Which app is best for playing music?
Music streaming services have become incredibly popular in recent years, with many options available for listening to music online. The major players in music streaming include Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora, SoundCloud and Deezer. These services allow you to stream millions of songs on demand and create customized playlists and radio stations without needing to purchase individual songs or albums. They offer varying subscription plans, with most providing a free, ad-supported tier as well as premium options. With so many music apps to choose from, it can be difficult to determine which one best fits your needs and preferences as a listener.
In this article, we will compare the most popular music streaming services available today based on factors like library size, pricing, platform availability, and more. Our goal is to help you decide which service is the best choice for your personal music streaming needs.
User Interface
The user interface and overall design are important factors when choosing a music streaming app. Spotify and Apple Music take different approaches with their UI. According to a Reddit discussion, Apple Music tends to have more personalized playlists based on moods and genres, while Spotify seems stronger with user-generated playlists (Source). However, an in-depth UX case study found Spotify’s mobile app to be more intuitive and user-friendly compared to Apple Music. For example, Spotify makes it easier to access playlists in just two taps, whereas Apple Music requires scrolling as well (Source). Overall, Spotify appears to have a slight edge in terms of UI and navigation, with a cleaner and more streamlined design. But Apple Music offers strengths in curated playlists tailored to moods and activities.
Library Size
When it comes to library size, Spotify and Apple Music have the largest music catalogs with over 70 million songs. However, Spotify edges out Apple with over 82 million tracks compared to Apple’s 78 million. This gives Spotify users access to the most extensive variety of music.
Other competitors have much smaller libraries – Amazon Music has around 90 million songs, YouTube Music around 80 million, and Tidal around 70 million. Some niche services like Soundcloud focus on emerging artists and have around 200 million tracks, but the audio quality is lower.
For genres, Spotify and Apple again have the most variety, with Spotify claiming to have over 4000 genres/sub-genres. Apple says “all the genres you can think of” which likely means a similarly large number. Other services have most popular genres but may lack some more niche varieties. Only Spotify and Apple can claim nearly every genre imaginable.
So in summary, Spotify edges out Apple for largest library size and greatest variety across genres, making it the best choice for access to an extensive music catalog.
Playlists & Radio
Both Apple Music and Spotify offer curated playlists created by their teams of music experts to cater to various genres, moods, activities, and more. However, Spotify is widely considered to have an edge when it comes to the quality and variety of its human-curated playlists.
Spotify’s flagship “Discover Weekly” and “Release Radar” playlists, which provide personalized song recommendations based on a user’s listening history, are highly regarded. According to one Reddit user, “Playlists are Apple’s Kryptonite compared to Spotify” (source). Spotify also allows users to follow playlists created by friends and influencers.
Apple Music’s playlists also cover a wide range of genres and activities. However, its strength seems to lie more in its radio stations powered by algorithmic recommendations. Apple Music’s “For You” tab provides customized music selections based on a user’s taste, similar to Spotify’s discovery features.
Overall, Spotify appears to have the upper hand for human-curated playlists, while Apple Music offers a comparable automated listening experience powered by algorithms. But both services provide robust options for playlists and radio to appeal to diverse listener preferences.
Social Features
One important factor to consider when choosing a music streaming app is the social features. Sharing songs and following friends’ listening habits can make the experience more interactive and enjoyable. Some apps like Spotify have tested new social features to make music sharing more casual and conversational. Users often want to easily share songs they’re listening to without feeling self-conscious.
Most major streaming services now offer options to connect with friends and see what they’re playing. For example, Spotify makes it easy to share listening activity through integrations with social media. Some apps also have dedicated community tabs to follow friends and playlists. When evaluating music streaming apps, look at the options for sharing songs, connecting with friends, and engaging around music.
Audio Quality
When it comes to audio quality, Apple Music clearly offers superior sound compared to Spotify. Apple Music supports lossless audio up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution and Sony’s LDAC codec, allowing for CD-quality streaming over Bluetooth. In contrast, Spotify’s maximum audio bitrate is 320kbps, which is good but not lossless.
