Bandcamp icon
Bandcamp's iOS App: A Direct Line to Independent Music

by Bandcamp

4.8
IOSMusic
This app brings the full Bandcamp experience to mobile devices, serving as a dedicated hub for discovering and purchasing music directly from artists. Designed to help listeners build a portable collection of high-quality audio while ensuring creators receive a larger share of revenue. A powerful tool for anyone invested in the independent music ecosystem.

Detailed Review

Bandcamp’s iOS application functions as a mobile companion to the popular online music platform, which has established itself as a critical marketplace for independent artists and labels. Unlike algorithmic streaming services, the app maintains the platform’s core ethos: facilitating a direct financial connection between fans and creators. It provides a focused environment for exploration and ownership, positioning itself distinctly in a market dominated by subscription-based access models. The app’s core functionality mirrors the desktop site. Users can stream full tracks before purchase, buy albums and tracks in multiple digital formats (including lossless FLAC and ALAC), and immediately download purchases to the device for offline listening. A key feature is the collection tab, which organizes all past purchases for streaming or re-download, effectively acting as a permanent, user-owned library. The ‘Feed’ section surfaces new releases from followed artists and labels, while the ‘Discover’ tab offers editorial picks, genre charts, and recommendations based on purchase history. In real-world usage, the app excels as a portable storefront and player. For a fan at a live show, it allows instant purchase of an artist’s catalog. The audio player is straightforward, with basic controls and support for creating playlists from purchased music. However, the experience is primarily transactional and collection-oriented; its social features are minimal compared to mainstream platforms, and music cannot be uploaded directly by artists through the mobile app, which remains a desktop function. User feedback consistently praises the app’s role in supporting artists, with many noting the satisfaction of knowing most of their payment goes directly to the creator. Reviews indicate high appreciation for the ability to download high-fidelity files and maintain a permanent, ad-free library. Some criticisms involve a desire for more robust discovery features within the app itself and occasional mentions that the interface, while functional, can feel utilitarian compared to more polished streaming service apps. Overall, the Bandcamp app is a focused and effective tool that delivers exactly what its user base demands: a simple path to purchase, own, and listen to independent music on the go. Its strengths are its fidelity to Bandcamp’s fair-trade principles and its reliability as a personal music archive. Its limitations are primarily around peripheral features like social interaction and algorithmic discovery, which are not its primary mission. For those seeking an alternative to rental-based streaming, it remains a solid choice.

Key Features

  • Direct Purchases & Downloads: Buy music in high-quality formats like FLAC and MP3, then download files directly to the device for permanent, offline access without recurring fees.
  • Mobile Collection & Player: Stream all past purchases from a unified ‘Collection’ tab with a built-in audio player, creating a personal, portable music library.
  • Artist & Label Following: Follow favorite artists and labels to get a ‘Feed’ of their new releases, ensuring fans never miss a drop from supported creators.
  • Discovery Tools: Browse genre-specific charts, editorial features, and curated recommendations to find new independent music beyond mainstream algorithms.
  • Wishlist Function: Save albums or tracks to a wishlist for later purchase, which syncs across devices logged into the same Bandcamp account.
  • Fan Support Features: View optional ‘merch’ items like vinyl and t-shirts, and read artist bios to better understand the people behind the music.

Why Users Love It

Fair revenue share for artists
True ownership of high-quality files

Perfect for: Independent music fans, collectors, and artists seeking a fair, direct-to-fan sales platform.

Screenshots

Bandcamp screenshot 1Bandcamp screenshot 2Bandcamp screenshot 3Bandcamp screenshot 4Bandcamp screenshot 5Bandcamp screenshot 6

