Spotify provides two official routes to its service: the traditional client (whether mobile or desktop), and its web player for those who prefer using the browser. However, the open-source app Spotube offers a third alternative, preserving access to all the platform's mixes and lyrics, with the extra of offline playback and the use of YouTube as a secondary source.
The Spotify/YouTube combination is the most effective way to access a large part of the online music catalog... but you have to enter their sandbox. We have previously explored alternative YouTube clients that enable a more private and clean experience, so to speak. However, it's true that there are similar projects focused on Spotify, and one of them is Spotube.
Spotube, a different way to use Spotify
Spotube presents itself as an alternative, free, and open-source client for Spotify that does not rely on heavy frameworks (read 'Electron'). Instead, it combines the official Spotify API with two YouTube APIs (official or Piped), and the JioSaavn platform, thus obtaining several audio sources. This strategy allows Spotube to offer an experience very similar to Spotify Premium without having to enter a monthly subscription.
The search engine in Spotube is quite robust, and we can create custom playlists with ease. It also enables access to the lyrics of our favorite songs (as long as they are available), and when we click the three-dot menu that accompanies each song, options like saving to favorites, playing next, and getting a copy for offline playback appear. If for some reason the music doesn't start, the alternative sources icon (the forked arrow, just above the volume control) should help.
Now, Spotube has some sharp edges. The most important is its login process for Spotify. The client does not accept traditional credentials, but we must copy the values of the keys generated during a browser session (almost like cloning cookies), a detail that none of the online reviews have mentioned. The nature of Spotube also blocks access to podcasts, and Listen Along is still a pending subject, but the basic functions are there, they don't drag errors, and I definitely recommend doing a couple of tests.
Compatible with Windows, Mac OS, Android, and various flavors of Linux.
Official site and downloads: Click here
