A comprehensive comparison between the two music streaming giants
Music is a universal language and helps you cope with every situation in life. When it comes to music streaming, which is a massive market currently, the battle is largely bipolar: Apple Music on one hand and Spotify on the other. While both try to outdo each other, there is only one clear winner- the music connoisseur.
Spotify is a Sweden based streaming app and was launched way back in 2008 and boasts of over 30 millions plus songs in its library. On the other hand, its counterpart, Apple Music, was launched in 2015 and is Spotify’s biggest competitor with over 40 million songs in its kitty.
However, getting down to the b(r)ass t(r)acks. Spotify vs Apple music, lets find out which is the better music streaming app.
Pricing
Spotify and Apple music both start their monthly subscription fee at the industry standard rate of $9.99. Both the apps also allow a student discount which starts at $4.99 and a family package of $14.99 for 6 accounts. Apple Music also started an annual subscription for $99 which comes down to only $8.25 a month. However, Spotify has an advantage in this area as compared to Apple Music’s 3 month free-trial, it allows users to stream music for free if they are not yet ready to commit.
Winner: Spotify
Content
Spotify has an impressive 30 million plus library and adds almost 20,000 new songs everyday. The app also has a New Releases section where it adds new singles, albums, and live sessions every Friday which allows users to discover new and upcoming artists.
On the other hand, Apple’s service has over 40 million songs in its library which is more than that of Spotify. Another added benefit is that since Apple Music doesn’t provide a free service, more artists release their exclusive versions on Apple before they release it worldwide which gives the service an upper hand.
Winner: Apple Music
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Discovery
With both services boasting millions of songs, it can be a dreadful task for users to find music they are looking for, or more importantly not looking for. Spotify to curb this problem has come up with different tabs in their app like Release Radar, New Release Friday and the personalised Discover Weekly. They have worked so much on Discover Weekly and it is genuinely a very smart feature. It records the listening habits of users and then creates a personalised playlist. It is a 2 hour long playlist that gives the listener a chance to hear music they haven’t heard before. So if you listen to a lot of Kendrick Lamar, your playlist might include some music from J. Cole. It also allows users to share their playlists with friends.
Apple Music on the other hand, prompts the user to select artists and genres they like as soon as they sign up to understand user preferences. The service also generates playlists based on mood, artist, and also during a particular activity like driving. However Spotify’s Discover Weekly gives it an edge over here.
Winner: Spotify
User Interface and Experience
Both the services have an aesthetically pleasing UI however Apple’s is slightly more appealing. Apple goes with the chic, pink on white background while Spotify users are happy with the black and neon colour. Apple music which is also available on Android has a slightly different UI than the iOS devices. The apps have multiple features and the user would have to browse the app and find them.
Apple has integrated Siri with Apple Music which allows users to play music by voice command. In addition to that you can listen to music on all iOS, Android, and Windows devices along with Apple’s HomePod.
On the other hand, Spotify doesn’t have a voice command feature, however, like Apple Music it is available on all devices along with Amazon’s Echo and Google’s ChromeCast. Moreover, the service is compatible with Xbox and PS as well which appeals to all gamers.
Winner: Apple Music
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Social Features
Spotify allows a user to share their playlists and connect with friends. You can get to know what others are listening to as well as share all this on Facebook.
Apple on the other hand has a feature called Connect which gives the user a sneak peak into their favourite artist’s life. You can like, comment on any artist’s post as well as see candid backstage photos. However there is no way you can connect with your friends or others with the same taste as yourself. The social media integration surely gives Spotify an edge over Apple Music.
Winner: Spotify
And The Winner Is:
While there is no hands down winner here, hardcore fans and users have their own preferences and opinions.
I, for one, personally believe the free version and the Discover Weekly function make Spotify slightly better than Apple Music.
