Amazon Music vs Spotify: Which is the best music app? (2025)
Music streaming has flourished nowadays, as it allows you to access your favorite audio and video content around the clock on any device. Finding the music streaming service that fits your mood is essential to have a pleasant listening experience so that you can enjoy every bit of fantastic music tracks. Spotify and Amazon Music are leading music streaming services and can be worth considering for you.
In this writing breakdown, I will be drawing a brief comparison of Spotify and Amazon Music, which will let you know about the premier services offered by both these music streaming applications. A few differences may make one service better than the other. After going through the article Amazon Music vs Spotify, you will have a clearer view of choosing the best music streaming service for you. We compare all the music streaming platforms, so don’t forget to check out these differences: Spotify vs Apple Music and Spotify vs Tidal.
What is Spotify?
Spotify is a digital music streaming app developed in 2006. It has a massive collection of 100 million music tracks and 6 million podcasts. It is available in nearly 180 countries with over 573 million active users, of which 226 million are paying subscribers. The Spotify app was designed to address music piracy issues and provide easy access to music for users.
What is Amazon Music?
Amazon Music was launched in 2007. It has a massive collection of 100 million soundtracks. It is available across 50 countries with 55 million subscribers. It was the first digital music store that offered music free of digital rights management. Since its launching, it has steadily made its way in North America, Europe, and Japan.
Free Subscription
Spotify and Amazon Music offer a freemium plan to get access to their services. Both offer similar features like Free Ads, no option to skip Ads, six skips per hour, and keep playing music playing even if your display is off. However, Spotify has extra features like full access to the content library, on-demand playback on the desktop, and a change of Audio Quality setting, which Amazon Music does not offer in a freemium plan.
| Feature | Spotify Free | Amazon Music Free |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Worldwide | Limited to select countries |
| Ads | Yes (audio and banner ads) | Yes (audio ads) |
| Music Selection | Full catalog with some restrictions | Curated playlists and stations only |
| On-Demand Playback | Limited (shuffle play on mobile) | No on-demand play (stations only) |
| Skips | Limited (6 skips/hour) | Limited (6 skips/hour) |
| Audio Quality | Up to 160 kbps | Standard quality (approx. 128 kbps) |
| Podcasts | Yes | No |
| Lyrics Display | Yes | No |
Winner: Spotify is better than Amazon Music in terms of free subscription due to its extra premier services like full access to the music library and change of audio quality setting.
Pricing and Plans
Apart from the freemium plan, both Spotify and Amazon Music have three basic premium plans. The subscription cost for these plans in both applications is almost the same. A brief comparison of paid Plans of both platforms is as under:
| Premium Plans | Spotify Prices | Amazon Music Prices |
| Individual | $11.99/month | Prime members: $10.99 and $11.99 for non-Prime members |
| DUO | $15.99/month | ___ |
| Family | $19.99/month | $16.99/month |
| Student | $5.99/month | $5.99/month |
| Unique device | ___ | $5.99/month |
In premium plans, both platforms offer Ad Free services, full access to music and podcast content, online and offline streaming for the users. Amazon Music has a slight advantage as the subscription plan for its prime members is less than that of Spotify.
Winner: Amazon Music is better than Spotify in terms of premium subscription as it offers more flexibility to budget-conscious users, which makes it more appealing; moreover, HD and ultra-HD streaming make Amazon Music superior to Spotify.
Music Library
Spotify has a massive collection of 100 million music tracks, with 60,000 new tracks added every day. Strategic partnerships with Sony Music, Warner Music, and Universal Music Group allow Spotify to cover all genres. In addition to music tracks, Spotify has invested heavily in acquiring multiple podcast companies to enhance its offering.
Amazon Music has a massive collection of 100 million songs in its gallery. It doesn’t have as many genres as Spotify, but playlists like Pop Culture, Rap Rotation, Hits, and Viral Hits make Amazon Music a very impressive platform. Amazon Music also offers podcasts, but its 70,000 titles don’t come close to Spotify’s. It also has a decent collection of hit videos like Pop Video Hits, 80s Video Hits, 90s Alternative Videos, and Video Icon Series.
Winner: In terms of content collection, Amazon Music is slightly ahead with a more extensive music library. Both platforms have an excellent collection of mainstream and indie songs, as well as an incredible playlist that does justice to all genres.
Sound Quality
Spotify and Amazon Music offer five sound quality settings to adjust your audio preferences; however, their bit rates differ. A brief comparison of the two platforms’ audio quality settings is as follows:
| Audio Quality | Spotify | Amazon Music |
|---|---|---|
| Low / Data Saver | 24 Kbps | 24–96 Kbps |
| Normal / Standard | 96 Kbps | 128–192 Kbps |
| High | 160 Kbps | N/A |
| Very High | 320 Kbps | N/A |
| HD | N/A | ~850 Kbps |
| Ultra HD | N/A | ~3730 Kbps |
Winner: When it comes to sound quality, Amazon Music is far superior to Spotify due to features of HD and ultra-HD streaming of soundtracks.
