Freedom251 › Media Player Software
Cantata
What Cantata is
Cantata is a free, open-source Qt6 graphical client for Music Player Daemon. It connects to multiple MPD collections and caches the music library to create artist and album hierarchies. A customizable layout, context views, tag editor, and tag-based file organizer support browsing and library management. Dynamic and smart playlists are available, and queue songs can optionally be grouped by album. Cantata lists Jamendo, Magnatune, SoundCloud, podcasts, and radio search through TuneIn, ShoutCast, and Dirble. Non-MPD songs can play through its built-in HTTP server. Network playback, ratings, MPD partitions, and an MPRISv2 D-Bus interface are supported. Linux users can add USB and MTP device access, plus audio CD ripping and playback, when relevant libraries are installed. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Haiku. The repository is a maintainer’s personal fork of an archived project. The listed plan is free.
Who it suits
Cantata suits people using MPD who want a desktop music library client with playlists, metadata tools, and online services. Linux users with the required libraries can also use its USB, MTP, and CD features.
What it does well
- Free and open-source Qt6 client
- Customizable interface layout
- Dynamic and smart playlists
- Tag editor and file organizer
- Supports Linux, macOS, Windows, and Haiku
What to know first
- Some features require Linux libraries
- USB, MTP, and CD tools are Linux-only
- No free trial listed
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Cantata | Qt graphical MPD client | Free |
As github.com lists them, read 12 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Cantata combines MPD playback with library organization, playlists, metadata editing, and radio or online services. Its broader device and CD functions depend on Linux and optional libraries.
Facts from Cantata's own pages
- CD audio
- Audio CD ripping and playback are available on Linux when relevant libraries are installed. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Collections
- It supports multiple MPD collections. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Dependencies
- Optional libraries enable features including tag editing, ReplayGain, MTP devices, CD ripping, and automatic MPD discovery. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Desktop integration
- The client provides an MPRISv2 D-Bus interface and supports ratings and MPD partitions. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Devices
- USB mass storage and MTP device support is available on Linux when relevant libraries are installed. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Devices and CDs
- USB mass storage and MTP device support, plus audio CD ripping and playback, depend on Linux and relevant libraries being installed. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Layout
- The interface layout is highly customisable. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Library tools
- It includes a customizable layout, a context view for artist, album and song information, a tag editor, and a file organizer. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- License model
- free · github.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Metadata
- The client includes a simple tag editor and a file organizer that uses tags to organize files and folders. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Network playback
- Yes · github.com, 22 Sept 2026
- Online services
- The project lists Jamendo, Magnatune, SoundCloud and podcasts as online services. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Other playback
- Cantata can play non-MPD songs through a simple built-in HTTP server. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Platform limits
- The project lists Linux, macOS, Windows, and Haiku support; some features are Linux-only and require relevant libraries. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- The project lists Linux, macOS, Windows and Haiku as supported platforms. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Playlists
- Cantata supports dynamic playlists and smart playlists. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Product
- Cantata is a graphical Qt6 client for MPD (Music Player Daemon). · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Project origin
- The maintainer describes this repository as a personal fork of the archived CDrummond/cantata project, incorporating work from fenuks/cantata and the Qt6 PR. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Project status
- The repository describes this as the maintainer's personal fork of the archived CDrummond project, incorporating work from fenuks/cantata and a Qt6 pull request. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Queue
- Songs in the play queue can optionally be grouped by album. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Radio
- It supports radio streams and search through TuneIn, ShoutCast and Dirble. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Security
- The opened project pages do not state security certifications or compliance claims. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
- Support
- The README directs bug reports to the GitHub repository and asks reporters to include the Cantata and MPD versions and build details. · raw.githubusercontent.com, 12 Oct 2026
Where Cantata stands on Freedom251
- Media Player Software#47 of 76