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cmus/cmus

Free

Small, fast and powerful console music player for Unix-like operating systems.

FreeFree tier
Type
Open Source
Visit Website GitHub (38 stars)

About cmus/cmus

cmus (C* Music Player) is a small, fast, and powerful console-based music player for Unix-like operating systems. It features a ncurses interface, support for a wide range of audio formats via plugins (including MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC, WavPack, Opus, and more), playlist management, a file browser, cue sheet support, custom key bindings, and MPRIS integration. Configuration is handled via a configure script with auto-detection of optional dependencies. The project is open source under various licenses, with an active community on GitHub.

Key Features

Small, fast, and powerful console music player for Unix-like operating systems
Supports a wide range of audio formats via plugin system (MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, AAC, WavPack, Opus, etc.)
Customizable key bindings and interface
Playlist management and library browser
File system browser for navigating and queuing music
Cue sheet support
MPRIS (Media Player Remote Interfacing Specification) support
Configurable via ./configure with auto-detection of optional dependencies
Active open source development on GitHub with over 6k stars

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Extremely lightweight and fast, suitable for older hardware or minimal environments
  • High degree of configurability and plugin support for many audio formats
  • Open source with a long history (since 2004) and active community
  • Works over SSH or in tmux/screen sessions without a display server
Cons
  • Terminal-only interface; no graphical user interface for users who prefer GUI apps
  • Setup may require manual configuration and compilation of dependencies
  • Limited to Unix-like operating systems (Linux, BSD, macOS)

Best For

Playing music on servers or headless systems without a graphical environmentListening to music in the terminal on minimal or low-resource systemsCreating and managing large music libraries in a console-based workflow

FAQ

Is cmus free?
Yes, cmus is completely free and open source software.
What operating systems does cmus support?
cmus runs on Unix-like operating systems including Linux, BSD, and macOS.
Does cmus have a graphical interface?
No, cmus is a console-based player that runs entirely in the terminal.