Compatibility
Spotify can be accessed on your PC through a web player or on your iOS and Android mobile device. According to Spotify, there are 379 devices that support Spotify. These devices include Speakers, Gaming Consoles, Headphones, Audio Streamers etc. You can also connect to social media platforms to share your collection and playlist.
Amazon Music can also be accessed on PC through a web player on your Android and iOS devices. Amazon Music prefers devices of the Echo Series like Smart Speaker, Smart audio sunglasses, wireless earbuds, or in-car audio devices.
Winner: Spotify
Availability
Spotify is available in around 184 countries on the globe, with 263 million paid subscribers. On the other hand, Amazon Music is available in 50 countries with about 55 million subscribers. This number further decreases to just 7 countries regarding the HD audio features of Amazon Music.
Winner: Spotify is better than Amazon Music due to its wider availability worldwide and flexible compatibility with other devices.
Winner: Spotify
Music Discovery
Music discovery is the tool that allows us to search for the music we like but are not currently searching for it. Spotify takes everything you like or not and runs it through a hybrid algorithm. Spotify has entire sections that take a keen interest in your moods and give you a fresh selection of new releases you never heard. Recommendations on playlists offered by Spotify can also help find the most lovable soundtracks.
Amazon Music lacks a lot in Personalization. Music recommendations are generally based on popularity rather than the music you liked. Moreover, Amazon Music’s new releases just compile a list of recently released music that does not resemble Spotify.
Winner: When it comes to Music Discovery, Spotify’s thorough approach to music discovery and recommendations according to user preferences make it better than Amazon Music.
User Interface
Spotify has dark themed layout having a stationary navigation bar to the side, which gives quick access to the music library. This feature is terrific for a user who has a large number of playlists. The drag and drop function help you to drop new songs into your playlist.
Amazon Music interface is simple and easy to use. Instead of a side, its navigation bar is located on top of the screen and contains quick links for music search. It has no drag-and-drop function, but the drop-down menu is very comprehensive. Amazon Music makes good use of filters through which you can choose your required tracks.
Winner: When it comes to user interface, Spotify and Amazon Music are similar as both platforms have clean and elegant designs, are easy to use, and are aesthetically pleasing.
Additional Features
Spotify and Amazon Music have certain additional features which make these platforms worth using. Both platforms have Built-in-equalizers for those who want their audio to sound in specific ways. Both have a behind-the-song feature called Storyline on Spotify and X-Ray on Amazon Music which gives information about songs meaning and the artists. The audio quality indicator feature of Amazon Music lets you know the quality of the track and the quality on which it is playing based on your internet connection. An amazing ONLY YOU feature by Spotify gives a personalized music experience by highlighting your music choices.
Which is better, Spotify or Amazon Music?
After a Comparison of Spotify Vs Amazon Music, the answer of which one is better is not an easy one. Both platforms offer exquisite services, depending on the user’s preference based on their interest in music. There seems to be no winner in this battle. Spotify Platform’s exclusive features like freemium access, better tools for discovering and sharing new tracks, better connectivity, and podcast make it better for its opponents. On the other hand, Amazon Music offers a massive collection, very high sound quality, HD and Ultra HD streaming, and Karaoke Function (Sharing Songs Lyrics).
| Characteristics | Spotify | Amazon Music |
|---|---|---|
| Free subscription | ✔️ | |
| Price and subscriptions | ✔️ | |
| Music Library | ✔️ | |
| Sound quality | ✔️ | |
| Compatibility | ✔️ | |
| Availability | ✔️ | |
| Musical discovery | ✔️ | |
| User interface | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Spotify is well suited to those who want to have a new music experience according to their Wishlist, while those who prefer the highest quality of sound can opt for Amazon Music. Remember, no one tells you to choose between the platform. One of the cleverest ways for you is to take advantage of the free trial and access the best one that suits you without losing your music collection.
Conclusion
Spotify and Amazon Music are two of the most popular music streaming platforms, offering exceptional services to their users. When comparing Spotify and Amazon Music, we find that Spotify has better tools for sharing and discovering music, along with stronger global connectivity. On the other hand, Amazon Music offers high-quality audio, including HD and Ultra HD streaming, which provides an outstanding listening experience. If you’re still unsure about your preference after reading this Spotify vs Amazon Music comparison, you can try a free trial and explore the platform that best suits your needs—without losing your music collection.
