Apple Music vs Spotify: Which one is best for you in 2024?
If you want to have a Comparison of Apple Music vs Spotify, the incredible music streaming applications from the last couple of years, then you are in the right place. In this article, I will be sharing a comparison of features of Apple Music vs Spotify, which will help you to choose your favorite music streaming application. As a music lover, it is not easy to choose because both of them offer fantastic premier services to get access to your favorite soundtracks. Both services are considered leaders in the crowded music streaming arena.
Competition of these applications has taken the music streaming industry to the next level, and their revenues have increased considerably. We compare all the music streaming platforms, so don’t forget to check out these differences: Spotify vs Amazon Music and Spotify Free vs Spotify Premium.
What are Spotify and Apple Music?
Spotify is a digital music streaming application developed in 2006. It has a massive music collection of 100 million soundtracks and 4 million podcasts. It is available in almost 180 Countries with more than 573 million active users, of which 226 million are paid, subscribers. Spotify offers a free tier as well as a popular music-sharing experience.
Apple Music was developed in 2015. It has a collection of 100 million soundtracks and is available across 168 countries, with almost 98 million subscribers. Apple Music is known for its high-profile exclusives, massive music collection, and easy integration with the iPhone operating system.
Price and Subscriptions
| Premium Plans | Spotify Prices | Apple Music Prices |
| Individual | $10.99/month | $10.99/month |
| Duo | $14.99/month | ____ |
| Family | $16.99/month | $16.99/month |
| Student | $5.99/month | $5.99/month |
| Voice | ____ | $4.99/month |
The Subscription plan of Spotify and Apple Music is almost Similar. Both offer basic and Family Plans at similar prices of 10.99$ and 16.99$ per Month. The yearly Plan Price for both is 110.99$. Spotify has an advantage over Apple Music, in that it offers users a free trial period of thirty days. Moreover, it also offers freemium services, although the fermium services have certain limitations like free Ads, limited Shuffles, etc. If you are a student, Spotify may appeal to you due to the extra services of Showtime and Hulu. Still, Apple Music may be worth considering if you have invested in the Apple ecosystem. Both services offer a grand worth of money, and you can’t go wrong when choosing among them.
Winner: Spotify has a slight edge due to the availability of free trial and extra premier services.
Music Library
Spotify’s music collection consists of over 100 million songs and 4 million podcasts. In contrast, Apple Music has a massive collection of 100 million songs. Spotify is competing efficiently by adding 60,000 songs daily to its playlist. Users can find the latest hit music tracks thanks to the collaboration of Spotify with Billboard. All types of standard and unique genres like Pop, Rock, Anime, Karaoke, etc. are part of Spotify. The music Content creation of Apple Music is also very impressive. Latest releases and specific music categories like Indigenous Australia, Schlager, and Behind the Songs can be accessed by Apple Music.
Winner: Both have a massive collection, but Apple Music has a slightly better music library due to thoughtful curation and more fleshed categories.
Sound Quality
Spotify offers high- and low-quality streaming in its freemium and premium plans. In freemium, tracks are streamed at 160Kbps, whereas in the Premium subscription plan, tracks are streamed at 320Kbps. Apple Music offers standard streaming at 256Kbps; moreover, it offers lossless audio ranging from 16 bit/44.1kHz to 24 bit/192kHz. It supports spatial audio, which is enabled by Dolby Atmos Coding to make tracks more impressive and gives them extra compatibility. Spotify’s high streaming consumes much more data as compared to Apple Music.
Winner: Apple Music is better than Spotify in terms of Sound quality due to high-quality streaming and extra features.
Browser Playback
Spotify and Apple Music both allow you to browse through your libraries, access the playlists, and enjoy your favorite music collection designed for you. Moreover, Apple Music no longer demands you to install iTunes.
Winner: Spotify and Apple Music are similar in terms of Browser playback.
Compatibility
Apart from gadgets like Mobile Phones, tablets, PCs, and Macs, Spotify content can be played via gaming stations like PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One series, and PS4. It has also launched a car device to enable access to music and podcasts in your cars. Apple Music also supports various devices like Apple HomePod and HomePod mini, Apple TV 4K, and Apple Watch.
Winner: Spotify has a clear edge over Apple Music in Compatibility as it supports many more devices than Apple Music.
Social Media
Spotify facilitates you to share your content with your friends through different social media platforms. You can share your collection with your friends through Spotify, connect with social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, or create links to share music and playlists. Apple Music lets you share a playlist with registered users over AirDrop or create content links to post and share according to your liking.
Winner: Spotify is far ahead of its Competitor Apple Music regarding social media interactions to share your content with your friends.
Value
If you are not willing to spend any money and want free access to music streaming, you can opt for the Spotify freemium plan. It may have specific limitations, but you will not spend any penny. Apple Music also offers a Free tier, but you must subscribe after the free tier. If you are willing to pay for subscription plans, both applications are worth it. You will not find your money being wasted. Features like spatial and lossless audio without extra charges make Apple Music slightly better in the premium plan.
Winner: Apple Music is worth more value if you have Cash due to its premium features than Spotify, but if you don’t have money, Spotify is best.
Other Features
Apple Music has an extensive collection of amazing features that users can benefit from. Spatial audio offers you 3D effects on songs. With AirPods Max, you can enjoy audio in your surroundings. Offline Playback lets you download songs and listen to them anywhere you want without using data. Access to music across all Apple devices gives you control over how users listen to their music. Spotify and Apple Music offer multiple premier services that users can use to listen to their favorite music and podcasts.
Which is Better, Spotify or Apple Music?
| Features | Spotify | Apple Music |
| Price & Subscriptions | ✔ | |
| Music Library | ✔ | |
| Sound Quality | ✔ | |
| Browser Playback | ✔ | ✔ |
| Compatibility | ✔ | |
| Social Media | ✔ | |
| Value | ✔ |
Spotify and Apple Music are the most prominent brands of music streaming around the globe and are neck to neck in every aspect; therefore, it is really difficult to choose the better one when comparing Spotify Vs Apple Music. Spotify offers a freemium Plan if you can’t pay for a subscription plan, as well as connect to other social media platforms to share our collection with our friends. Apple Music offers you very high-quality music streaming as well as Lossless and Spatial audio services which offer 3D effects to your soundtracks.
Suppose you are a Casual music lover, who wants to listen to the music and enjoy its content and is not willing to spend any penny. In that case, you may opt for Spotify. It has a massive music collection as well as it offers access to other social media platforms to share your playlist with your friends. Suppose you are a more dedicated music lover and can spend money. In that case, Apple Music will be a far better option for you due to high-resolution streaming.
FAQs
Conclusion
In a comparison of Apple Music vs Spotify, choosing the better application is not just as simple as both offer exquisite premium services to the users. If you can’t spend money and bear the limitations offered in the freemium plan of Spotify, you can opt for it. But, if you are a dedicated music lover and want a high-fidelity experience, you must go for Apple Music as its features like Spatial and Lossless audio offer high-resolution streaming. Suppose you are still not sure after all this extensive information regarding the Spotify Vs Apple Music comparison. In that case, you can go for the free trial of both Apple Music and Spotify and choose the best among them.
