Tired of iTunes? Check Out These Alternatives

Not long ago, I finally got sick of dealing with iTunes. It’s an eyesore, it slows my computer down dramatically, and every new update Apple creates for it merely adds to the ever-growing pile of junk options that I never use. The only reason I haven’t deleted the program yet is because it’s the only way I can manage my iPod. Fortunately for me there are others with my same sentiments, and they have created alternative multimedia applications that allow me to do everything that iTunes does, only without the headache. So I did some research into these programs, and from that research I’ve found 4 media players that act as reliable replacements for the overrated Apple product.

Foobar2000 (Download)

Foobar is a customizer’s Heaven, though it doesn’t look like much at first. On initial install, the program looks positively disgusting. Indeed, I almost threw up when I opened it. However, with a little knowledge of programming, you can edit everything about it and make it look however you want it to. This is both a pro and a con for the player. I say this because its only limits are your imagination and programming experience, which make its possibilities virtually endless, but if you know little to nothing about writing code (like me), there’s little point in downloading the program. Without knowing how to program, you’d be better off sticking with iTunes on this one.

JetAudio (Download)

This is my least favorite of the four programs I researched, but I still recommend giving it a shot. JetAudio has a lot of convenient features that I haven’t been able to find in any of the other players, my favorite of which is a thin control panel that is always on the bottom of your screen so you don’t have to keep going back to the program if you want to skip a song. Additionally, JetAudio allows you to download audio and video straight from Youtube, though I don’t particularly recommend doing that since it is probably illegal. My reason for not liking this player as much as the others is due to the fact that adding audio files to the library is made extremely difficult, and the interface is not very user-friendly. I spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out how to add all my music to the library, and organizing it all is still a work in progress. But if you can get over the added effort that comes with it, you will find that JetAudio is overall a decent music player.

Media Monkey (Download)

Media Monkey is iTunes done right. Not only does it look similar to the Apple program, it does almost everything that iTunes does, but makes it 10 times simpler to do it. The only area in which it falls short is, where Apple has the iTunes Store, Media Monkey relies on multiple online music stores, such as Amazon and CD Universe, and it’s somewhat of a hassle to purchase songs and add them to the library. Even so, if all you’re looking for is a program to manage and play your music without having to do any extra work, Media Monkey is the one for you. Just install it, open it up, and import your audio files, and you’re all set to go.

Winamp (Download)

Winamp is what we would get if Foobar and Media Monkey had a baby. It has nearly limitless customization potential, yet it functions with such ease that I’d feel comfortable letting my grandma play around with it. Between its awesome appearance and its endless surprises, I can confidently say that Winamp is my favorite music player out of all those I tested, and I’m definitely glad I made the switch. The only qualm I have with the program is that it takes a certain amount of computer insight in order to make it reach its full potential, but if you don’t have that knowledge and you’re perfectly fine with leaving it at its normal setting, it will still be a nice upgrade from iTunes.

Each of these media players is well worth the effort of downloading and giving a test drive, but there are only two that I would instantly recommend to anyone looking for an escape from iTunes. If you just want to install and import and not do any more work, Media Monkey is by far the simplest program out there for you. If you don’t mind the extra work so long as it pays off in the end, Winamp will let your creativity go wild, and play your music at the same time.

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Tagged as: Apple, iTunes, Music