6 of the Best WordPress Audio Player Plugins Compared in 2019

If audio files make up the bulk of the content on your WordPress website, you should know that WordPress audio player plugins can make it a lot easier to present and render podcasts and music.While WordPress does have  a built-in feature to handle audio files, its quite basic.So if youre looking for audio players with customization options or to display popouts, allow downloads, sell tracks, or more, one of these WordPress audio player plugins offers a much better approach. AudioIgniter Author(s): The CSSIgniter TeamCurrent Version: 1.5.1Last Updated: July 16, 2019audioigniter.1.5.1.zip 94%Ratings 28,549Downloads WP 4.9+Requires Lets start with AudioIgniter, a plugin thatll help you create playlists in under five minutes, or even stream your own radio show.Simple to install and use, it adds a Playlists menu item to your dashboard. Starting from there, you can go on to click Add Playlist and build as many playlists as you want, and choose to enable or disable auto-looping.I n the editor, you can fill in fields for name of song, artist and add as many tracks as you want. Once youre happy with the list, save it, copy the shortcode, and paste it on any post or page.Heres how it appears on the frontend. Visitors can adjust the volume on the player.Key features:Integrates with WooCommerce to sell music digitallyA Buy Now custom field to sell tracks convenientlyEach playlist can have its own settingsMove multiple tracks into playlist using bulk upload feature (Pro)Customize the color of the player and edit with Visual Composer support (Pro)Widget available, and player position can be fixed (Pro)With the Pro plugin, you can do more on the interface like rearrange tracks, specify lyrics per track, categorize them, and set individual tracks on repeat mode. Not just the interface, youll be able to change options on the playlist too wherever you embed it. Its tested with more than 150 themes, so you can be fairly certain about compatibility.Price: The free versio n may be sufficient if all that you need is to create a simple playlist or even multiple playlists displaying some fields. But for more features, you can purchase a Pro license for $49.2. Compact WP Audio Player Compact WP Audio Player Author(s): Tips and Tricks HQCurrent Version: 1.9.6Last Updated: May 1, 2019compact-wp-audio-player.zip 82%Ratings 356,465Downloads WP 3.0+Requires Compact WP Audio Player is one plugin that doesnt take up space on your screens. It simply adds a Play button on the frontend of a post, making it one of the coolest WordPress audio player plugins. The button changes to Pause while the song plays.Youll be able to modify settings to allow autoplay, looping, and volume control. The plugin is responsive and files play on all devices.Key features:Create podcasts or add songs by embedding an .mp3 or .ogg file in your page or postAudio file plays as soon as page loads on account of autoplayDoesnt occupy space on your screensOffers a preview for sale of a udio filesHTML5 compatible, so works with iOS devices tooTheres really not much to support long playlists, so you may want to skip this plugin if you want to create albums. On the other hand, if you like the idea of multiple Play buttons, you can list multiple tracks on your post or page, with each track having its own compact audio player button.The plugin makes it easy to offer pre-sales previews. A premade template is included, and a shortcode tweak allows seek bar addition and volume control. Youll be able to change the color of the button via the themes CSS. Besides, when added to header or footer, itll play only on your homepage.Price: Free3. PowerPress Podcasting Plugin PowerPress Podcasting plugin by Blubrry Author(s): BlubrryCurrent Version: 8.0.1Last Updated: October 9, 2019powerpress.8.0.1.zip 94%Ratings 1,551,998Downloads WP 3.6+Requires One of the most popular WordPress audio player plugins, PowerPress enjoys 60,000+ active installations and can be freely downlo aded from the WordPress repository.Its great for podcasting, allowing you to submit episodes to Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Google podcasts. If youre hosting your media files on BluBrry Podcasting, youll be able to submit to Spotify as well.Whats helpful is you can choose to go the whole distance with the Advanced mode or keep it simple with the default simple mode, and activate additional features as you become familiar with its ways. The simple mode will hold your hand as you create your first podcast with basic settings.Once youre done configuring the settings, youll see a neat player added to the frontend.Key features:Track your podcasts with basic stats for free (or with all details for $5 per month)Integrates your media player and embeds it in your posts and pagesCreate subscribe pages and optimize for podcast SEOSupports multi podcast, podcast categories, post type, and post taxonomyPlace player below or above content, or exactly where you want by using player shortc odeOptions to add YouTube embeds, allow downloads, or play in new windowOther advanced features include managing user roles, post type/taxonomy/premium podcasting. It supports Multisite, as well as migration of podcasts from other podcasting plugins, or from other services/platforms such as LibSyn, PodBeam, SoundCloud, or Squarespace.Price: Free4. Audio Dock Themify Audio Dock Author(s): ThemifyCurrent Version: 1.0.4Last Updated: March 8, 2019themify-audio-dock.zip 76%Ratings 4,896Downloads WP 4.3+Requires If youre looking to create any suitable mood for visitors as they browse your site, Audio Dock wont disappoint. To get the player to appear on your screen, youll first have to create a track in the Audio Dock settings area via Admin Settings Audio Dock.Youll be able to add as many tracks as you want, adjust colors for bar and tracks, and enable autoplay.Once youre done, youll find a neat sticky player added to the bottom of your screen on the frontend.Key features:Works with any WordPress themeAdd your own custom title for each trackResponsive, fits any screen sizeAdd any number of audio tracksCustom bar and track colorWith Audio Dock, all it takes is a few simple steps to get a neat player at the bottom of your screens.Price: Free5. Cue Cue by AudioTheme.com Author(s): On the frontend, a user can control volume or skip tracks.Key features:Cue is responsiveCreate unlimited playlists and embed them anywhere, including in a widgetConnect to external sources like Amazon S3 or a content delivery network (CDN)Customize player background imageThe Pro plugin offers themes to change the appearance of the player, and offers purchase or download links for each track. Moreover, visitors can continue playing with the player in a popup and share playlists with friends. Youll also have access to insight into how visitors interact with your track.Price: $496. MP3-jPlayer MP3-jPlayer Author(s): Simon WardCurrent Version: 2.7.3Last Updated: January 24, 2019mp 3-jplayer.2.7.3.zip 82%Ratings 450,779Downloads WP 2.9+Requires MP3-jPlayer is a responsive audio player with shuffle mode and download option. Just upload audios to the media library and choose title and track information to display on the player. From the settings panel, you can enable autoplay, adjust volume, and allow looping, and resume playback.Under the Media tab, you can select the folder path or URL to play some of your audio from. If youre playing from local folders, you can choose to bulk play entire folders. You can also select the file formats to play during bulk play.When it comes to player design, you get to pick from dark or light skins. Else, opt for custom CSS to control the colors of different player elements such as load bar or position bar.Besides, you can choose fonts for titles and playlist, alignments and player dimensions, and change the position of buttons. Hide the entire playlist to have only background music, or get the position slider to fill the w hole image or screen.Key features:Highly customizable player, allowing you to adjust dimensions, color, and alignmentAllows popouts, as well as downloadsSimple shortcode to play entire folders or the entire libraryPlay via media library or feedMP3-jPlayer does take a bit of time to navigate the settings, but once youve got it right, its really among the best WordPress audio player plugins for podcasts or any other audio content.Price: FreeGet started with your WordPress audio playerThats it folks, our list of the best WordPress audio player plugins.Have you tried any? Any questions about which one is right for you? Ask away in the comments! Want to add an audio player to your #WordPress site? Check out the 6 best audio player plugins! 🔊