LyricsX is a free, open-source Mac menu bar app that automatically downloads and displays synchronized song lyrics for the currently playing track. (Free, open-source)
The app integrates with Apple Music, Spotify, Vox, Audirvana, Audirvana Studio, and Swinsian, detecting the active player automatically and fetching lyrics from multiple online sources including NetEase Music, QQ Music, Kugou Music, TTPod, Gecimi, and Syair. Lyrics appear both as a compact overlay in the menu bar status area and as a floating desktop display with fully customizable font family, size, color, and screen position. Double-clicking any lyric line jumps the track to that point in the song, enabling navigation by lyric.
Timing adjustments are available through the status menu when lyrics are off-sync with the audio. Drag-and-drop import and export supports standard LRC files and the extended LRCX format, which adds word-level timing data and multi-language translation tracks. The app auto-launches and quits alongside the connected music player, requiring no manual startup. A Traditional/Simplified Chinese conversion feature handles lyrics from Chinese-language sources automatically.
LyricsX became a universal binary in version 1.6.0 and is actively maintained on GitHub with community contributions. The project is MIT-licensed with all lyrics data remaining subject to their respective copyright holders.
System requirements: macOS 10.11 El Capitan or newer. Universal binary (Apple Silicon and Intel). Available via Homebrew (brew install --cask lyricsx) or the Mac App Store.
Pricing: (Free, open-source)
Limitations: Lyrics availability depends on third-party sources; obscure or regional tracks may return no results. The latest stable release is version 1.6.3 (April 2022), and active development has slowed. The Mac App Store version may lag behind GitHub releases. Word-level LRCX timing requires manually edited files, as no official editor exists for that format.
Alternatives: Capo ($29.99, song learning with lyrics); Musixmatch (subscription, lyrics overlays with official licensing); Vinyls ($9.99, Apple Music player with built-in lyrics view).
Suitable for users who want desktop-visible synchronized lyrics for Spotify or Apple Music without subscribing to an additional service.