Apple Music also provides support for spatial audio formats like Dolby Atmos for a more immersive listening experience. With Spotify, you’ll be limited to regular stereo audio. While Spotify has recently added support for Spotify HiFi, which offers CD-quality lossless audio, this feature has not yet been rolled out to users. So for now, Apple Music is the winner when it comes to audio quality and options for lossless streaming.
Offline Listening
The ability to download music for offline listening when you don’t have an internet connection is an important feature for many users. According to one source, the best apps for offline listening include Trebel, SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube Music, Musify, and Deezer. Most streaming services allow you to download playlists, albums, or tracks to your device for offline playback. However, there are usually limits on how much you can download.
For example, Spotify Premium users can download up to 10,000 songs on 5 different devices. YouTube Music and Apple Music also allow for offline downloads with some restrictions. Free users of streaming services generally have more limited offline capabilities. When evaluating an app for offline use, it’s important to check how many downloads are allowed, if there are any time limits on offline playback, and how many devices can be used for offline listening.
Pricing
When it comes to pricing, Spotify offers cheaper monthly subscription fees compared to Apple Music. According to Radioactive Media, Spotify’s monthly fee for an individual plan is $9.99, while Apple Music’s monthly fee is $10.99 (Radioactive Media).
Both services offer discounted plans for students. Spotify charges $4.99 per month for students, while Apple Music’s student plan costs $5.99 per month (Tom’s Guide).
For family plans covering up to 6 users, Spotify charges $15.99 per month, while Apple Music’s family plan costs $16.99 per month. As noted by MakeUseOf, Apple Music’s plans tend to cost about $1 more per month compared to the equivalent Spotify plan.
Overall, Spotify offers more affordable pricing options, especially for budget-conscious users who want to subscribe to an individual plan. However, Apple Music provides some additional features like lossless audio quality that may justify the slightly higher monthly fees for some users.
Platform Availability
When it comes to device and operating system support, the top music streaming services have apps available on both iOS and Android. According to CNET, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora, Tidal, and Deezer all offer apps for both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
For desktop platforms, Wired notes that Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Tidal, Deezer, and Pandora all have desktop apps for Windows and MacOS. This allows users to stream music across multiple devices seamlessly.
In terms of smart speakers and home devices, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Pandora are supported on Amazon Alexa devices, while Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Pandora are available on Google Home. According to CNN Underscored, Apple Music and Pandora also work with Sonos speakers.
Overall, the major music streaming services ensure wide availability across smartphones, tablets, computers, smart speakers, and other home devices. Spotify and Apple Music tend to have the most robust platform support.
Summary and Final Recommendations
Comparing music apps can be complex because there are many factors to weigh like user interface, library size, social features, audio quality, platform availability and more. When evaluating which music app is “the best” it often comes down to personal preferences and use cases.
That said, based on the analysis in this article, Spotify emerges as the strongest music app overall. With its large music catalog, playlists, podcasts, social sharing capabilities, free ad-supported tier and availability across platforms, Spotify appeals to the widest range of music listeners. Those looking for top sound quality may prefer other options but for most users, Spotify checks all the boxes for features and convenience.
Apple Music ranks as a close second, especially for committed Apple device users. The iOS and Apple ecosystem integration makes Apple Music a logical choice for many iPhone/iPad/Mac owners. However for Android and Web users, the platform limitations reduce the app’s versatility. Still, with a large catalog and premium audio quality, Apple Music deserves consideration.
If seeking the widest possible catalog of all music genres, especially more niche categories, then Amazon Music Unlimited warrants a look. Casual listeners may also appreciate YouTube Music since it combines official songs, live performances, covers and remixes. And for audiophiles seeking studio-quality lossless audio, services like Tidal or Deezer HiFi cater specifically to that premium listening experience.
In the end, Spotify stands above other contenders as the best overall music app for its combination of extensive catalog, tailored playlists, social engagement and accessibility across nearly any device.