Ranking History

Track Bandcamp's performance in Music over the last 30 days

Top 5
Top 10
Top 15
Below 15

Current Rank

#48

Best Rank

#48

All-time high

Average Rank

#48

30-day average

User Reviews

Infa.mous
Nov 5, 2025

Should’ve done this a long time ago honestly. So much better for me as an artist and someone who wants to appreciate music So far so good Should’ve done this a long time ago honestly. So much better for me as an artist and someone who wants to appreciate music

theoddguy
Oct 23, 2025

Anyone rating Bandcamp 1-star because it lacks dark mode is a clown. Turn your screen brightness down and stop being entitled. A free app doesn’t owe you dark mode. Anyone rating Bandcamp 1-star because we can’t purchase music directly via the app is an even bigger clown. Apple does not allow music retailers to sell music directly from their apps. It just isn’t permitted. This has been how it works since the App Store was launched over 15 years ago. How is this not known by literally everyone? My god. It’s baffling. Bandcamp is a precious platform for artists and fans alike. The app isn’t perfect, but it’s not trying to compete with Spotify or Apple Music. It is a platform for independent music. The app is extremely well done considering the relatively small market share that Bandcamp commands. I love the app and wholeheartedly recommend it. Suggestions for the developers: introduce caching (or improved caching if you already cache). Currently, if I browse to a page, the image assets load somewhat slowly. That’s to be expected, as they need to download for the first time. However, if I navigate away from the same page and return, then all page elements need to reload as if they were loading for the first time. There’s no caching that I can detect. This, over time, slows down the app experience and it feels laggy and laborious to use. If you’re concerned about the size of the app bloating due to cached files, then introduce a “clear cache” button in the settings that removes these files. Positive review to offset unfair 1-star reviewers. Anyone rating Bandcamp 1-star because it lacks dark mode is a clown. Turn your screen brightness down and stop being entitled. A free app doesn’t owe you dark mode. Anyone rating Bandcamp 1-star because we can’t purchase music directly via the app is an even bigger clown. Apple does not allow music retailers to sell music directly from their apps. It just isn’t permitted. This has been how it works since the App Store was launched over 15 years ago. How is this not known by literally everyone? My god. It’s baffling. Bandcamp is a precious platform for artists and fans alike. The app isn’t perfect, but it’s not trying to compete with Spotify or Apple Music. It is a platform for independent music. The app is extremely well done considering the relatively small market share that Bandcamp commands. I love the app and wholeheartedly recommend it.Suggestions for the developers: introduce caching (or improved caching if you already cache). Currently, if I browse to a page, the image assets load somewhat slowly. That’s to be expected, as they need to download for the first time. However, if I navigate away from the same page and return, then all page elements need to reload as if they were loading for the first time. There’s no caching that I can detect. This, over time, slows down the app experience and it feels laggy and laborious to use. If you’re concerned about the size of the app bloating due to cached files, then introduce a “clear cache” button in the settings that removes these files.

Hi-Fi Vinyl
Oct 23, 2025

i am not one for bells and whistles. i feel it distracts from the essence of what an app like this is supposed to be. that's one reason why i like this app. second and most important is the true support the artist gets when you use it. and thirdly discovery. i have found countless artists using bandcamp. *update* now after using bandcamp for many years, 220 albums purchased, almost all of which are also physical media, i must say this is my favorite music app. independent music is the best music. updated review. i am not one for bells and whistles. i feel it distracts from the essence of what an app like this is supposed to be. that's one reason why i like this app. second and most important is the true support the artist gets when you use it. and thirdly discovery. i have found countless artists using bandcamp. *update* now after using bandcamp for many years, 220 albums purchased, almost all of which are also physical media, i must say this is my favorite music app. independent music is the best music.

wphughes
Oct 5, 2025

Bandcamp is great and this app is smooth. Just wish we could hide albums from our own view (not just public view) within the app. Awesome Bandcamp is great and this app is smooth. Just wish we could hide albums from our own view (not just public view) within the app.

Cr0uchingT1ger
Oct 2, 2025

I’d like to request the “surprise me” filter be added to the app’s Discover tab. Currently there is no time filter available on the app, only on the website. On the go it would be nice to hear music from different time eras instead of just filtered automatically to the “latest”. Thank you! Great app/site, one request I’d like to request the “surprise me” filter be added to the app’s Discover tab. Currently there is no time filter available on the app, only on the website. On the go it would be nice to hear music from different time eras instead of just filtered automatically to the “latest”. Thank you!

App Details

Developer

Bandcamp

Platform

ios

Rating

4.8

Last Updated

12/6/2025