Useful before anyone follows you
Rate records, keep notes, save recommendations and build collections from day one. A busy feed is optional, not the price of admission.
A Last.fm alternative when the “why” matters as much as the count
A play count knows when.Your note remembers why.
Choose Raygum when you want more than a play count. Keep ratings, notes, lists and musical context alongside private, opt-in Spotify history—then follow the people, tools and stories behind the records that mattered.
Free · Private, opt-in Spotify history · Web and Android
History meets memory
Four plays can still leave one very good question.
09:12First track
09:17Second track
09:22Second track
09:28That one again
Four plays, automatically remembered.
Your note remembers
The second listen changed everything. Was it the new headphones—or that bassline?
Where Raygum wins
Other music apps help you count, rate or rank records. Raygum connects what you thought to everything that made the music interesting.
It is a durable home for your listening life: personal enough to work on its own, open enough to sit across streaming services and deep enough to follow a record wherever your curiosity goes.
The rating starts a trail
Move from what you thought into the credits, equipment, samples, sources and stories that explain how the music happened.
Your memory lives outside the player
Keep listening on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, YouTube or wherever suits you. Raygum holds the thread between them.
The choice in one sentence
Last.fm counts beautifully. Raygum asks for a little judgement.
Last.fm is built around scrobbling: it automatically adds plays from many music services and players to your profile, then turns that history into stats, charts, reports and recommendations. If you want the fullest possible ledger of what played, that is the specialist tool.
Raygum can privately record connected Spotify history when you opt in, but it is not pretending to match Last.fm’s scrobbling reach or statistical depth. Its reason to exist is the meaningful layer a play count cannot supply: your rating, your note, your Listen List, your collections and the context behind a record.
Choose Last.fm if
Every play needs to be counted automatically.
- Automatic tracking across many services and players is essential.
- Personal charts, play counts and weekly or yearly reports delight you.
- Your complete long-term scrobble archive is the product you want.
Choose Raygum if
The records that mattered deserve more than a count.
- You want to remember what you thought, not only what played.
- Ratings, notes, Listen Lists and collections matter more than leaderboards.
- You want private Spotify history plus deeper routes into music context.
Feature by feature
Choose the complete play count—or choose the meaning behind it.
The honest answer is that these are neighbours, not twins. Last.fm is a powerful automatic ledger. Raygum is an intentional diary with a smaller private listening-history feature attached.
What matters
Last.fm
Raygum
Automatic tracking
Last.fmScrobbles listening from many supported services, apps, players and devices.
RaygumCan record Spotify history after explicit opt-in; it is not a broad multi-service scrobbler.
Stats and reports
Last.fmReal-time statistics, personal charts, listening history and weekly or yearly reports are core features.
RaygumPrivate history and straightforward summaries exist, but detailed statistical reporting is not the main job.
Ratings and notes
Last.fmCentred on plays, listening history, charts and recommendations rather than release-by-release ratings.
RaygumGive releases one to five stars and add the sentence that explains what the number means.
Privacy model
Last.fmScrobbles are added to your Last.fm music profile and power its social and recommendation features.
RaygumListening history is owner-only; optional live Spotify presence can be limited to mutual followers.
Music context
Last.fmOffers artist and track information, tags, similar artists and recommendations informed by listening.
RaygumConnects releases to credits, equipment, samples, sources and authored stories.
Best fit
Last.fmListeners who want every play counted and turned into long-term statistics.
RaygumListeners who want to make deliberate sense of the records that mattered.
What a diary adds
Some listens deserve a verb more precise than “played”.
You loved it, abandoned it, changed your mind, noticed the producer or finally understood track seven. Raygum gives those differences somewhere to live.
Turn frequency into judgement
A repeat count can suggest devotion or simply reveal a very persistent playlist. A rating and note let you make the distinction yourself.
Keep Spotify history private
Listening recording is off until you consent. When enabled, the ledger remains visible only to you; even live presence is an optional, separate choice.
Remember the unplayed records too
A Listen List keeps recommendations that have not generated a single play yet—which is often exactly why you need help remembering them.
Ask what made the sound
Follow credits, equipment, samples, sources and stories when a track leaves you curious about more than its position in the weekly chart.
One record, four ways forward
See what happens when the play count is only the beginning.
- 1
Mark the record
Give the release a rating and keep the thought no listening ledger could infer.
- 2
Open a credit
Follow the producer, musician or engineer behind the sound that made you stop.
- 3
Trace the sound
Move through connected equipment, samples, sources and stories that a play count cannot show.
- 4
Keep what comes next
Save the related release or collect the whole thread so you can return on your own terms.
Compare your options
Different tools remember different things.
Musicboard alternativeFor ratings, reviews and lists with more room for musical context.Rate Your Music alternativeFor listeners who want a personal diary alongside the catalogue.Letterboxd for musicA broader look at album diaries, ratings, lists and discovery.Music diaryA practical guide to keeping ratings, notes and recommendations.
Questions, answered plainly
Last.fm alternative FAQs
Does Raygum scrobble like Last.fm?+
Not in the same broad, multi-service sense. Raygum can record your Spotify listening history after you explicitly opt in, but Last.fm supports scrobbling from many services and players. If comprehensive automatic play tracking is the priority, Last.fm remains the stronger fit.
Is Raygum a replacement for Last.fm statistics?+
No. Raygum can show your private listening history and straightforward summaries, but it is not a substitute for Last.fm’s real-time stats, personal charts and weekly or yearly reports. Raygum adds release ratings, written notes, a Listen List, collections and deeper music context.
Can I use Raygum and Last.fm together?+
Yes. They can do different jobs: Last.fm can keep a broad automatic record of plays, while Raygum can hold your ratings, notes, recommendations and collections for the releases that deserve a little more thought.
Can I rate albums and write notes on Raygum?+
Yes. You can rate music releases from one to five stars and add written notes or reviews. You can also save recommendations to a Listen List and make public or private collections.
Is Raygum free?+
Yes. Creating an account and using Raygum is free.
Does Raygum have a mobile app?+
Raygum works on the web and has a native Android app. A public native iPhone app is not available yet.
Comparison reviewed 28 August 2026 using Last.fm’s official scrobbling guide. Product names belong to their owners; Raygum is not affiliated with Last.fm.
Keep the plays if you like. Add the part only you know.
Start with the next release that makes you pause, replay a track or text someone about the drums.
Free · Web and Android · Your streaming service can stay exactly where it is
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