Spotify and Apple Music are top-tier streaming platforms that provide customers access to millions of songs, podcasts, and exclusive music content. While it can be difficult to decide which service will be the better choice for your listening needs, it comes down to what you’re looking for in a music streaming service: better audio or more versatility. Learn more about what the platform is offering.
Spotify and Apple Music both provide a variety of subscription plans depending on the listening habits of you and your family. While only Spotify provides a free, ad-supported tier with limited streaming options, Apple Music allows new customers to try any of its paid plans for free for 3 months.
All you’ve to do is go to Apple.com > Click Start Your Free Trial > Choose the plan you want > Click Try it for free. Once your free trial ends, you will automatically be charged for your selected plan the following month. It is also worth noting that, as of January 31, 2022, Apple Music’s free trial has been extended to 5 months. Plus, Spotify provides a one-month free trial to its free tier when you sign up for any of the platform’s Premium tiers. Like Apple Music, once the trial ends, you’ll be charged the regular price for the plan you initially selected.
Spotify and Apple Music provide Student and Individual subscriptions, priced between $4.99 and $9.99. Spotify’s Student plan is similar to its Individual tier but includes ad-free streaming, offline music, and on-demand playback. The only difference is that it is half the price. Apple Music’s Student plan also provides the same traditional Apple Music experience as its Individual plan at a discounted rate.
Recently, Apple Music also released a new Voice Plan subscription tier, which also prices $4.99/month and is created around the power of Siri. Customers can subscribe to the Voice plan with Siri by saying, “Hey Siri, start my Apple Music voice trial” or by signing up through the Apple Music app. Once subscribed, customers receive the same benefits as the Individual plan and can request to play songs from the entire Apple Music catalog across Siri-enabled devices like HomePod Mini speakers, AirPods, and iPhones. The Siri-enabled voice plan also works when using CarPlay.
Additionally, both Spotify and Apple Music provide family plans, which allow multiple listeners from the same household to create separate profiles. Spotify’s Family plan prices $15.99 per month and allows up to 6 different profiles under a single account. Subscribers also get Family Mix, which compiles favorite tracks from each profile, and the standalone Spotify Kids app for younger listeners. In comparison, Apple Music’s Family plan also allows for a maximum of 6 customers. If you’re not ready to commit to an entire family plan, Spotify also provides a “Duo” premium subscription tier for $12.99 per month, including 2 premium accounts and access to Duo Mix.
Streaming with options: Spotify
Spotify brings music streaming to the masses thanks to its ad-supported free tier and various Premium plans. While Spotify doesn’t provide the highest sound quality (yet), its extensive library has over 70 million songs, thousands of playlists, and over 2 million podcast titles.
Pros
- More Premium options
- Sharing music is easy
- Massive podcast library
- Free tier option
Cons
- Weaker audio quality
- Limited to certain countries
- More expensive
Premier streaming: Apple Music
Subscription-based Apple Music gives listeners access to over 75 million songs, exclusive music videos, and curated playlists worldwide. You can also tune in to Apple Music 1 for exclusive interviews from Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden, and more.
Pros
- 24/7 radio stations
- Ad-free music
- Online and offline listening
- Higher audio quality
Cons
- Limited podcast library
- Limitations on protected songs
- No free tier
Beyond the diverse subscription plans, the most significant differences between Spotify and Apple Music come down to the audio quality and content libraries available on each platform.
Standard-quality Apple Music tracks are 256 Kbps AAC files, the same format as tracks purchased from iTunes, meaning even the “lowest quality” songs available on Apple Music are slightly better than anything you’ll find on Spotify. Apple Music also provides a “lossless” feature, which allows customers to listen to a selection of high-resolution “CD-quality” 16-bit/44.1kHz to “Hi-Res Audio” 24-bit/192kHz.
In comparison, Spotify streams songs in the Ogg Vorbis format at ~96 kbps, ~160 kbps, and ~320 kbps and provides the highest audio quality only to Premium subscribers. While none of these quality levels currently compare to Apple Music’s “lossless” selections, that is expected to change with the upcoming rollout of Spotify HiFi.
There are some key differences between the Spotify and Apple Music libraries, especially podcasts. While Apple Music claims to provide a more extensive music catalog of over 90 million songs, Spotify tends to add more new artists daily and boasts upwards of 2 billion curated, compared to over 70 million songs on Spotify. It stands for doing, ever-developing playlists. Customers can also search playlists by genre, international charts, and mood. Plus, the recent acquisition of podcast production companies such as Anchor, Gimlet Media, Paracast, and The Ringer by Spotify means that the brand also hosts over 3.2 million podcast titles.
Apple Music also provides a wide range of genre- and mood-specific playlists and regularly adds more genre categories and hidden gems. Plus, Apple Music allows customers to purchase songs of their choice, add them to their iCloud Music Library, and access exclusive music video content.
Apple Music 1 Radio, formerly known as Beats 1, is exclusive to Apple Music Premium subscribers. Plus, broadcasting a 24-hour mix of pop, rap, and indie, Apple Music 1 features exclusive artist interviews and presenters, including Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden, and Matt Wilkinson. It’s also worth noting that, while Apple Music lacks podcasts, it easily beats Spotify in the radio department.
Which service is best for you?
When it comes to the Spotify vs. Apple Music battle, both boast massive music catalogs and are compatible with Android and iOS devices, making the streaming service a solid choice. And similar to comparing Apple Music vs. YouTube Music, it comes down to personal preference.
If you are a big podcast listener, Spotify can be the best service. Spotify has the added benefit of giving customers access to its entire podcast catalog within the app. At the same time, Apple Music still limits most of its podcast content to the dedicated Podcasts app. Conversely, Apple Music is the next best option if you’re an audiophile who isn’t yet committed to TIDAL but still wants access to high-quality music.
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