Apple Music vs Spotify 2024: review, features, pros and cons

The most popular music streaming services are Apple Music vs Spotify. Since they all cost the same each month ($10, £10, or AU$12), it can be hard to know which one is best for you. Do you want support for lossless and 3-D audio? The one is Apple Music. Want a smart music player for your car and love podcasts? You love Spotify.

How you listen is also a part of the decision. Smart speaker support is important if you want to listen to music at home, but music discovery and stream quality can be just as important, if not more so, for serious music lovers. This comparison is updated with new information every so often. Both Spotify and Apple Music offer a free three-month trial for their paid services, which normally cost $10 (£10, AU$12) a month. Students pay $5, and a family plan for Apple Music or Spotify costs $15 or $16.

You can stream any song in the library whenever you want, and you can also listen to songs offline. Spotify is giving new users three months of its premium service for free until September 30, 2021. Apple Music is giving new users six months for free through Best Buy.

Price and availability

The prices for Spotify and Apple Music were very similar, but there was one big difference: Spotify’s first tier was free. But if you use Spotify for free, you’ll have to listen through recorded ads and ads within the app. If you pay for the Premium tier, you’ll get rid of both. Check out our comparison of Spotify Free vs. Premium to see what else is different.

Spotify also has a Premium Duo package for homes with two people. It has a playlist called “Duo Mix,” which is made up of songs based on how people usually listen to music. Note that signing up for the Apple Music annual plan is a bit complicated. First, you have to sign up for a monthly plan, and then you can switch to annual billing in the app or in the account settings of your Apple device.

Apple just raised its prices and said that the new pricing structure is because of “The cost of licensing will go up, so artists and songwriters will make more money when their music is streamed. We also keep adding new features that make Apple Music the best way to listen to music in the world.”

Apple Music vs Spotify Comparison Table

Apple MusicSpotify
Starting Price$10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 per monthFree
Price for offline mode, no ads$10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 per month$9.99 per month
Student Price$5.99 / £5.99 / AU$5.99 per month$4.99 per month
Family Package$16.99 / £16.99 / AU$25.95 per month, 6 accounts$15.99 per month, 6 accounts
Annual Plan$109.99 per year$99 per year
‘Duo’ Household$12.99 per month, 2 accounts

Apple Music vs Spotify Streaming quality

Apple music vs spotify

As of August 2022, only Apple Music will let you stream music that is good enough for audiophiles. In February 2021, Spotify announced its Spotify HiFi tier and said it would be available later that year. But we are well into 2022, and Spotify HiFi is still not out. If it ever happens, Spotify will have audio quality like a CD and will only be available in certain areas.

Apple Music just started offering free high-resolution streaming options. Apple Music now lets you stream 16-bit/44.1kHz, 24-bit/48kHz, and 24-bit/192kHz audio, as well as content with Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. Apple Music also streams content at 256kbps using the AAC audio format and streams via one high-quality Bluetooth codec, AAC, which is much more efficient than most other open-source lossy options.

By default, Apple Music streams at the highest quality possible. When streaming over cellular data, the quality is lowered. But this quality cap can be turned off in the settings. On the other hand, Spotify’s streaming quality is set to auto by default. It changes based on how strong your connection is, whether you’re using Wi-Fi or cellular data. The app streams music using the open-source Ogg Vorbis codec at up to 320kbps for Spotify Premium users and up to 160kbps for people with a free account.

Apple Music vs Spotify Music library

Apple music vs spotify

Spotify has more than 8 million songs and 4.7 million podcasts, which is a lot of music for your ears to handle. The Swedish streaming service also adds all the new albums, exclusive live sessions, and singles to its New Releases tab and Release Radar playlist every Friday.

Apple’s service, on the other hand, says it has more than 100 million songs, which is more than Spotify (though Spotify has been catching up steadily) and more than Amazon Prime Music and Jay-Tidal, Z’s which are both newer services. Also, because it doesn’t have a free tier, Apple has taken steps to get a lot more exclusives than its competitors. Spotify doesn’t like it when artists sign exclusive deals with Apple, either. According to reports, Spotify has a history of changing search rankings for artists whose music comes out first on Apple.

Apple Music has an advantage over its competitors in another way: it integrates the iTunes library. Any music you own, whether you bought it from the iTunes Store, ripped it from a CD, or uploaded it to iTunes Match, will show up in your Apple Music library. This lets you browse your own music along with Apple’s standard catalogue. Spotify has a similar feature, putting your local music files in a separate tab. However, unlike Apple Music, you can’t find your local music with a broad search.

