Google never shipped a desktop app for YouTube Music, and the web player always felt like a tab I had to babysit. So I’ve spent the last couple of years on SimpMusic — an open-source client (GPL-3.0), originally Android, now with desktop builds for Windows, macOS and Linux.

It signs into your own YouTube Music account, so your library, playlists and recommendations are the ones you already have. Premium subscribers get the 256kbps stream. It isn’t a way around a subscription and I’d rather it wasn’t treated as one.

• Playback — DJ-style crossfade with real transitions rather than a plain fade (closest comparison is Spotify’s AutoMix or Apple Music’s). Spotify Canvas works too.
• Lyrics — word-by-word highlighting, sourced from SimpMusic Lyrics, LRCLIB, Spotify or YouTube transcripts, with AI translation if you want it.
• Integrations — Last.fm scrobbling, Discord Rich Presence, SponsorBlock, Return YouTube Dislike.
• Interface — liquid glass navigation with a press-to-bulge interaction, and themes you can actually customise, Spotify Canvas supported in Now playing.
• Desktop — a genuine native app for Windows, macOS and Linux, not a wrapped web page. Tray icon shows the current track.
• Android Auto— browse your whole library, search, and see the queue. Not a cut-down two-button version.

Website: https://www.simpmusic.org/

Download: https://www.simpmusic.org/download

Source code: github.com/maxrave-dev/SimpMusic

License: GPL-3.0