings.
| Rank | App | How it charges | US ratings | Released | Our monthly estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | YouTube Music | subscription | 1,515,809 | 2015 | long-running, method runs low |
| 2 | Pandora: Music & Podcasts | subscription | 11,335,963 | 2019 | major brand, method runs low |
| 3 | Amazon Music: Songs & Podcasts | subscription | 3,383,552 | 2012 | long-running, method runs low |
| 4 | SoundCloud: Discover New Music | subscription | 2,044,045 | 2009 | long-running, method runs low |
| 5 | Suno - AI Songs, Music, Lyrics | subscription | 372,548 | 2024 | $4.2–17M |
| 6 | TIDAL Music: HiFi Sound | subscription | 247,990 | 2014 | long-running, method runs low |
| 7 | SiriusXM: Music, Sports & News | subscription | 3,082,758 | 2009 | long-running, method runs low |
| 8 | Ultimate Guitar: Chords & Tabs | subscription | 479,889 | 2010 | long-running, method runs low |
| 9 | iHeart: Radio, Music, Podcasts | subscription | 650,287 | 2019 | major brand, method runs low |
| 10 | BandLab – Music Maker & Beats | subscription | 509,481 | 2015 | long-running, method runs low |
Apple, US top grossing chart, Oct 16, 2026. Ratings and release years from iTunes Lookup. Monthly range by our estimate for Sep 16, 2026–Oct 16, 2026, not Apple data.
How these apps charge
19 of the top 20 sell a subscription, and only 1 offers a week, the Smule karaoke app. In the free chart 8 of the top 20 sell nothing on the App Store. Spotify leads it and sells its subscription on its own website. Next to it are Shazam, the Bose and JBL headphone apps and DICE concert tickets.
Music subscriptions are cheaper than in most categories we checked. The median month is $7.49 and the median year $39.99. Musician tools hold the paid chart, and prices there are higher. TonalEnergy Tuner & Metronome leads at $6.99, with FL Studio Mobile, iReal Pro and forScore above $14. The paid top 20 median is $6.99.
| What is sold | Median | Range | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $7.49 | $5.99–$14.99 | 7 |
| Yearly subscription | $39.99 | $29.99–$149.99 | 5 |
| Paid upfront, top 20 | $6.99 | $1.99–$29.99 | 20 |
In-app purchase lists on the app pages, US App Store, Oct 16, 2026.
What a chart rank is worth
62 apps of the top 100 have an estimate once streaming, radio and other old large services are left out, and 32 have a low end of $100K a month or more. Only Suno remains in the top 10 after that, so it gets no median. Ranks 11–25 make $247–986K, ranks 26–50 $111–444K and ranks 51–100 $80–322K.
Apps for people who play and sing sit mid-chart with real money. Simply Sing at rank 18 makes $2.7–11M, Songsterr at rank 19 $322K–1.3M, Moises at rank 16 $119–475K. We show no range for Ultimate Guitar and DistroKid, the first is old and large, the second sells its plan mostly on its own website.
How newcomers get in
The Music top 100 refreshes more slowly than the other categories we checked. From September 24, 2026 to October 16, 2026 only 6 new apps entered the top 100, and 18 of the 20 leaders stayed. 12 apps of the top 100 came out in 2025–2026, none in the top 20.
The closest is Strum at rank 25, released August 6, 2025, which turns any song into chords. Higher up is 2024's Suno at rank 5. The other newcomers are AI songs, reverse singing and even a speaker water cleaner at rank 55.
Niches inside the category
Streaming is out of reach for a small team, music rights cost a lot. Musician tools are closer. Chords and tabs, a tuner, splitting a song into stems, ear training, sheet music on a stand. Three music niches are in the book.
Related articles and breakdowns
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- How much white noise and sleep sound apps make, and how to build one
Niches of this category in the book
- Guitar fretboard, notes and scales, leader Ultimate Guitar
- Ear training, intervals and chords, leader not tracked yet
- Music stand for PDF sheet music, MuseScore－Sheet Music & Chords, $300K–1M
Niche leader and its monthly range by our estimate. Book 50 iPhone app niches, Oct 16, 2026.
For a music app Appto checks the niche on fresh App Store data, draws the screens, writes the code and builds the app on your Mac. Appto prepares the App Store page in every language with screenshots from the app itself.
Where the numbers come from
The US App Store snapshot was taken on October 16, 2026. Appto estimates revenue from 30 days of rating growth in six countries. In half of the cases the estimate is within 2x of the real figure, in four out of five within 3x, and for large apps it tends to run low. Ads, web sales and Google Play are not included. More on the method and on niches by category.
Questions
How much do music apps make?
By our estimate on October 16, 2026, Suno makes $4.2–17M a month, US grossing ranks 11–25 a median $247–986K and ranks 51–100 $80–322K. We show no range for streaming and radio. It is our estimate, not Apple data.
Why isn't Spotify in the grossing chart?
Spotify sells its subscription on its website, so it has no App Store purchases. On October 16, 2026 it leads the US Music free chart.
What does a music app subscription cost?
The category leaders charge a median $7.49 a month and $39.99 a year (US App Store, October 16, 2026). Paid musician tools cost $6.99 at the median.
Is there room for a newcomer in Music?
The top 20 has no apps from 2025–2026, the top 100 has 12. Strum came out August 6, 2025 and on October 16, 2026 sits at rank 25.
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