Media Monkey is a proprietary music manager that is compatible with most iPods and iPhones, the Creative Zen, the iRiver and many other portable music devices. It also functions as a CD player and ripper, and can convert and play many different audio formats, including MP3, M4A, OGG, FLAC and WMA. It also includes a tag editor and playlist creator, just like iTunes. The basic version of Media Monkey is free. A premium version, Media Monkey Gold, costs $19.95 (as of August 2010), and includes added features such as CD burning and an automatic library organizer. Both versions are Windows only.
Amarok is a free music manager that was originally developed for Linux- and Unix-based operating systems, with versions for Apple and Windows systems now available as well. On its own, Amarok is not compatible with most audio players, but independent developers have created plug-ins that make the program compatible with most versions of the iPod, iRiver, Rio Karma and several other portable devices. Amarok can create and edit playlists much like iTunes and can sync with any compatible MP3 player. It is compatible with nearly all audio file formats, as long as they do not have DRM (digital rights management).
Winamp was one of the first media managers and music players available, and it is still in development today. Winamp has built-in support for many popular MP3 players, including all versions of the iPod except the iTouch, Creative Zen, SanDisk Sansa and the iRiver. Many other generic MP3 players also work with the software. Winamp can create and edit playlists, access online radio stations and burn audio CDs. Like Amarok, Winamp supports nearly all audio file types as long as they are DRM-free. There are different versions of Winamp, and the paid versions have increased features, such as CD ripping capabilities and faster CD burning. Like it's name suggests, Winamp is Windows-only software.
Songbird is not compatible with the iPod, but this open-source media player has several features that some music fans will enjoy regardless. It is compatible with many other devices, including the Creative Zen, SanDisk Sansa and most Phillips devices. It is also works with most Android phones. Songbird supports MP3, AAC, OGG, FLAC, WMA and WAV audio formats as well as WMV and MPEG4 video. Since Songbird is open-source, many developers have released their own add-ons for the program, which can integrate Last.fm, customize the appearance of the program and more. Songbird can also automatically download free songs from sites like the Hype Machine and 7Digital. Songbird works with both Windows and Mac systems, and is free.