Apple Music and Spotify are two of the music services of diffusion most popular in the world. Spotify came into our lives in 2009, while Apple Music came a bit later, in 2015.
Since then, Apple’s service has grown rapidly. So much so that a recent report by Statista guarantees that Spotify now accounts for 35% of the market, while Apple Music ranks second with 19%.
But which one is the best for you?
How much do Apple Music and Spotify cost?
As you would expect in these well established services in the market, the price of both platforms is more or less the same. Both offer individual accounts, family plans, and student discounts, though Spotify has other additional options.
Here is the price breakdown:
Plan | Apple Music | Spotify |
Free | No | Yes (with advertisements and no possibility to use it offline) |
Individual | $ 9.99 | $ 9.99 |
Duo (2 accounts) | No | $ 12.99 |
Family (6 accounts) | $ 14.99 | $ 15.99 |
Student | $ 4.99 | $ 4.99 |
Trial period | 3 months | 1 my |
Spotify’s two additional plans are to be able to use the service for free on a computer or mobile, but you’ll have to settle for having ads that recommend the Premium plan and interrupt your music sessions.
In addition, and surely more annoying, you will not be able to download music to your devices to listen to it. offline (very useful when traveling by plane or metro). Thus, you will have to accept that you can only use it when you are connected to the Internet.
On the other hand, the Duo plan allows couples to subscribe to the service for a little more per month. Spotify also creates playlists that combine songs that you both like, which can be good or bad depending on how different your tastes are.
Apple Music and Spotify both offer family plans, which are actually six accounts. premium individual and independent, but they benefit from a reduction as a whole. You have to, yes, live under the same roof.
With both services, you also have the option to test them out before committing to the monthly fee. In the case of Spotify, this trial period lasts for 1 month, while Apple Music is more generous with a 3-month trial.
How many songs does your catalog contain?
Both services offer a huge selection of albums and songs, with over 70 million tracks available on both platforms. This also includes albums, podcasts, and even old radio shows.
It’s true that back in the day Apple had exclusive albums and live performances, but now it seems like it’s only every now and then. Maybe that will change again when artists can do live performances like before.
What sound quality do they offer?
Apple Music audio quality is currently limited to 256 kbps. This means that it is slightly lower than the 320 kbps offered with the Spotify Premium option, but it is higher than the 160 kbps offered in the free version.
However, it is important to note that Apple Music uses AAC, while Spotify tracks are in MP3 format, and 256 kbps AAC is often considered a better format. Audiophiles will know that MP3 files are heavier and lose more information with compression, making the quality slightly lower than in AAC format.
Is your content easy to find?
One of the things to consider when choosing a music service is how easy it is to find the songs you want to listen to, as well as how easy or complex it is to discover new songs.
Spotify playlists and search function
Spotify’s main menu is full of options, like the music you’ve recently listened to, popular albums and editor’s picks, and various playlists based on the bands or albums you’ve listened to.
If you click on the search icon, you will be able to enter what you want to search for or browse by a specific genre. In addition to standard genres like rock, pop, hip-hop, and others, Spotify also creates activity-based or theme-based groups.
These are, according to Spotify, a selection of the best music to go with you while you exercise, cook, are in the car, sleep … Some of these categories are not very clear and it can be somewhat difficult. decide which one to explore.
If you tap on any of these, a page opens with subcategories that should clarify everything. For example, the one dedicated to the kitchen, you can choose between the categories dedicated to the preparation of the dishes, the music for the dinners or the podcasts.
By tapping on each of these categories, you will also find popular playlists and new releases.
One of the main features of Spotify is its playlists, and the service creates several personalized each day based on the music it thinks you’ll like, as well as “ Discovery Weekly ” playlists, which mix new and old songs.
Obviously, the more you use the service, the more accurate these playlists will be, so keep in mind that the first recommendations right after creating an account may not be right for you.
You might be interested in our item Why I swapped Apple Music for Spotify.
Apple Music Playlists and Search Function
Apple Music handles it a little differently than Spotify. At the bottom of the main page, you have four main options for discovering music: one for listen now, one for navigation, one for radio stations, and one for search.
The first is where you’ll find the albums and playlists you’ve recently played, as well as a section of songs the service thinks you’ll like. The latter takes a lot, unlike Spotify.
If you select the playlists that Apple Music has created for you, the operation is quite similar to how it works in Spotify, with a station created in which we find songs similar to the ones you have listened to a lot.
Not bad, but you can only see the next song to play and not the whole playlist like in Spotify. There are other options, such as a list of “Essentials” (the best of certain artists in a specific genre), as well as lists by theme and latest releases.
With the ability to browse, we have more listings, focusing on the latest releases, featured genres, and a selection of themes. There is also rankings of the 100 Most Popular Daily Singles Around the World.
If you scroll down you will see a selection of “Categories”, “Graphics” and “Music Videos”. The first is a long list of genres, very varied. Tap any of them and it will take you to a page of essential playlists, new releases, artists, and albums.
One of the main features of Apple Music is the radio section. You’ll find stations like Apple Music 1, Apple Music Hits, and Apple Country Music, radio stations created specifically and exclusively for the service.
They are hosted by famous DJs and you can listen to past shows hosted by DJs or guest artists. There is also a selection of stations by genre. What stands out here is the wide range of services and entertainment.
Finally, there’s a search option, which works the same as on Spotify, with a search bar, as well as genre and theme sections with playlists, essential albums, new releases, and topics. popular. It is not understood why it is separated from the navigation function, it just creates confusion.
What devices are they compatible with?
As you might expect, Apple Music’s main focus is on the company’s products. You can use the app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, HomePod, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, although there is a web version available for Windows and Chromebook.
You can also access Apple Music from iTunes. The service is also compatible with smart speakers, and there is an Android app as well. The latter has improved over time, but it seems to be even less refined.
Spotify doesn’t have preferences for anyone, so you can use the service on pretty much any device the same way: Android, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, Windows, PlayStation, Xbox, Amazon Alexa, Sonos, and all. other device that can play music in diffusion.
Our verdict
If you primarily use Apple devices and like the idea of having multiple radio stations playing your favorite music, then Apple Music is a good service with a lot to offer. There is as much variety as on Spotify.
However, Spotify continues to be our music platform in diffusion for now, since its interface is less cluttered and the playlists are more focused on the music we usually love.
But it’s practically a draw. You can be sure that no matter which platform you choose, you won’t be disappointed with all the music offering available in exchange for a small amount of money that you have to pay every month.
You might also be interested in: Which is better: Apple Music or Amazon Prime Music?.
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