Both music streaming portals are more than worth their monthly subscription costs for several reasons. For starters, Spotify paved the way for the current music-streaming market, and while there are no signs of a slowdown — the company is up to million subscribers worldwide as of Q4 — Apple Music is no slouch either.
See more Best music-streaming services Best internet radio stations Spotify vs. Pandora Best music podcasts. This meaty concoction helped Apple reach impressive growth in listeners, with over 72 million premium subscribers , vaulting it atop Spotify at one point in the U.
Still, Spotify remains the global champ. The competition between these two has helped the recording industry reach record heights for digital revenue, and the question of which is better has become increasingly tough to answer. Join us below to see which of these juggernaut music-streaming services is right for you. Spotify for iOS Spotify for Android. Spotify first took its dominant position on the strength of its impressive 70 million-plus song catalog.
The Swedish streaming service also brings all the latest releases, exclusive live sessions, and various new singles right to its New Releases tab each Friday, as well as the Release Radar playlist. We also need to discuss the audio quality that comes with streaming songs on both services. Apple, on the other hand, is making significant strides in providing free audio quality upgrades for all subscribers. The company recently announced that Dolby Atmos support and Spatial Audio support would be provided for all compatible songs going forward, including playlists for the songs that successfully take advantage of these formats.
Apple also announced the beginning of free lossless audio for all Apple Music, to be rolled out starting in June , allowing users to pick their preferred audio quality all the way up to how sounded in the studio. In other words, for audiophiles, Apple has by far the better options. With so many songs at the ready, streaming libraries can seem daunting for those who want to find new music, but Spotify provides a lot of useful tools for finding new songs to suit your taste.
Personalized playlists like Discover Weekly provide fantastic opportunities for subscribers to latch on to new music from artists they never stumbled across on their own. The deep well of base genres to choose from makes new music ripe for the picking, and listeners can personalize playlists simply by liking specific songs as they listen. While Spotify recommends ongoing playlists and channels to new users, including editor-curated playlists for specific tastes, these features are much more limited for free users.
Discover Weekly, in particular, deserves high praise in the streaming world. Added to your feed every Monday morning, the feature delivers a two-hour playlist of personalized music recommendations based on your listening habits, as well as the habits of those who listen to similar artists. Listen to a lot of Billy Eilish? Spotify and Apple Music also have radio stations based around your favorite artists, tracks or genres.
Apple Music also has a separate station called Beats1 Radio which is curated and hosted by actual DJs, so you can listen to it in real time like you would a traditional radio station. In our experience, Spotify's algorithmic recommendations for new music based on our listening habits is the most on-point. But Apple Music's human-curated radio station often uncovers new or unreleased tracks that also appeal.
Both services let you follow your favorite artists to keep up to date with their posts and latest releases. You can also follow friends. On Spotify, you can see what song your pals are listening to in real-time if they choose to share this detail on the desktop app. Spotify Codes are a way to share tracks, albums and playlists among friends.
It's kind of like a custom QR code that you can scan with the camera in Spotify if you're listening in the same location, or share through messages if you're apart. Many popular musicians seem to be more active in posting updates on Apple Music and it's easier to find that content than it is on Spotify.
Naturally, you can also follow your friends and see what they're up to across both platforms. While it's much easier to find profiles on Apple Music than it is on Spotify, you do have to already have your friends in your contacts list or on Facebook to follow them. Spotify has Group Sessions that lets two or more Premium subscribers control music playback and collaborate on a shared playlist. If you want a free service, Spotify is the clear winner. But if you are looking to pay for a service, your decision may be a little more complicated.
Apple Music plays well with other Apple devices. If you want voice control on the HomePod, for example, Apple Music is your only option. Spotify, on the other hand, has greater cross-compatibility across lots of different devices, from game consoles to smart speakers. It takes time to train each of these services to really get to know your taste.
For our money, Spotify does a better job in uncovering and tailoring playlists and recommendations to us through its custom playlists and discovery features.
But Apple Music gives you the most flexibility in mixing songs from your own library that might not even be on streaming services with new tunes you can stream on demand. Of course, Spotify and Apple Music aren't your only options for streaming music services. To see how they stack up against competitors like Tidal and Amazon, click here to read our comparison. CNET editors pick the products and services we write about.
Sign in with the Apple ID and password that you use to make purchases. If you're not sure if you have an Apple ID, we can help you find out. Confirm your billing information and add a valid payment method. Tap or click Join. Learn more You can also get an individual subscription or student subscription to Apple Music.
Learn how to sign up for Apple One. Learn how to view, change, or cancel your subscription. Published Date: November 17, Apple even admitted as much onstage during its WWDC keynote, joking that it considered adding calendar, web browsing, and email functionality to the application, before deciding to replace it entirely.
You could buy a track for just 99 cents, rip some more from a CD, organize them into a playlist, and then quickly sync it to your iPod, all with the same piece of software.
Apple knew that people could be tempted to pay money for digital music rather than pirating it if the process was convenient enough, and the success of the iTunes Store proves it was right.
The software initially launched on the Mac in January , ahead of the release of the first iPod in October that year. It was joined by the launch of the iTunes Store in April , with an initial catalog of just , songs. Only later did hell freeze over with the arrival of iTunes on Windows in October , allowing non-Mac users, the vast majority of the computing world, to buy music from Apple and sync it to an iPod for the first time.
Now that the software was available on the biggest operating system in the world, the iPod was able to turn from a Mac-specific accessory into a music player that pretty much anyone with a computer could own. Thanks to the popularity of the iPod and iTunes ecosystem, Apple soon dominated digital downloads allowing it to set the terms — something the music industry came to resent.
When iTunes first launched in , Apple proudly touted its ability to rip, organize, play, and burn music. Now, the only organization necessary is to create a custom playlist or two on Spotify or Apple Music. Items like podcasts and books can be downloaded directly to a mobile device.
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