Best Artist Apps & Games

249+ iOS apps & games curated and reviewed

4.4 avg rating

20 free apps & games

Updated September 2026

Apple Music for Artists is the household name in artist, but it's far from the only option. We track 249+ alternatives and competitors on iOS — many free, many higher-rated than you'd expect.

Compare top Artist Apps & Games (September 2026)

#	App	Price	Rating	Ads	In-App Purchases	Updated
1	Apple Music for Artists	Free	2.2★ (373)	No	No	Sep 2026
2	Spotify for Artists	Free	2.9★ (1.8K)	No	No	Sep 2026
3	YouTube Studio	Free	4.1★ (26K)	No	No	Sep 2026
4	SoundCloud: The Music You Love	Free	4.8★ (2M)	Yes	Yes	Sep 2026
5	Amazon Music for Artists	Free	4.6★ (617)	No	No	Aug 2026
6	DistroKid	Free	4.9★ (25K)	No	Yes	Sep 2026
7	Spotify: Music and Podcasts	Free	4.8★ (42M)	Yes	No	Sep 2026
8	Spotify for Creators	Free	4.8★ (118K)	Yes	No	Sep 2026

Top Picks for Artist

Apple Music for Artists by Apple Inc.

The home for artists

Editor's Choice

🎵 Music

2.2😞(373 ratings)

Free

Gain insights into your music's performance across Apple Music and Shazam. Track listener numbers in real-time, discover fan locations, and create custom promotional assets to share on social media. Celebrate achievements with shareable Milestones to engage your audience and attract new fans.

What We Love

🚀 Useful app to check stats
🔒 Tight security for artists
👍 Provides insights and milestones

Room to Improve

🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
👎 Lacks advanced features compared to competitors
🤔 Confusing and clunky user interface

Spotify for Artists by Spotify

Made for artists & their teams

Strong Contender

🎵 Music

2.9😐(1.8K ratings)

Free

This official app provides artists and their teams with free tools to grow their fanbase and manage their music business on Spotify. Understand your audience, update your profile, and track your music's performance in real-time from anywhere.

What We Love

👍 Easy to use
📊 Helpful analytics
🎨 Customizable profile
🚀 Smooth performance

Room to Improve

🐛 Bugs and glitches
🔒 Login issues
📉 Inaccurate or missing data
🚫 Lack of features for smaller artists

YouTube Studio by Google

Publish, Edit, Analyze, Reply

Worth Considering

📷 Photo & Video

4.1😐(26K ratings)

Free

#22in Photo & Video

Manage your YouTube channel and content on the go. Track performance with detailed analytics, engage with your community through comment management, and update video details. Apply for monetization and grow your presence directly from your mobile device.

What We Love

🚀 Easy to use
📊 Helpful analytics
👍 Great for small channels
🎨 Customizable thumbnails

Room to Improve

🐛 Bugs and glitches
⚠️ Limited functionality compared to desktop
🔒 Verification issues for custom thumbnails
💤 Slow performance and loading times

More Artist apps to explore

SoundCloud: The Music You Love

Discover 500+ million songs

Free

Discover and stream over 300 million songs from emerging and established artists worldwide. Create personalized mixes, connect with your music community, and support independent creators. Listen for free with ads or subscribe for ad-free listening and offline playback.

Discover new musicCurated mixes and playlistsExclusive tracks

🎵 Music

(2M)

free with in-app purchases

Amazon Music for Artists

Stay Plugged Into Your Fans

Free

Empower your music career with tools to connect with fans and grow your audience. Pitch new releases, sell merchandise, and access real-time performance data. Monitor trends and update your artist brand directly from your device.

Pitch new music to fansAdd merchandise for saleReal-time performance statistics

Release unlimited music

Free

This app allows independent artists to distribute their music to over 150 streaming platforms. It offers unlimited uploads, keeps 100% of artist earnings, and provides tools for promotion and earnings management.

Unlimited music uploads100% earnings retentionAccess to artist accounts

🎵 Music

(25K)

free with in-app purchases

Spotify: Music and Podcasts

Songs, Playlists & Audiobooks

Free

Stream millions of free songs and podcasts, create personalized playlists, and discover new music. Upgrade for ad-free listening, offline downloads, and audiobooks.

