Apps for listening to gospel music: praise songs, hymns, and playlists on your phone.
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The service ends, you get in the car, and that praise song keeps playing in your head. You don't have to wait until next Sunday to hear it again. It's in your pocket, along with old hymns, ministries from all over the world, and playlists ready for every moment of the day.
A music app today holds more praise than any CD collection that has ever graced your shelf. In this guide, you'll see the best apps for listening to gospel music on your phone, how to create your worship playlist, and how to take it with you wherever you don't have internet access.
Spotify: praise from all over the world in one place.
Spotify is the most used music app on the planet: it has over 1 billion downloads on Google Play, where it has a 4.6 rating with more than 36 million reviews. In the Brazilian App Store, the rating is 4.9. For those who listen to gospel music, this means a catalog that ranges from Brazilian congregational worship to American worship, including gospel in Spanish, English, and dozens of other languages.
- Play for free: The free plan includes ads between songs.
- Ready-made playlists: Search for "gospel," "praise," "worship," or "adoration," and dozens of playlists compiled by churches, ministries, and Spotify itself will appear.
- Artist's radio station: Open a singer's page and tap on radio. The app creates an endless sequence of singers in the same style.
- Sleep timer: Leave the worship music playing at night and program the app to stop it automatically.
- Premium: The subscription removes ads and allows you to download music to listen offline.
How to create your worship playlist on Spotify
- Install Spotify using the button at the top of this page, or from Google Play or the App Store.
- Create your account using email, Google, or Apple.
- On the home screen, tap Search And type the name of the singer, ministry, or worship song that you love.
- Tap the three dots next to the music and choose Add to playlist. The first time, create a new list, such as "Morning Praise".
- Repeat with the next songs. At the end of the playlist, the app suggests similar tracks: just tap the plus sign to add them.
- Share the list with your family or church group using the share button.
Create different playlists for each moment: a calm one for devotional time, an upbeat one for the gym or cleaning, and another just for hymns to listen to with your parents.
Deezer: lyrics on screen to sing along
Deezer has a 4.7 rating on Google Play, over 100 million downloads, and a 4.8 rating on the Brazilian App Store. Its strong point for gospel listeners is the lyrics that accompany the music in real time: you sing along and learn the new song before the ministry rehearsal.
- Flow: A button plays a mix that learns from what you listen to. The more praise you enjoy, the more praise it brings.
- Synchronized lyrics: The phrase being sung appears highlighted on the screen.
- Importing playlists: You can bring playlists from other apps into Deezer.
YouTube Music: live ministries and music videos
Many worship recordings originate in video format: live worship services, acoustic sessions, conference presentations. YouTube Music brings together this collection with official albums in a single app. It has a 4.4 rating on Google Play, over 5 billion downloads, and a 4.8 rating on the App Store.
- Switching between audio and video with a tap, in the same song.
- Live and acoustic versions that are not on the studio albums.
- Free version with ads. To listen with the screen off and download music, you need a YouTube Music Premium subscription.
Amazon Music: included for those who already have Prime.
If you already subscribe to Amazon Prime, you may have a paid music app without even knowing it. In several countries, the subscription grants access to Amazon Music at no extra cost, with millions of songs and worship playlists. The app has a 4.5 rating on Google Play and a 4.8 rating on the Brazilian App Store. Log in with the same Amazon account and the catalog will already be available.
MP3 Stage: independent gospel music and songs available for download.
Palco MP3 was created in Brazil as a showcase for independent artists, and gospel music is one of its strongest sections. It features local singers and ministries who often haven't even reached the major platforms yet. The app has over 100 million downloads, a 4.2 rating on Google Play, and a 4.7 rating on the Brazilian App Store.
- Discovery: The best place to discover the praise music of the neighboring town's church before it becomes a hit.
- Download released by the artist: When the singer allows it, the music can be downloaded to play offline.
- Free: The app uses ads.
Hymns and Christian Hymnal on your cell phone
The hymns that have touched generations are also available on these apps. Search for "Harpa Cristã," "Cantor Cristão," or "old hymns" on Spotify, Deezer, or YouTube Music: entire albums recorded by choirs, quartets, and singers will appear, ready to be listened to in sequence. Save them to your library and create a playlist of hymns for moments of prayer.
How to listen to worship music without the internet
On the road, on the bus, or at that church service in the countryside where there's no signal, the worship music keeps playing if you download it beforehand:
- Connect your mobile phone to a Wi-Fi network.
- Open the playlist or album you want to take with you.
- Tap the download icon, the down arrow. On Spotify, Deezer, and YouTube Music, this feature is part of paid subscriptions. On Palco MP3, it works for songs that the artist has released.
- Wait for the arrow to turn green or fill in. Done: the playlist will play even in airplane mode.
To save space, download only the playlists you listen to every week and delete the old ones from time to time.
Which app to choose?
| Application | Best for | Note on Google Play | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | Ready-made playlists and praise music from various countries. | 4,6 | 1 bi+ |
| Deezer | Sing along with the lyrics on the screen. | 4,7 | 100 mi+ |
| YouTube Music | Live recordings and clips | 4,4 | 5 bi+ |
| Amazon Music | Those who already subscribe to Prime | 4,5 | – |
| MP3 Stage | Independent gospel music, and download released by the artist. | 4,2 | 100 mi+ |
If you want an app to get started today, go with Spotify: it has the largest catalog, it's free, and it runs on any phone. Install it using the button at the top of this page, create your first worship playlist, and let the music play all day long.
