As more and more competitors get into the music streaming industry, many today's music lovers are wondering which service to turn to. With the introduction Deezer into the US markets, people are still wondering should I be using Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited or even another service altogether?
With access to more than 10 million songs on each service, music lovers are used to creating playlists, sharing music, and streaming songs throughout the day.
In this article, we'll break down the pros and cons the most popular music streaming services so that you can select the streaming service that fits your needs the best.
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music and video streaming service that was developed by Apple. Apple Music first hit the market on June 30th, 2015 and has since grown to become one the most important streaming services within the United States. Apple's Apple Music gives listeners access to more than 45 million songs. It also comes with a three month free trial on iPhones, which has helped Apple Music grow to 30 million subscribers. Accompanied with Apple's other products is another one Apple Music's strong points. The HomePod now has the option to sync Apple Music with this smart home device.
Apple Music Sound Quality
The tracks sound great on Apple Music as they stream at 256kbps AAC. This is a lower bitrate than Spotify, but a less lossy codec.
Apple Music Cost
Apple Music is at the same price level Spotify, but Apple Music currently has no free option. Apple Music costs $9.99 per month, while the student plan costs $4.99, and the family plan costs $14.99 with the ability to link up to six accounts for Apple Music listening.
Apple Music Review
Apple Music is one the best streaming services around and with its 3-month free trial can be cheaper the premium paid options.
Spotify
Spotify is a music, podcast, and video streaming service that was launched on October 7, 2009. The music streaming giant was developed in Stockholm, Sweden and was later introduced in the United States back on July 2011. Spotify is one the most well-known music streaming services in the world with a collection 35 million songs. As it has compiled more than 70 million paid-subscribers worldwide, more than 140 million users use Spotify around the world in total.
Spotify Sound Quality
The tracks sound great on Spotify as they stream at 160kbps for default streaming quality. The “high quality streaming option” allows users to stream up to 320kbps.
Spotify Cost
Spotify has the free option with unlimited songs and shuffle play, but advertisements will be introduced with fewer skipping capabilities and the inability to download songs for fline use. The Spotify Premium plan costs $9.99 per month, the student plan costs $4.99, and the family plan costs $14.99 for up to five premium members linked to one main account.
Spotify Review
Spotify is one the most popular streaming services in the world for good reason. With its ability to stream up to 320kbps, this is far better streaming quality than that Apple Music. Spotify also has the ability to stream music on its website, while Apple Music is reserved for just its apps. Currently Apple Music is not compatible with Chromebooks unless the user does some workarounds. On the other hand, Spotify is fully compatible with Chromebooks and web products.
Amazon Music Unlimited
Amazon Music Unlimited is the rival to both Apple Music and Spotify. Back in December 2017, Amazon announced its expansion into 28 additional countries.
Apple Music Unlimited vs. Amazon Prime Music
Amazon currently fers two music services, and the differences prove the different prices you pay. Prime Music is free for prime subscribers and is a neat freebie for having a Prime membership, but Amazon Music Unlimited is $7.99 for Prime members or $9.99 per month without Prime. Prime Music has a much smaller collection songs with only 2 million songs to choose from, while Music Unlimited fers in excess tens million different songs to choose from.
Alexa Integration
While most music streaming services now work with Alexa and the Amazon Echo, Amazon fers cheaper plans for users that only wish to have Alexa streaming capabilities.
Amazon Music Unlimited Sound Quality
The tracks sound good on Music Unlimited as they stream at 256 Kbps bitrate.
Amazon Music Unlimited Cost
Music Unlimited is currently $7.99 for Prime members, $9.99 for non-Prime members, and only $3.99 for Echo-only streaming.
Amazon Music Unlimited Review
Amazon's Music Unlimited is a good streaming service, but currently less favorable than both its rivals, Apple Music and Spotify. With about 10 million songs to choose from, Music Unlimited has roughly 1/3 the total songs that both Spotify and Apple Music have. Music Unlimited does make the most amount sense though for Amazon Echo users that only tend to stream music from their house on an Alexa-powered device. At $3.99 per month, the total annual fee will be $72 cheaper than both Spotify and Apple Music subscriptions.
Apple Music vs. Spotify
Currently Apple Music and Spotify are the two biggest streaming music services in the world. The Swedish streaming startup has won over users with its free options, while Apple has made its way into the market due to the success iTunes transforming the music industry many years ago.
Spotify now has 70-million paying subscribers while Apple Music lags behind with about half that. What's the difference between Apple Music and Spotify? Spotify's deep-learning algorithms create personalized playlists for the user's best listening experience. Some Spotify's most popular features include things like Discover Weekly which puts together a playlist new and old music that you love, as well as songs from artists you like that you may have missed, and the year end total your favorite songs from the past year.
Apple Music on the other hand has loads favorites including the ability to connect with Apple-compatible products such as CarPlay, the Apple Watch, AirPods, iPhones, and even Apple's new HomePod smartspeaker. It also features Beats 1 radio which can be used with Siri to create voice-activated playlists.
The Best Music Streaming Service Comparison
| Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon Music Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | $9.99 | $7.99 (for Prime members) |
| Free Plan | No | Yes | No |
| Family Plan | $149/year | $179.88/year | $179.88/year |
| Echo-Only Plan | N/A | N/A | $4.99 |
| Student Plan | $4.99 (in select countries) | $4.99 | N/A |
| Quality | 256kbps AAC | 320 kbps | 256Kbps |
| Chromebook Compatible | No | Yes | Yes |
| Overall Rating | A | A+ | A- |