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Apple Music vs. Spotify Buyer's Guide

Apple Music and Spotify overwhelmingly dominate the music streaming space, but the two services offer surprisingly different experiences despite...

‌Apple Music‌ and Spotify have similar libraries with over 100 million songs, with features like personalized playlists, live lyrics, collaboration, crossfade, and SharePlay support, making it all the more difficult to choose between them. ‌Apple Music‌SpotifyAdvanced library management, allowing users to curate a collection of music with a wide range of sorting optionsNo "library;" add songs to a playlist of liked tracks insteadBasic music discovery algorithmAdvanced music discovery algorithmLimited personalization comprising "New Music Mix," "Get Up Mix," "Chill Mix," and a personal radio stationPersonalized mixes including "Release Radar," "Discover Weekly," and "Tastebreakers," in addition to thousands of algorithmic playlists that are tailored to the userEmphasis on human-curated playlists, with limited use of algorithmic playlistsEmphasis on advanced algorithmic playlistsOccasionally offers exclusive releases from major artistsSpatial Audio with Dolby Atmos for a virtual surround sound experience with supported songsLossless Audio up to 24-bit/192 kHzApple Digital Masters specification‌Apple Music‌ 1, ‌Apple Music‌ Hits, and ‌Apple Music‌ Country radio with live DJs, interviews, specials and show archiveIn-app music videosIn-app podcasts and audiobooks‌Apple Music‌ Classical app based on Primephonic‌Apple Music‌ Sing karaoke experienceLimited social sharing optionsComprehensive social sharing options, such as the ability to see what friends are listening to in real-time‌Apple Music‌ Replay year-long retrospective experience with limited social media supportSpotify Wrapped end-of-year retrospective experience with better social media supportClosely integrated with the Apple ecosystem, including Apple TV, HomePod, Vision Pro, Siri, and Apple Fitness+Available on all Apple devices and Android, as well as some games consoles and TVsAvailable across a wide range of devices, including non-Apple ones, but no support for ‌Apple TV‌ and Vision ProKnown for user-friendly, cross-platform designAbility to control Spotify on one device from anotherIntegration with existing iTunes libraries, allowing users to merge a personal music collection with the streaming library and upload and stream tracks that aren't in the ‌Apple Music‌ libraryAbility to play local audio filesListen to ‌Apple Music‌ 1, ‌Apple Music‌ Hits, or ‌Apple Music‌ Country for freeFull library access and shuffled playlists with ads for free Individual subscription: $10.99/month Student subscription: $5.99/month Family subscription: $16.99/month Individual subscription: $10.99/month Student subscription: $5.99/month"Duo" household subscription: $14.99/month Family subscription: $16.99/monthIncluded in all Apple One subscription bundle tiersBoth ‌Apple Music‌ and Spotify boast extensive music libraries, sophisticated personalization features, and comparable subscription models, but the nuances of their offerings cater to slightly different audiences. Its sophisticated algorithms that power features like Discover Weekly and Release Radar are unmatched for surfacing new music tailored to the listener's tastes.

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