Almost every person I know listens to music on some sort of streaming platform, usually on either Spotify or Apple Music. But which one is better? As a person who has Youtube Music, used to have Apple Music and whose friends all have Spotify, I think I’m qualified to talk about the pros and cons of each of these platforms.
Price wise, Apple Music wins by just one dollar. And even though this doesn’t seem like much over time it will add up. A normal Spotify subscription costs $11.99 per month while an Apple Music subscription costs $10.99 per month. Both have discounts, for example they each have a student discount for $5.99 per month and a family plan for $16.99 per month. Spotify has 640 million listeners while Apple Music only has 93 million listeners. I think that it has gotten to a point where having Spotify is more “socially acceptable” than having Apple Music or any other streaming service.
Why is Spotify more expensive in the first place? From the research that I’ve done, it comes down to the fact that Spotify has more features for users. On Spotify, you can follow people, collaborate with them on playlists and you even have your own personal DJ that plays songs the algorithm recommends based on your past listening history. Also, it has the famous Spotify Wrapped at the end of every year which a lot of other music platforms now do, but Spotify came up with the idea. The first Spotify Wrapped was in 2016. Later, Apple Music and other streaming services copied this idea with yearly reports. Spotify’s design and user accessibility sets it apart from other services. But if you’re truly just a music fan and the sound is what matters most to you then you might want to consider Apple Music as it has the best sound quality.
I’d like to shout out a lesser known streaming service, though the brand is far from unfamiliar. I think that YouTube Music is a great platform. The autoplay function plays a good mix of new songs and familiar ones that all fit the common theme. I noticed that when I would use the autoplay function on Apple Music I could go from listening to Fleetwood Mac to Dua Lipa within 5-10 songs. They have an algorithm set up to point you towards the more popular and current songs. YouTube music also has more live recordings, covers and remixes than any other streaming service. This is mostly due to the fact that YouTube Music is a very easy platform for users to upload content.
In the grand scheme of things, the platform you use doesn’t really matter, what really matters is that you can enjoy music. So use whatever works best for you. In no way do you have to switch platforms because of my pros and cons for each of them. Music taste is very subjective and personal, just take this as light guidance.