People can (and have) built some crazy things with WordPress – Directories, forums, eCommerce stores and entire chains, e-learning portals, portfolios, etc. Adding music to a WordPress website should practically require no thought at all.
Except it does – While it’s easy to install and activate an audio plugin, it’s not easy to pick the right one from a sea of thousands.
In an attempt to narrow your field of search, here are 5 of the best free audio player plugins, handpicked from WordPress.org Plugin Repository (the safest source there is!).
Check them out:
1. Compact WP Audio Player
- Last Update: April 2016
- Usage Stats: 40K+ Active Installs
- Rating: 4.4/5
Available at: WordPress Plugin Directory
One of the most well used (and loved) audio player plugins on WordPress, Compact WP Audio Player is a golem made of HTML5 + Flash. It embeds .mp3/.ogg files (option to include both and play them based on user device compatibility) in your posts or pages via shortcode. It just works on all device sizes, major browsers and iOS devices.
It’s also tiny, so you can dedicate more space to other content than displaying your audio player.
The plugin is perfect for a bit of background music on regular blogs/websites/immersive experiences, podcasts, and even to offer audio previews of music that you’re selling (using EDD or another variation thereupon).
It’s short, sweet, and sophisticated. No wonder people love it so much.
2. MP3-jPlayer
- Last Update: April 2016
- Usage Stats: 30K+ Active Installs
- Rating: 4.2/5
Available at: WordPress Plugin Directory
“Easy, Flexible Audio for WordPress”
That’s right.
MP3-jPlayer gives you a lightweight, responsive HTML5 audio player (complete with playlists!) that you can add in practically any given WordPress template. You can play media from your WordPress media library, upload folders, URLs; customize the player’s appearance; play a list or single audio file; add login options for listening/downloadingl; etc. and do more with shortcodes.
The plugin is majorly HTML5, but can fall back to Flash if the user device/browser calls for it. It supports 7 major audio file formats and can be displayed as popout player. It’s also multisite compatible, highly customizable, and extensible via add-ons (free and premium).
It’s a total package, that’s for sure.
3. HTML5 jQuery Audio Player
- Last Update: September 2015
- Usage Stats: 9K+ Active Installs
- Rating: 3.8/5
Available at: WordPress Plugin Directory
This is a sweet little plugin; nothing fancy about it (in terms of features) but it looks really cool.
HTML5 jQuery Audio Player lists its components in its name and by consequence it is cross-browser compatible and responsive.
The audio player you get can play lists or single tracks using of .mp3/.ogg format using shortcode. It is highly customizable (built in design features!). There are options to display the user rating system, cover art, buy/download link (awesome for affiliates and integrates easily with EDD), etc.
It’s short and spunky. What’s not to like?
4. Simple Music Widget
- Last Update: March 2015
- Usage Stats: 3K+ Active Installs
- Rating: 5/5
Available at: WordPress Plugin Directory
This is a very basic widget for those who want that one song to be played on their website.
Simple Music Widget needs widget-friendly themes to work with (duh). The admin can set URLs for audio (does not let you upload files, pulls directly from source and plays it) and cover art, add a bit of description (along with fields for artist name, song, and album).
That’s it. The widget is lovely and responsive, and very customizable if you know what you’re doing with code.
5. SoundCloud is Gold
- Last Update: November 2015
- Usage Stats: 20K+ Active Installs
- Rating: 4.1/5
Available at: WordPress Plugin Directory
WordPress admins with SoundCloud accounts will squeal for joy.
SoundCloud is Gold is a pretty little plugin which lets you add your favorite SoundCloud audio to your WordPress posts in a matter of clicks. Once set up, the plugin displays as a separate ‘SoundCloud is Gold’ tab in your Upload/Insert Screen. From there, you can add your SoundCloud account and browse through your favorites, tracks, and sets.
The plugin displays SoundCloud account prominently and is capable of saving multiple users, which makes it quite a beauty. There are features like Live Preview, size/layout/color customization, automatically pulling audio info, player settings (Mini, Standard, HTML5, etc.).
It’s a great plugin which works well.
Endnote
You can always use the Add Audio Files and Playlists feature from WordPress, but all you’ll be able to do is add mp3 and not much else.
Which, if any, of these would you love to have on your WordPress site? Share your favorite WordPress audio plugins in the comments below.
