Export and back up Spotify playlists with this Python script, which saves playlist data for personal records.
Open source
24 alternativesPhiola
Phiola plays, records, and converts audio on Linux, macOS, and other supported platforms.
About Phiola
Phiola is a free, open-source audio player, recorder, converter, and streaming server for Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android. It plays audio files from a device or remote server, records from a microphone or internet radio stream, and converts audio between formats. The project describes its CPU use as low and its startup as fast, which it says helps with battery life and with short "play-and-exit" or "record-and-exit" scripts.
Phiola can be used from a command line, a terminal interface, a graphical interface (on Windows, Linux, and Android), an IPC socket, or a C or Java API. Feature support varies by platform. For example, recording system audio is listed only for Linux with PulseAudio and for Windows, and the streaming server is not listed for Android. The ALAC decoder is disabled by default for security reasons and must be enabled manually.
Key features
- Plays MP3, Ogg Vorbis/Opus, FLAC, WAV, AAC, and AAC or MP3 inside MP4, MKV, and other containers.
- Records from a microphone or internet radio stream to M4A, AAC, MP3, Ogg, Opus, FLAC, or WAV.
- Converts audio between supported formats.
- Broadcasts audio over HTTP as a streaming server on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
- Lists and edits file metadata and writes ReplayGain tags for MP3, Ogg/Opus, and FLAC files.
- Includes audio filters such as loudness normalization, a multi-band equalizer, and a noise gate.
Best for: Users who want a lightweight command-line, scripted, or terminal-based tool for playing, recording, and converting audio on desktop or Android, and developers who want to add these features to C or Java software.
Good for
- Free and open-source, and can be used as a standalone app or as a library.
- The project describes low CPU consumption and a fast startup time.
- All codecs are bundled, so it can run directly from a read-only flash drive.
Watch out for
- The ALAC decoder is disabled by default because of potential security issues.
- Some features differ by platform; for example, the streaming server is not listed for Android.
- On Android, the .mpc, .ape, and .wv formats are not supported, and ARM support is marked incomplete.
Phiola at a glance
- Website
- github.com/stsaz/phiola
- Category
- Music & Audio › Music Tools
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Android, Linux, macOS, Windows
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Phiola FAQ
Can phiola record what my computer is playing?
The platform table lists this feature for Linux with PulseAudio and for Windows. It is not listed for macOS or Android.
Is ALAC playback available by default?
No. The ALAC decoder is disabled by default. On Android it can be enabled under Settings, Enable Deprecated Modules (ALAC). On desktop it can be enabled by adding DeprecatedMods to phiola.conf.
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