Apple Music vs Spotify User interface

Both the mobile and desktop apps for Spotify have a dark interface with green accents and a lot of transparency effects. The iOS and Android apps, in particular, can be hard to use at times, with sections like “Your Library” for saved songs, albums, and playlists, “Search” for the latest charts, releases, and Spotify-made playlists, and “Home” for a mix of everything.

Apple Music has a much brighter and whiter user interface, but when a song is playing, the transparency effects and album art look very similar to what you see on Spotify. The main parts of the app are “Listen Now,” which shows recently played music and makes suggestions, “Browse,” “Library,” “Search,” and a separate “Radio” button.

Apple Music vs Spotify Connectivity

You might think from the name that Apple Music is only for iPhones and MacBooks, but Apple knows that to win the streaming war, it needs to let Android and PC users in as well. So, there are apps for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC, and you can also use your web browser to get to the library. Apple just put out an app for the PS5, so it’s not like the company is resting on its laurels.

With support for Apple TV, Apple Watch, and HomePod, it’s better if you’re part of the Apple ecosystem. It works especially well on the second one, where you can send music from your iPhone or just ask Siri to play the songs you want to hear. You can even ask Siri questions like “Who plays drums on this?” But if you like to mix and match your hardware brands, Amazon Echo users can also choose Apple Music as their player.

All of this is impressive, but it can’t (yet) compete with Spotify, which has been known for streaming music for more than 10 years. So, it has apps for everything you can think of, from your Xbox to your smart TV, and it works with Google’s Nest Audio speakers right out of the box.

Apple Music vs Spotify Sound quality

Apple music vs spotify

Before, Apple Music’s standard-quality tracks were 256kbps AAC files, which is the same format as iTunes tracks. Last year, Apple Music updated its entire library, which is now encoded with ALAC in resolutions ranging from 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD quality) to 24-bit/192kHz (hi-res audio quality).

Spotify streams songs at three different speeds (96kbps, 160kbps, and 320kbps), all of which are in the Ogg Vorbis format. However, only paid Premium subscribers can access the highest quality. This could change when Spotify’s delayed HiFi tier comes out, but right now, Apple Music’s library of lossless content is better than Spotify’s when it comes to resolution and bit rate.

As with any lossless audio content, Spotify HiFi will likely require a pair of wired headphones, like one of our best audiophile headphones, to hear the difference. However, Spotify says that Spotify Connect-enabled speakers will be able to support it. Check out our list of the best headphones, best Bluetooth speakers, best soundbars, and best computer speakers to make sure you’re getting the best sound quality.

Apple Music Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Android App
  • Music Uploads
  • Free Trial

Cons

  • Overly-complicated User Interface
  • No Such Thing As Free
  • No Such Thing As Free

Spotify Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Easy
  • Compatibility
  • Music Collection
  • Free Tier

Cons

  • Lack own lyrics feature
  • Price is too high
  • Limitations of use

Which one should you consider?

Comparing these two streaming services, Apple Music is better than Spotify Premium right now because it lets you stream in high-resolution. But Spotify still has a lot going for it, like the ability to make playlists with other people, better social features, and more. If you use Apple devices a lot in your daily life, you’ll like how Apple Music has a familiar user interface, works with Siri, and automatically syncs across all your Apple devices.

On the other hand, Spotify has always been made to work with a wide range of devices. If you want to stream music outside of Apple’s ecosystem, Spotify is a great choice. It has a huge library of music and podcasts, and its algorithms for recommending music are very good.

FAQs

Which is better between Apple Music and Spotify?

But what really makes a difference is lossless and spatial audio. This makes Apple Music the best option for people who want the best sound quality. Since it’s the same price as a Spotify Premium subscription, it’s also the best value for people who are willing to pay.

What are cons of Apple Music?

Apple Music has put Apple FairPlay Protection on all of your downloaded songs. This makes it hard to listen to these songs. If you stop paying for the service, you can’t keep the songs you’ve already downloaded. Also, you can’t play the music on devices that aren’t signed in with your Apple ID.

George Southwell
George Southwell
George Southwell is a seasoned content editor at Bollyinside, renowned for his expertise in simplifying complex tech topics. Specializing in "Tips and Tricks" articles, he excels in breaking down iPhone, Android, hardware, and software insights. George's insatiable curiosity fuels his hobby of testing the latest tech updates, keeping him on the cutting edge.

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