The Difference Between Spotify and Apple Music
Streaming music is now the primary way music lovers consume their music. Sales of streaming music surpassed physical CDs in 2014, digital downloads in 2015, and are now driving new growth in the music industry1.
If you are looking for new music, or to listen to classics, instead of buying that next song from iTunes or a CD from the record store, you can now stream millions of songs with services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Streaming services have thousands of pre-programmed playlists and stations for every genre and mood plus allow you to listen to broadcast radio, individual albums, songs, and artists. You can also create your own playlists and and most services even include podcasts. With free, premium and trial plans, it's easy to try before committing to a subscription.
Which service is right for you? Below is a chart breaking down the differences between Spotify, Apple Music, other alternatives to help you find the best one.
| Spotify | Apple Music | Tidal | Google Play Music | Amazon Music | |
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| Price | $9.99/month | $9.99/month | $9.99-$19.99/month | $9.99/month | Free with Amazon Prime for 2 million songs. $7.99/month with Prime $9.99 without Prime. |
| Songs | Over 40 million | Over 50 million | Over 50 million | Over 40 million | Over 10 million |
| Free option | Unlimited free option with ads | No | No | No | Included with a Prime membership |
| Will it have all your favorite songs? | Yes (Missing some Beyonce, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Tends to get music late) |
| Music Quality | High Quality | High Quality | High Quality to HIFI lossless depending on plan | High Quality | High Quality |
| Does it work well on all your devices? | Runs well on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone | Runs well on Mac and iPhone and less reliably on Android and Windows | Runs well in Browser but less reliably on Windows, iPhone, and Android | Runs well on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone | Runs well on Amazon devices such as Amazon Echo and Fire TV but less reliably on other devices |
| User interface | Great | Great | Okay | Good | Needs Improvement |
| Music recommendations and playlist curations | Best | Great | Good | Good | Needs Improvement |
| Allows you to download music for offline listening | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Device Support | Sonos, Amazon Echo, and Google Home | Sonos, Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo, and Google Home | Sonos, Amazon Echo, and Google Home | Sonos, Amazon Echo, and Google Home | Sonos, Amazon Echo, and Google Home |
| Other features | Allows you to see what your friends are listening to and the lyrics for songs | Access to Beats 1 radio and the ability to view lyrics | Highest quality audio | Comes with YouTube Red which allows you to download YouTube videos and watch them without ads | |
| Issues | Doesn’t work with Google Assistant and Amazon Echos | limited podcasts. Does not include music videos |
Learn more about streaming music with one of our step-by-step guides
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Streaming music is now the primary way music lovers consume their music. Sales of streaming music surpassed physical CDs in 2014, digital downloads in 2015, and are now driving new growth in the music industry1.
If you are looking for new music, or to listen to classics, instead of buying that next song from iTunes or a CD from the record store, you can now stream millions of songs with services such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music. Streaming services have thousands of pre-programmed playlists and stations for every genre and mood plus allow you to listen to broadcast radio, individual albums, songs, and artists. You can also create your own playlists and and most services even include podcasts. With free, premium and trial plans, it's easy to try before committing to a subscription.
Which service is right for you? Below is a chart breaking down the differences between Spotify, Apple Music, other alternatives to help you find the best one.
| Spotify | Apple Music | Tidal | Google Play Music | Amazon Music | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Price | $9.99/month | $9.99/month | $9.99-$19.99/month | $9.99/month | Free with Amazon Prime for 2 million songs. $7.99/month with Prime $9.99 without Prime. |
| Songs | Over 40 million | Over 50 million | Over 50 million | Over 40 million | Over 10 million |
| Free option | Unlimited free option with ads | No | No | No | Included with a Prime membership |
| Will it have all your favorite songs? | Yes (Missing some Beyonce, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Tends to get music late) |
| Music Quality | High Quality | High Quality | High Quality to HIFI lossless depending on plan | High Quality | High Quality |
| Does it work well on all your devices? | Runs well on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone | Runs well on Mac and iPhone and less reliably on Android and Windows | Runs well in Browser but less reliably on Windows, iPhone, and Android | Runs well on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone | Runs well on Amazon devices such as Amazon Echo and Fire TV but less reliably on other devices |
| User interface | Great | Great | Okay | Good | Needs Improvement |
| Music recommendations and playlist curations | Best | Great | Good | Good | Needs Improvement |
| Allows you to download music for offline listening | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Device Support | Sonos, Amazon Echo, and Google Home | Sonos, Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo, and Google Home | Sonos, Amazon Echo, and Google Home | Sonos, Amazon Echo, and Google Home | Sonos, Amazon Echo, and Google Home |
| Other features | Allows you to see what your friends are listening to and the lyrics for songs | Access to Beats 1 radio and the ability to view lyrics | Highest quality audio | Comes with YouTube Red which allows you to download YouTube videos and watch them without ads | |
| Issues | Doesn’t work with Google Assistant and Amazon Echos | limited podcasts. Does not include music videos |
Learn more about streaming music with one of our step-by-step guides