Stream millions of songs and podcastsCreate and share playlistsPersonalized music recommendations

Manage and grow your podcast

Free

This app helps podcast and video creators manage, grow, and monetize their content. It offers tools for audience engagement, performance tracking, and seamless content publishing. Creators can host their shows for free and distribute them across platforms.

Host and distribute podcasts for freeReach and engage new audiencesMonetize content with subscriptions and ads

📡 News

(118K)

free with in-app purchases

guitarCake Artist

The guitarCake Artist Edition

This app is a professional platform for tattoo artists to build their online presence. Artists can create detailed profiles, manage portfolios of their work, and connect with potential clients worldwide. It aims to increase discoverability and help artists grow their business.

Create detailed artist profilesManage visual tattoo portfoliosConnect with potential clients

Draw, paint, & sketch anywhere

Free

This app provides a professional-grade drawing and painting experience for artists and illustrators. It offers a natural drawing feel with customizable tools, layers, and guides for precision. Unlock advanced features like custom brushes and canvas resizing with an optional premium purchase.

Full complement of brush typesHighly customizable brushesGuides, rulers, and stroke tools

🎨 Graphics & Design

(220K)

free with in-app purchases

Grid Maker: Add grid on image

Drawing Grid for Sketch Artist

Free

$3.99 | 100% OFF

This app assists artists in accurately transferring images to canvas or paper using a grid method. It allows for customizable grids, color adjustments, and image manipulation to aid in detailed artwork creation.

Customizable gridsMultiple grid typesAdjustable grid properties

📷 Photo & Video

(1)

free with in-app purchases

AI Video with Coravivo

Movie Maker & Clips Creator

Makeup Artist - DIY Makeup

Rainbow Makeup Design

Free

Create your own colorful makeup by mixing various ingredients. Design lipsticks, eyeshadows, and more with a rainbow of options. Become the ultimate DIY makeup artist and have fun experimenting with unique looks.

Mix ingredients to create makeupDesign lipsticks, masks, eyeshadowsRainbow makeup options

The art of melting crayons!

Free

Engage in a unique art simulation game where you control the temperature to melt crayons and create extraordinary works of art. Explore different game types within this creative melting experience.

Crayon melting art simulationTemperature control mechanicsMultiple game types

Trace, Sketch & Learn - AI&AR

Free

🎨 Graphics & Design

(0)

AR Drawing Sketch & Tracing

Projector: Trace & Draw Photos

Free

Learn to draw with guided, step-by-step tutorials for various subjects like animals and nature. Features include tracing, zoom, and undo/redo tools, making it ideal for beginners and hobbyists. Practice anytime, even offline.

Step-by-step drawing tutorialsSketch & trace modeMultiple drawing categories

📷 Photo & Video

(11)

free with in-app purchases

FAQ about Artist

What are the best artist apps & games for iPhone?

Apple Music for Artists tops our artist apps & games ranking as of September 2026, with a 2.2-star average from 373 App Store ratings, and it's free to download.

Are there free artist apps & games for iPhone?

Yes — 20 of the top artist apps & games we rank are free to download, including Apple Music for Artists and Spotify for Artists.

Does Apple Music for Artists have ads or in-app purchases?

Apple Music for Artists has no ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of September 2026.

How many artist apps & games are on the App Store?

We track 249+ artist apps & games on the iOS App Store as of September 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.

What does Apple Music for Artists do?

This app provides artists with insights into how their music performs across Apple Music and Shazam. It allows you to track listener numbers, discover fan locations, and create promotional assets to share on social media. You can also celebrate achievements like playlist adds with shareable Milestones.

What are the key features of Apple Music for Artists?

Key features include real-time listener tracking, minute-by-minute listener data for the past 48 hours, fan location discovery, and the ability to create custom promotional assets with various templates and designs. You can also track your Shazam Count and share Milestones directly on social media.

Best Artist Apps & Games

Compare top Artist Apps & Games (September 2026)

Top Picks for Artist

What We LoveHighlights summarized from real App Store user reviews

Room to ImproveCommon complaints summarized from real App Store user reviews

What We LoveHighlights summarized from real App Store user reviews

Room to ImproveCommon complaints summarized from real App Store user reviews

What We LoveHighlights summarized from real App Store user reviews

Room to ImproveCommon complaints summarized from real App Store user reviews

More Artist apps to explore

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