Software Alternatives & Startups

Amarok VS ncmpcpp

Compare Amarok VS ncmpcpp and see what are their differences

Amarok logo Amarok

The Amarok team is proud to announce the immediate availability of the result of 2 years of hard work, the beta release of Amarok 2. 9. This release is marked by improvements, corrections and polishing of nearly all Amarok features.

ncmpcpp logo ncmpcpp

Ncurses Music Player Client (Plus Plus)
  • Amarok Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-13
  • ncmpcpp Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-22

Amarok features and specs

  • Rich Feature Set
    Amarok offers an extensive range of features including music library management, support for various audio formats, and integration with multiple online services like Last.fm and Spotify.
  • Customization
    The application allows users to highly customize their interface and workflows through various plugins and scripts, ensuring a tailored experience.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Amarok runs on multiple operating systems including Linux, Windows, and macOS, making it accessible to a broad user base.
  • Integration with KDE
    As a KDE project, Amarok integrates seamlessly with the KDE desktop environment, leveraging its technologies and aesthetics.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, Amarok benefits from community contributions and allows users to modify the software to fit their needs.

Possible disadvantages of Amarok

  • Complexity
    For new users, Amarok can be intimidating due to its many features and customization options, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported that Amarok can be resource-intensive, leading to slower performance on older hardware.
  • Inconsistent Updates
    The development and update cycle for Amarok can be inconsistent, potentially leading to periods where bugs are not promptly addressed.
  • Limited Mobile Support
    While Amarok has cross-platform support for desktop operating systems, it lacks dedicated mobile apps, limiting its usability for users who prefer to manage music on their mobile devices.
  • Dependency on KDE
    Users who do not use the KDE desktop might find Amarok less integrated and less aesthetically consistent with their environment, potentially requiring additional dependencies.

ncmpcpp features and specs

  • Feature-rich
    ncmpcpp offers a wide range of features including a media library, playlist management, cover art display, and support for Last.fm, allowing users extensive control over their music experience.
  • Customizability
    The application allows users to customize its appearance and behavior extensively, making it adaptable to individual preferences and workflows.
  • Lightweight
    ncmpcpp is lightweight and efficient, using minimal system resources while providing powerful features, making it suitable for use on older hardware.
  • Keyboard-Driven Interface
    Designed for keyboard use, ncmpcpp offers keyboard shortcuts for nearly all of its functions, allowing for fast and efficient control by experienced users.
  • Integration with MPD
    As a client for the Music Player Daemon (MPD), ncmpcpp offers seamless integration, allowing users to control their MPD music servers directly.

Possible disadvantages of ncmpcpp

  • Steep Learning Curve
    New users may find ncmpcpp challenging to learn due to its text-based interface and extensive use of keyboard shortcuts.
  • Limited Support for Non-MPD Contexts
    ncmpcpp is specifically designed as a client for MPD, so it lacks utility and integration features for users not using MPD.
  • Lack of Modern UI
    The text-based interface may be off-putting to users accustomed to graphical interfaces, potentially making it less visually appealing.
  • Configuration Complexity
    While customizable, the process of configuring and fine-tuning ncmpcpp to specific needs can be complex and time-consuming.
  • Dependency on MPD
    Since ncmpcpp is dependent on MPD, issues with MPD or incompatibility with certain versions could affect ncmpcpp's functionality.

Amarok videos

Volkswagen Amarok 2020 review: Highline 580 Black

More videos:

  • Review - 2020 Volkswagen Amarok review – the best pick-up you can buy? | What Car?
  • Review - 2017 Volkswagen Amarok V6 review | CarAdvice

ncmpcpp videos

Ncmpcpp: The Best MPD Client With The Worst Name

More videos:

  • Review - Spotify + Mopidy + ncmpcpp = The most Linux way to listen to Spotify!
  • Review - Linux Language Learning Workflow (Part 1: mpd, ncmpcpp + trans with Assimil)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Amarok and ncmpcpp)
Audio Player
95 95%
5% 5
Media Player
95 95%
5% 5
Music Player
91 91%
9% 9
Audio & Music
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Amarok seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Amarok mentions (6)

  • This week in KDE: All about the apps
    Lol. Amarok is essentially dead. But Strawberry is in very active development and has already made the jump QT6. Source: over 3 years ago
  • What's Up with AVPlayer?
    I was looking for KDE music players. Only Amarok and Elisa are KDE projects out of the ones you listed. KDE's six music players (yes I found another one) are Amarok, AudioTube, Elisa, JuK, Soundcloud Player for Plasma Bigscreen (great name) and Vvave. Source: over 3 years ago
  • What's Up with AVPlayer?
    I was looking through the Multimedia section of apps.kde.org because I was wondering how many music players KDE has (five of them, excluding video players and including Amarok, which is missing from the list, because apparently KDE considers it unmaintained even though it still works perfectly fine and regularly gets fixes from random contributors, which is the state many other "maintained" KDE projects like... Source: over 3 years ago
  • LibreWolf – A fork of Firefox, focused on privacy, security and freedom
    Anyone else reminded of https://amarok.kde.org? - Source: Hacker News / over 4 years ago
  • Windows Music Player Recommendations
    Amarok is quite full-featured https://amarok.kde.org/. Source: over 4 years ago
View more

ncmpcpp mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of ncmpcpp yet. Tracking of ncmpcpp recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Amarok and ncmpcpp, you can also consider the following products

Clementine - Clementine is a cross-platform free and open source music player and library organizer based on...

C* Music Player - cmus is a small, fast and powerful console music player for Linux and *BSD.

AIMP - AIMP : Free Audio Player : Официальный сайт программы

kew - A terminal music player for Linux.

Winamp - Winamp is a media player that allows users to play multiple-file formats, arrange media in a varied file-management system, and play unique media with AAC encoding.

foobar2000 - An advanced freeware audio player for the Windows platform.