Spotify vs Apple Music: Which is the best music app in 2025?
If you want a comparison of Spotify and Apple Music, the incredible music streaming applications from the last couple of years, then you are in the right place. In this article, I’ll share a comparison between Spotify and Apple Music, which will help you to choose your favorite music streaming application.
As a music lover, it is not easy to choose because both of them offer fantastic premier services to get access to your favorite soundtracks. Both services are considered leaders in the crowded music streaming arena. The competition between them has taken the music streaming industry to the next level, and their revenues have increased considerably. We compare all the music streaming platforms, so don’t forget to check out these differences: Spotify vs Pandora and Spotify vs YouTube Music, and Spotify vs SoundCloud.
What is Spotify?
Spotify is a freemium digital music streaming application developed in 2006. It has a massive music collection of 100 million tracks and 6 million podcasts. It is available in almost 180 Countries with more than 675 million active users, of which 263 million are paid subscribers. Spotify offers a free tier as well as a popular music-sharing experience.
What is Apple Music?
Apple Music was developed in 2015. It has a collection of 100 million songs and is available across 168 countries, with almost 98 million subscribers. Apple Music is known for its high-profile exclusives, massive music collection, and easy integration with the iPhone operating system.
A detailed comparison of features of Spotify vs Apple music is given below:
Spotify vs Apple Music: Price
The subscription plan of Spotify and Apple Music are nearly identical. Both offer basic and Family Plans. Spotify has an advantage over Apple Music, that it offers users a free trial period of thirty days. Moreover, it also offers freemium services, although the fermium services have certain limitations like free Ads, limited Shuffles, etc. If you are a student, Spotify may appeal to you due to the extra services of Showtime and Hulu. Still, Apple music may be worth considering if you have invested in the Apple ecosystem. Both services offer a grand worth of money, and you can’t go wrong when choosing among them.
| Premium Plans | Spotify Prices | Apple Music Price |
| Individual | $11.99/month | $11.99/month |
| DUO | $14.99/month | ___ |
| Family | $19.99/month | $16.99/month |
| Student | $5.99/month | $5.99/month |
| Voice | ___ | $4.99/month |
Winner: Spotify has a slight edge due to the availability of free trial and extra premier services.
Spotify vs Apple Music: Music Library
Spotify’s music collection consists of over 100 million songs and 6 million podcasts. In contrast, Apple Music has a massive collection of 100 million songs. Spotify is competing efficiently by adding 60,000 songs daily to its catalog. Users can find the latest hit music tracks thanks to the joint collaboration of Spotify with Billboard. All types of standard and unique genres like Pop, Rock, Anime, Karaoke, etc. are part of Spotify. The music Content creation of Apple Music is also very impressive. Latest releases and specific music categories like Indigenous Australia, Schlager, and Behind the songs can be accessed by Apple Music.
Winner: Both have a massive collection, but Apple Music has a slightly better music library due to thoughtful curation and more fleshed categories.
Spotify vs Apple Music: Sound Quality
Spotify offers both high- and low-quality streaming options depending on whether you use the freemium or premium tier. In freemium, tracks are streamed at 160Kbps, whereas in the Premium subscription plan, tracks are streamed at 320Kbps. Apple Music offers standard streaming at 256Kbps; moreover, it offers lossless audio ranging from 16 bit/44.1kHz to 24 bit/192kHz. It supports spatial audio, which is enabled by Dolby Atmos Coding to make tracks more impressive and gives them extra compatibility. Spotify’s higher streaming bitrate consumes more data compared to Apple Music.
| Feature | Spotify | Apple Music |
|---|---|---|
| Max Audio Quality | 320 kbps (Premium, Ogg Vorbis) | Lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz (ALAC format) |
| Free Tier Quality | 160 kbps (Web: 128 kbps AAC) | Not available |
| Hi-Res Audio | Not available yet (HiFi tier delayed) | Yes (Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless) |
| Streaming Format | Ogg Vorbis / AAC | AAC / ALAC |
| Spatial Audio | Not supported | Yes, with Dolby Atmos |
| Equalizer Settings | In-app | In system settings |
Winner: Apple Music is better than Spotify in terms of Sound quality due to high-quality streaming and extra features.
Spotify vs Apple Music: Browser Playback
Spotify and Apple Music both offer you to browse through your libraries, access the playlists, and enjoy your favorite music collection designed for you. Moreover, Apple Music no longer demands you to install iTunes.
Winner: Spotify and Apple Music are similar in terms of Browser playback.
Spotify vs Apple Music: Availability
Spotify and Apple Music have been working on expanding their availability all around the world. Apart from gadgets like Mobile Phones, tablets, PCs, and Macs, Spotify content can be played via your gaming consoles like PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One series, and PS4. It has also launched a car device to enable access to music and podcasts in your cars. Apple Music also supports various devices like Apple HomePod and HomePod mini, Apple TV 4K, and Apple Watch.
Winner: Spotify has a clear edge over Apple Music in availability as it supports many more devices than Apple music.
Spotify vs Apple Music: Social Media
Spotify facilitates you to share your content with your friends through different social media platforms. You can share your collection with your friends through Spotify, connect with social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snap Chat or create links to share music and playlists. Apple Music lets you share a playlist with registered users over AirDrop or create content links to post and share according to your liking.
Winner: Spotify is far ahead of its Competitor Apple Music regarding social media interactions to share your content with your friends.
Spotify vs Apple Music: Other Features
Apple Music has an extensive collection of amazing features that users can benefit from. Spatial audio offers you 3D effects on songs. With AirPods Max, you can experience immersive audio with dynamic head tracking. Offline Playback lets you download songs and listen to them anywhere you want without using data. Access to music across all Apple devices gives you control over how users listen to their music. Spotify and Apple Music offer multiple premier services that users can use to listen to their favorite music and podcasts.
Which is Better, Spotify or Apple Music?
Spotify and Apple Music are the most prominent brands of music streaming around the globe and are neck to neck in every aspect; therefore, it is really difficult to choose the better one when comparing Spotify Vs Apple Music. Spotify offers a freemium plan if you can’t pay for a subscription plan, as well as connect to other social media platforms to share our collection with our friends. Apple Music offers you very high-quality music streaming as well as Lossless and Spatial audio services which offer 3D effects to your soundtracks.
| Characteristics | Spotify | Apple Music |
|---|---|---|
| Price and subscriptions | ✔ | |
| Music Library | ✔ | |
| Sound quality | ✔ | |
| Browser playback | ✔ | ✔ |
| Compatibility | ✔ | |
| Social networks | ✔ |
Suppose you are a Casual music lover, who wants to listen to the music and enjoy its content, and is not willing to spend any penny. In that case, you may opt for Spotify. It has a massive music collection as well as it offers access to other social media platforms to share your playlist with your friends. Suppose you are a more dedicated music lover and can spend money. In that case, Apple Music will be a far better option for you due to high-resolution streaming.
FAQs
Conclusion
In a comparison of Spotify and Apple Music, choosing the better application is not just as simple as both offer exquisite premium services to the users. If you can’t spend money and bear the limitations offered in the freemium plan of Spotify, you can opt for it. But, if you are a dedicated music lover and want a high-fidelity experience, you must go for Apple Music as its features like Spatial and Lossless audio offers high-resolution streaming. Suppose you are still not sure after all this extensive information regarding the Spotify vs Apple Music comparison. In that case, you can go for the free trial of both Apple Music and Spotify and choose the best among them.
